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The Alienation of Medea
In Euripides's Medea, Medea is continuously expressed as an outsider with separate characteristics than that of the general public and because of this is alienated from the society around her. Many different attributes add up to this exile from her country and others. The fact that she is woman and foreign has much to do with her isolation.During Ancient Greece times, “foreign residents were encouraged to come to Athens but were rarely admitted to the rights of full citizenship, which was a jealously guarded privilege” (Warner footnote 2, p. 700). Since the Athenian rights and regulations were made for men, “the women had few privileges and almost no legal rights” (Warner footnote 3, p. 700). In fact the male foreigner had more privileges then the local woman (Euripides p. 694). Medea only sought for the rights of everyone else and because of that she was considered different and was avoided by others. Men were to be above the women, but Medea knew she had to rise above to get exactly what she wanted so she struck out in manners not normal of women and was feared by many. This is the reasons of her distress and the tragic ending that followed. Medea is the story of how the loss of love and the separation from others can turn to death and catastrophe.
Not only a woman and a foreigner, Medea is faced with many other civilian haunting characteristics such as sorcery, intelligence and cleverness. In the beginning her nurse states, “She’s a strange woman” (Medea ln. 44, p. 696). The nurse also warns Medea of her own nature, “be careful of the wildness and bitter nature of that proud mind” (Medea ln. 102-104, p. 697). By fault, Medea is no idiot and realizes why she is alienated by others. While speaking with the chorus of Corinthian woman she focuses on her lifestyle of isolation, “and those who live quietly, as I do, get a bad reputation” (Medea ln. 215-216, p. 700). Medea knows as a foreigner, she must adapt but still she will always be judged by her past mistakes and history. She declares this while continuing to address the chorus:
Yet what applies to me does not apply to you. You have a country. Your family home is here. You enjoy life and the company of your friends. But I am deserted, a refugee, thought nothing of by my husband, -- something he won in a foreign land. I have no mother or brother, nor any relation with whom I can take refuge in this sea of woe (Medea ln. 250-256, p. 700).
Medea’s state of estrangement is made clearer with the entrance of Kreon’s character. He insultingly calls her “an exile” (Medea ln. 271, p. 701) instead of her name while speaking to her. In fact, she is being exiled in the first place because of her threatening manor since she is “a clever woman, versed in evil acts” (Medea ln. 283, p. 701). Women in those days were known [next page]