Medea, by Euripides

“Stronger than lover's love is lover's hate

Incurable, in each, the wounds they make”.

- Lines 516-548, Pg.53

Throughout the plays rich use of dialogue and overall flourishing tragic drama that Euripides embodies within his work Medea, I found that this quote most fully grasped my attention and most importantly provides the overall message of the the play. As the play mainly reflects upon the love-hate relationship of Medea and Jason, one notices how the play takes a cynical view on love through a more destructive way. It is important to remember that the root to all Medea's anger is love. After her husband abandoned her for the daughter of Creon, Medea's hatred for Jason becomes so fierce that it drives her out of control. Thus, her plot for revenge begins as she plans to murder Creon, his daughter, and her two sons. It becomes quite ironic, however, when one notices the tremendous amount of hate that Medea has for Jason, yet makes no attempt to kill him. This is merely because she wants him to suffer more than she has; thus the only way to fulfill her plan of revenge is by murdering his children.

Hence, the quote stated above ultimately describes Medea's rage throughout the events that occur within the play. Love and hate(two very important themes in the play) are demonstrated in this quote as it describes how hate triumphs over love. The chorus seems to be saying whether your filled with love or hate towards someone the wounds that occur as result are incurable. Both become two very powerful feelings that inevitably lead to tragedy. Thus, the tone of the quote immediately gives the reader a sense of hostility and hate that allows for a better understanding of how Medea is feeling. That is, Medea's hatred for Jason that leads to his demise in the end. This scene becomes an essential part to the play because it is where Medea becomes angered with Jason for leaving her for another woman.. Medea feels betrayed by Jason because she was left by a man she gave up everything for; such as her country and her father. Now she is expected to be exiled and has no place or person to turn to because she threw away everything she knew for her husband. Jason then discusses his future goals for his family and says that Medea should view his “royal wedding” as a plan to help her and her children prosper. However, Medea believes nothing Jason is saying is genuine and does not want to acquire wealth the way he aspires to. It is along these lines that Euripides incorporates the scholarly and wise words of the chorus. Not only do they express the terrible things that are going on, but they also deviate from the drama as they break up some of the tension that is built up between each scene. Nevertheless, while it is blatant that Medea is furious with Jason – she is also infuriated with the whole society. All in all, one can distinctly conclude that Medea was passionately driven by her desire to get revenge.

P.S - This book was by far the best play I have ever read. It is filled with tons of drama, tragedy, and death that keep you involved and awake throughout the entire play. Although it is an extremely short book it is straight to the point and interesting. I personally loved it and would recommend it to anyone :)