Medea Essay Outline

Medea essay question #5 outline
Thesis statement: In Euripides Medea the tragic hero Medea has to face the tragedy of losing her husband to another woman. Medea was willing to do anything for herhusband, Jason; she went so far to kill her own brother for him. He pays her back by leaving her and their children alone to be exiled. When Jason leaves Medea for another woman she becomes enraged andvery emotional. “I pray that I may see him, him and his bride and all their palace shattered for the wrong they dare to do me without cause.” (pg. 6) Medea swears she will get revenge on him forleaving her for no good reason. Medeas motives for revenge are both rational and irrational.
I. What motivates Medea?
a. She doesn’t want to be laughed at. “If I am caught breaking into thehouse and scheming against it, I shall die, and given my enemies cause for laughter.”(pg.13)
b. Jealousy over the new bride.
c. Being left by her husband
d. Seeing Jason suffer.e. People thought of her as clever but sense she was a foreigner they feared her. “Often previously trough being considered clever I have suffered much.” (Pg. 10)
II. “Normal, emotionallystable” women
f. No
g. Kills her own children. “I weep to think of what a deed I have to do next after that; for I shall kill my own children.” (pg.26)
h. Kills her husband’s new wifei. Can’t control herself
III. Actions say about the way women were treated in Greek culture
j. Men had more control
k. Men had lots of more freedom. “A man, when he’s tiredof the company in his home, goes out of the house and puts an end to his boredom…” (Pg. 9)
l. Greeks saw that it was ok for Jason to leave even though he had bad excuses
m. Medea wasportrayed as crazy and manly. “I am afraid she may think of some dreadful thing, for her heart is violent” (pg. 2)
n. Women driven by emotions
o. Men were considered rational, women were...