Jason as the Foil of Medea Essay - 1317 Words

Jason as the Foil of Medea In Medea, by Euripides, the two main characters Jason and Media are forced to leave Lolkos and have taken refuge in Corinth. Jason has the possibility of establishing a position of standing in the community by marrying King Creon’s daughter. Medea is enraged by Jason’s betrayal of her and their two children and she vows to stop the marriage and exact revenge. In the play, Medea and Jason are set up as foils. Medea is completely dependent on the dominance of passion over reason. She is depicted as conniving, brilliant and powerful. In contrast, Jason is portrayed as a a character of little feeling; he is passionless, obtuse, witless, and weak. Medea first enters the play and greets†¦show more content†¦Later in the play Jason does the reasonable thing and tries to reconcile the problems with Medea. He is obviously not aware that he has done anything wrong. He feels he has merely done what any man in his plac e would do. Through his marriage to the princess he is now the the heir to the throne of Corinth, which is ultimately something that will benefit Medea and her children. He wants to regain status for his family and give his children to opportunity to have royal lineage. Jason’s plan is to achieve a better life for himself and bring his children out of poverty. All of this would eventually benefit Medea, and he does not understand why Medea can not see things his way. QUOTE His contention is that his plan would have worked out perfectly if Medea had only acted sensibly. He blames her for crying out for justice and for making threats against the royal family. If she had not threatened Creon and his daughter, Medea would not be facing exile. Because of Medea’s threats, Creon’s animosity spreads to the children and he insists that they all be sent away. Through their entire conversation Jason does not permit himself to be controlled by passion. He keeps his head clear and simply lays down the facts. It is not like him to let his feeling free play like Medea does. He is there to offer her money and a tell her about her place of exile. He explains that it will be painful to see his children go, but MedeaShow MoreRelated Alternate Endings in Anouilhs Medea Essay791 Words   |  4 PagesAlternate Endings in Anouilhs Medea      Ã‚  Ã‚   To what purpose does Jean Anouilh alter the central conflicts and characters in his retelling of Medea? In the classic play, Medea escapes without punishment and we are told as an audience it is not our place to question the motives and/or actions of the gods. Within the framework of modern, psychologically rendered characters and in the absence of supernatural meddling, Anouilh attempts not only to question the motives but to posit answers to theRead MoreIsmene And Antigone Essay1331 Words   |  6 Pageswomen are supposed to act in this society, Antigone acts directly against these standards. In Medea, the foil characters are Glauce and Medea. Glauce is Jason’s new wife and daughter of King Creon, making her a princess. She is obedient and used by Jason as an object of sexual desire without protest. In fact, she has no lines in the play, symbolic of her subservient and silent nature. On the other hand, Medea is loud and antagonistic. She clearly states her hatr ed for the role women are forced into