The tragic play Medea addresses infidelity in a short-lived marriage through an emotional turmoil of heartbreak and mixed feelings that she receives from the abandonment of her husband.“She lies there without eating, gives her body up to grief, melting away all of her time with tears since she first heard of this injustice from her husband”(line 24-26). Jason had abandoned his wife for another woman, a beloved princess of the king who is Kreon. Jason, however, did not want to leave the other princess simply because she was more beautiful. He may have foreseen a more valuable opportunity for him to advance in life by possibly believing that he would become king. This has been overwhelmingly a thoughtless act on Jason's part foolishly leaving not only his devoted wife but his innocent children as well. Once in a committed relationship, one does not revolve on one's self anymore it also centers around the significant other as well. Thus, reveals Jason as completely arrogant individual. With Jason breaking trust with his wife Medea she had been faced with the brokenness, betrayal and pain leaving her in an unstable mindset of possible suicidal thoughts.“May heavenly fire strike me through the head! Why go on living? What does it profit me?”(line 145). Through all the emotional pain, she had felt severely it had also turned her heart cold towards her dependent children as well affecting essentially everyone who was around her such as the nurse. Knowing Medea is a princess she understood she can hold a grudge that could be threatening to others. “How I’m tortured with fear that you may suffer. Royalty’s temper is awesome in spirit; rarely submissive, used to commanding; they don’t abandon anger with ease” (line 118-121). Thus, because of ones infidelity/selfish acts causes more problems like instability and resentment.
To merely make matters worse Medea had fled the place she had known to undoubtedly be with Jason because she had genuinely loved him so much. She receives no support from any loved ones and experiences a sense of loneliness on top of all the emotional trauma she is enduring. “Of course, your situation’s not the same as mine, you have this city and your father’s house, the benefits of life and friends’ companionship, while I’m alone and citiless, the victim of my husband’s outrage, seized from a barbarian land” (line 252-256). Jason had practically taken his wife from her family and Medea so full of certainty that this man she had fallen involve with, Jason would be with her till death do they part. Inevitably making her dependent on him at all cost yet, the tables has turned and now his helpless children and wife are abandoned by him in a foreign land in which Medea is unfamiliar with. “For he on whom my all depended, my own husband, turned out—how well I know!—the evilest of men” (line 228-229). She must promptly provide solutions to the numerous problems she currently has. In the past when her husband was still around, he was in charge of the household responsibilities and finding solutions to those issues. This can ultimately cause anxiety and conceivably cause her feel overwhelmed. Not to mention she will be judged by many and more attention would be drawn to her since she is unaccustomed to that land.“Women of Corinth, I have come out of the house to forestall criticism”(line 37-38). It is undesirable enough there had been attention on her for being new with possible gossip spreading around with assumptions about her but now her reputation as a woman is being questioned as if she is the one to denounced for her husband heaving her behind.
Gender role within the play embodies stereotypes with the man being unfaithful not giving up much of their life for their women and the women always being loyal. Undoubtedly resulting in surrendering everything to be with them. “I am at enmity with friends at home, and I’ve made enemies of those I should not have done evil to—just to do you a favor. And in return, how blessed you’ve made me among Greek women”(line 506 - 510). She has made sacrifices for this man going reluctantly against her concerned family. Jason completely disregards all she did for him and simply only cares about himself and his own well being. Even when Medea was talking to the people in Corinth presents a bold statement of how women are still being treated till this day. “First we must buy ourselves a husband, at great cost, and thus acquire a master over our own bodies—a second evil still more grievous than the first”(line 40 - 41). She is expressing men still have control over women.That man are still superior over a woman. If something goes wrong in the relationship, a woman is faced with harsh criticism from others as opposed to a man. It also merely expresses that even if women do nothing wrong in the relationship but the man has left her reputation has been tarnished. She has no other choice to accept what comes her way. “The greatest ordeal here is whether we will get a worthwhile or a bad one; for departure harms a woman’s reputation, and she can’t refuse a husband”(line 235-238). Being a woman in the play signifies that although we provide the best of the best for our significant other people is going to favor the man over the women. However, if women nervously start sticking up for themselves a man will shut her down. “You there! You with the scowling face and heart enraged against your husband—you, Medea! I order you to leave this land, an exile, taking with you both your children”(line 270-273). Thus, women must stay quiet and must settle for the new life they are given.
Unfortunately, the antagonistic relationship Medea had with her helpless children represents the complete opposite way of how a devoted mother should treat her innocent children.“She loathes her children; seeing them brings her no joy”(line 36). It had been a toxic relationship. Once her Jason had left, she for another woman Medea had begun to resent her children as if they had caused the split between them. “How can your children share in their father’s wickedness? Why hate them? Poor children”(line 116-117). Although feeling the way she had felt previously for her children she had begged for her children not to be exiled. However, she used inappropriately her kids as a pawn for Jason and her desperate plan of personal revenge on him. “I’ll kill my children and depart this land”(line1037). No mother should consciously have within their unconscious minds that they are willing to unintentionally kill her own kids for the personal benefit of merely making a wicked man miserable no matter the excessive severity of the controversial issue.“But as far as I’m able, as far as I can, I mourn and I call on the gods, I call on divinities to bear witness: you have killed my children, nor will you let my two hands touch them or bury the corpses. If only I had never begotten them rather than see them destroyed by you” (line 1408-1414). Medea inevitably has no personal morals when it came to her vulnerable children. That is her own flesh in blood. The children she faithfully carried for nine active months and gave birth too. Adolescent children are naive and innocent.They do not have a good understanding of what is happening and for the most part, they were scared for their life knowing they were about to die at the hands of their mother.
