Greek mythology is full of tales of heroes and villains. One such story is that of Jason and Medea. But who is the villain and who is the victim in this tale?
On one hand, Medea can be seen as a villain. She was responsible for the death of her own children, after all. And she did it all out of revenge against Jason.
On the other hand, Medea can also be seen as a victim. She was betrayed by Jason, who left her for another woman. In response, she killed his new bride and their children. But some could argue that she was driven to do so by her love for Jason and her desire to protect him.
In Euripides’ Medea, the tragic fate of Medea, princess of Colchis and wife of Jason, is recounted. Medea was abducted from her homeland by Jason and his ship, Argo, and brought to Greece. Eros, who was compelled by Aphrodite, goddess of love, to shoot her with a love arrow, loved Medea because she was seen as beautiful.
After they had been married for some time, King Creon of Corinth offered his daughter, Glauce, to marry Jason in order to create an alliance between their two kingdoms. Medea was so jealous and furious when she heard the news that she plotted to kill Glauce by poisoning her wedding dress. Medea also killed her own children, believing that it would be a greater pain for Jason to lose them than it would be for her.
Many people see Medea as a villain because she committed such horrific acts out of jealousy and anger. However, others see her as a victim because she was betrayed by the husband she loved and was forced to leave her homeland. It is up to interpretation whether Medea is a villain or a victim. Greek mythology is full of tales of betrayal, heartbreak, and revenge. In the story of Medea, it is up to the reader to decide whether Medea is a villain or a victim.
What she had no knowledge of was that by following Jason, she would confront betrayal, suffering, and death. Medea’s meeting and journey with Jason have made her a victim and a hero. When Jason arrived in Iolcus to take his throne from his uncle Pelias, he was misled into believing he must go to Colchis and steal the Golden Fleece before returning to Iolcus, which was considered an impossibility.
Medea, the daughter of King Aeetes and the granddaughter of Helios, the sun god, was able to help Jason because she was a gifted sorceress. She fell in love with him and used her powers to give him guidance along the way and ultimately help him capture the Golden Fleece. When they returned to Iolcus, Medea helped Jason kill Pelias by convincing his own daughters to kill him. The two then fled Iolcus for Corinth where they had two children together.
However, all was not well for long. Despite everything Medea had done for him, Jason began to grow tired of her and took up with another woman, Glauce, the daughter of King Creon of Corinth. This led to Medea taking her revenge upon Jason by killing Glauce and her father, as well as her own children. She then escaped Corinth on a magical chariot pulled by dragons.
Greek mythology is full of tales of villains and heroes, and Medea is both. She was betrayed by the man she loved and in turn took horrific revenge. Is she a victim or a villain? Perhaps she is both.
Jason saved Medea’s brother, the prince of Colchis, when they sailed past the Symplegades. The prince brought Jason to his father’s home, where he met Medea. When King Aeetes found out about Jason’s plans to steal the Golden Fleece, he imprisoned him and his men.
However, with Medea’s help, Jason was able to complete the tasks, steal the Golden Fleece, and escape Colchis.
On the voyage back to Greece, Jason promised to marry Medea once they arrived. However, once they landed in Jason’s home country Iolcus, he broke his word and instead married Creusa, daughter of King Creon. Enraged by this betrayal, Medea killed Creusa’s Wedding dress and sent it as a gift to her. When Creon found out what had happened, he demanded that Medea be put to death. In order to avoid execution, Medea murdered her own children and fled the country.
Greek mythology depicts Medea as a woman scorned who takes revenge on her unfaithful husband by murdering his new wife and their children. However, some argue that Medea is actually the victim in this story. Jason’s betrayal led to Medea’s extreme actions. If he had kept his promise to marry her, none of the tragedy would have unfolded. Therefore, while Medea’s actions were certainly extreme, she can be seen as a victim of circumstance.
Medea, shot by Eros’s love arrow and subsequently falling in love with Jason, helped him accomplish his goals. She anointed him with an unguent that would keep him safe from the oxen’s fire. She instructed Jason on how to vanquish the dragon skeleton army that resulted from the teeth of a dragon. She also put the Hydra to sleep so that Jason might take hold of the Golden Fleece.
Medea even killed her own brother, Apsyrtus, when he was sent to capture Jason and the Argonauts. She did this by convincing him to let her bathe in the sea. While he was waiting for her, she chopped him up into little pieces and threw his body parts into the water so that his soul would not be able to find its way back to his body. Her reasoning behind all of these actions was that if Jason succeeded in getting the Golden Fleece, he would be king of Iolcus and she would be queen by his side.
After Jason had gotten the Golden Fleece, he decided it was time to return home. Medea pleaded with him to take her with him, but he refused, saying that he had to marry the king’s daughter in order to become king himself. Medea was enraged and decided to get revenge on Jason by killing his new bride and her father. She also sent a poisoned robe to his new bride which caused her to burst into flames when she put it on.
Greek mythology is full of tales of heroes and villains. One could argue that Medea is both a villain and a victim. She is certainly a victim of love, having been shot by Eros’ arrow and made to fall in love with Jason against her will. However, she is also a villain because of the things she does out of love for Jason.