Medea Greek Value Essay

21st century America values a variety of things; some people value money, some value their families, and some value Netflix. Just as each generation and various subcultures around the world have different values, the people of Greece around 500 B.C.E. also had their specific set of beliefs and certain concepts held above others. Euripides exemplifies the Greek values of contest, wit, and acts of the gods through the title character of his Greek tragedy Medea.
One of the Greek values embodied in Medea is the value of wit . Although one could argue that Medea’s behavior is rather impulsive and the result of an unstable state of mind, the fact that was able to cause the damage she did in the matter of one day could only add to the argument of just how quick Medea really was. The first example of

this is shown when Medea convinces Creon - the king of the country in which she is residing as an alien – to allow her to stay one more day before her and her two sons are permanently exiled. Creon has heard of Medea’s wit and fears it, but Medea uses that fear to soothe him, explaining she is “...not really so clever” and “…in no position…to go against those who rule” . Unfortunately for Creon, letting her stay that one day lead to the demise of himself and his daughter. Another scene portraying Medea’s cunning is when the King of Athens, Aegeus, comes to Corinth hoping for a solution to his inability to produce a child. Medea takes advantage of this situation by telling Aegeus of her powers to give him what he needs, if in return he provides residency in Athens after she is exiled from Corinth. Aegeus agrees to her bargain, and Medea now has a place of refuge. One of the last places Medea’s wit is emphasized is her second encounter with Jason, the man who is technically her husband and the source of all Medea’s malicious intentions. After verbally attacking Jason and calling him out on all the wrong he laid upon her, she comes back and apologizes to him, claiming she now understood why he left her for a princess and supposedly regrets acting so moody. This display of remorse to Jason is pleasing, and gains Medea some of his sympathy. So yes, at the start of the play one might jump to the conclusion of assuming the story is following an unstable, manic woman; but, however manic, the ease with which Medea persuades and deceives shows just how clever she had to be given her state of mind.
The next Greek value displayed through Medea is contest – or as the ancient Greeks called it, agon .

To Medea, her conflict with Jason is a game to see who can take more from the other, who can leave her arena having gone through the most pain. Agon is shown through what Medea takes from Jason, how she makes him suffer for what he’s done to her. First, Medea takes his mistress, the princess of Corinth. By playing her strengths in herbs, Medea offers gifts of a dress and crown laced with a poison that essentially burns the princess’ skin off along with anyone who touches her. After she takes away Jason’s lover, she takes away what she knows will hurt him the most: their two sons . It is obvious at this point that Medea has become so consumed with this idea of contest that she fully believes the way to win is by killing her own two children. Lastly, to ensure that Jason’s pain exceeds her own, Medea not only refuses to let Jason bury the children but also prophesizes to him of an insignificant and shameful death. With a goal, target, and strategy in mind, the empowering concept of agon really is what pushed Medea to do all she did; she was simply trying to win her

game.
A third classical Greek concept found in Medea is the influence of the worshipped Greek gods in the characters’ lives. We know the Greeks greatly valued their gods by learning that the Parthenon and other great pieces of architecture were built as temples, and that the Olympic festival that is still celebrated today originated as a holy ritual dedicated to Zeus . With Jason and Medea, Jason proclaims that Medea was not in fact in love with him, but was put under the influence of Eros (Cupid), a god of love, and his powers. Medea also later claims that “…the gods [a]nd [her] own evil schemes…” had brought about all of her misfortune – showing that Medea believes that everything that has happened to her is not just her doing, but that the gods she worshipped brought it upon her as well. Lastly, the gods, or more specifically the Sun, was credited in providing the chariot Medea occupies while in her final confrontation with Jason, also the machine she intends to take to Athens. So while Jason believes the gods are to blame for Medea’s love for him, Medea believes the gods have not only been partially responsible for her behavior but also end up aiding her as she leaves her justified murders in Corinth.
In conclusion, through the characters’ dialogue and interaction, Euripides displays the Greek values of wit, agon, and the impact of the gods in the tragedy that is Medea.