Medea And Chorus Essay, Research Paper

The exchange that takes place between Medea and the Chorus serves several

purposes in Euripides’ tragedy, The Medea. It allows us to sympathize with Medea

in spite of her tragic flaws. It also foreshadows the tragic events that will

come to pass. Finally, it contrasts rationality against vengeance and excess.

The Chorus offers the sane view of the world to the somewhat insane characters

of Medea, Jason, and Creon. As the passage begins on page 176, the leader of the

Chorus reveals that she has high regards for Medea despite the fact that she is

"savage still." She acknowledges Medea as a foreigner and an outsider

and yet is sympathetic towards her. This alliance is apparently based on female

bonds rather than on any kind of national loyalty. Medea wastes no time before

she begins lamenting and cursing those who "dared wrong me without

cause." The Chorus tries to comfort Medea, hoping that this might

"lessen her fierce rage / And her frenzy of spirit." They show real

concern for her well-being, as well as for the well-being of her loved ones.

This unselfish attitude is in stark contrast to the attitudes of the main

characters in the tragedy, who all seem to be extremely self-serving. So in just

a few short lines, it’s already become apparent that while the chorus doesn’t

necessarily agree with the way that Medea is handling her situation, they are

sticking by her and supporting her. This idea supports one of the important

themes of the play: the battle of the sexes. Medea now has a chance to get a few

things off her chest. She addresses the "Women of Corinth," reminding

them that of "all things that live upon the earth and have intelligence we

women are certainly the most wretched." She discusses the sad lot that

women must deal with in marriage and again stresses the fact that she is an

outsider, "alone, without / a city. Her speech is clever and compelling.

It’s a reminder that she is a very intelligent woman, certainly capable of

outsmarting Jason or Creon. This leads us to her plot. She tells the Chorus that

"a woman is timid in other things, and is a coward in looking on cold

steel, but / whenever she is wronged in her marriage there / is no heart so

murderous as hers." The Chorus responds to this by telling Medea that she

has the right to seek vengeance on her husband. This certainly foreshadows her

plan to murder those who she feels have injured her. It also reveals her tragic

flaw. She is excessive in her love for Jason and in her reaction to the loss of

his devotion. This passage marks the last time that a civil exchange takes place

for quite some time. Much of the rest of the play is spent on bickering,

begging, and bad-mouthing. Whether you view Medea as a femme fatale or a tragic

hero, her progression from pain to anger to violence is very representative of

human nature. Most humans are capable of the excessive behavior demonstrated by

Medea; fortunately, most of us live more by the moderate and rational terms of

the Chorus.