Women of Medea

Women Breaking the Stereotype The women in the play Medea, by Euripides, each have an important role. In Ancient Greece, women were portrayed as the weak and less important people; however, this portrayal is contradicted in the story of Medea. The women in the story hold a more significant position than the men. The story starts with the Nurse giving the audience the background information necessary to know in order to understand what conflict Medea is dealing with. She gives information about the beginnings of Medea and Jason together, and how Jason had broken her heart. The Nurse raised Medea, so the audience can rely on her to say how Medea is feeling and thinking. The Nurse tells the background story correctly, even though she sympathizes more towards Medea, rather than Jason. She knows Medea better than anyone, and truly cares for Medea. The Nurse also foreshadows tragedy in the beginning of the play: “Oh my children, I am sick with terror. I fear what/ may happen to you” (14). The Nurse not only gives us the information needed to understand what is currently going on in the story, but also foreshadows important information that is going to happen. Early on, Medea gives a speech about the trials of being a woman. She says, “Of all the creatures on this living earth, we women/ should be pitied most” (18). It explains how men are always put before women. Men take women’s identities. Women are weak and timid. These things may be true for most, even still to this day, but Medea continues to say, “But when a women’s marriage is at stake/ there is no creature more ready for blood” (19). Medea proves this statement to be true. In the beginning, we see Medea as an angered woman because her husband had abandoned her. Because of this, soon Medea turns into an angry and jealous character plotting the revenge she will take on Jason. Men used to believe women were innocent. After Ino killed her sons, men saw women as crazy people. Ino was the