Essay: Character Analysis – Medea by Euripides

Character Analysis Essay
The play Medea, written by Euripides, is a Greek tragedy that tells a tale Jason and Medea, a wife and husband whose relationship falls apart after Jason falls in love with Glauce, this results in the death of Medea’s children. Jason’s character is revealed through his actions and words as unsympathetic and ambitious.
Euripides reveals Jason’s unsympathetic character through the words he says to Medea. For example, he writes “I am escaping the howling gape of your verbosity, woman. Well, since you are making a mountain out of the favors you have done me, I’ll tell you what I think” (Euripides 226). Jason’s insensitivity towards Medea is portrayed through his use of “woman,” as if he is looking down on her, and looks down on Medea’s sacrifices she made to be with him when he says, “you are making a mountain out of the favors you have done me” (Euripides 226). She left her family and murdered her father, just so she could be with him, yet Jason’s cold-hearted nature drove him to belittle her actions, which leads to his demise. Additionally, Jason’s lack of sympathy also weakens his ability to see reality, as he continues to demean Medea. Segal writes, “And Jason she takes in completely by her assumption of the role of repentant wife: she showers him with such abject self-abasement… But she knows her man. ‘That’s the way a sensible woman should act,’ he says” (Segal 278). Segal’s criticism on Medea’s character explores her ability to manipulate and use his lack of sympathy to get what she wants. Jason is unable to understand why Medea is upset as he rationalizes his actions and fails to sympathize with Medea. Segal argues that Jason is does not have any sympathy by comparing him to the cliché Greek man, who believe men are superior to women. Jason’s lack of sympathy leads to his demise, as well as his underestimation of Medea.
Furthermore, Jason is driven by his ambitions to have fully Greek children and will do anything to get what he wants. For example, he finds any reason to deny that it is not his fault his children are dead, as he says to Medea, “Yet it is not my hand that slew them… Because your love was scorned you actually thought it right to murder” (Euripides 246). Jason does not take any fault in the death of his own children; instead, he blames Medea’s jealousy and insists that he had no part in her decision to kill them. He is driven to succeed with his plans of marrying Glauce and rationalizes his and Medea’s actions, so he is not to blame. He will do anything, from insulting Medea to evoking logos to rationalize murder, in order to be ambitious. In addition, Jason is divorcing Medea because if “Jason’s children are bastards, they cannot be admitted to the heirà kaì hòsia… nor, worse still for Jason, can they carry out the sacred rites of the family religion” (Palmer 52). Jason is doing all of this to please himself, knowing that he will not end his lineage, a common characteristic of human nature. Palmer brings to light that his children with Medea are technically illegitimate, and Jason is unwilling to let that be. His drive to achieve what he wants leads him to seek out Glauce, a selfish yet bold move to further his lineage. Jason is ambitious because he wants his children to be legitimate and will do anything to gain his personal needs.
In conclusion, Jason’s primary characteristics are his lack of sympathy and his ambitiousness. Jason’s character is reflected through what he says to Medea and the foreshadowing of the future. Although he emits negative characteristics, it is human nature to lack sympathy to an extent, as well as have a drive of ambition, because everyone strives to gain something they cannot have.