Wednesday, 12 November 2008

In Euripides' Medea, how is Medea a victim of the gods or where and when is Medea cursed by the gods?

This question
strikes me as rather challenging, since I probably would not consider her a victim of the gods
nor would I consider her as being cursed by the gods.

Later in the play,will
have been assisted by the goddess Hecate in the creation of the clothing that destroys Creon's
daughter. Also, at the end of the play, she is even assisted by the gods as she uses the chariot
of the sun god Helios to escape from Corinth.

Perhaps, in the mythic
tradition surrounding the story, Medea could be considered a pawn of the gods, namely Hera, who
uses Medea to bring destruction upon Pelias, whom Hera hated because he did not honor her
appropriately. I do not recall, however, thatbrings this before the audience for
consideration.

At one point, Jason suggests that Aphrodite was responsible
for the success of his journey, so, perhaps, we could say that Medea suffers at the hands of
Aphrodite.

I consider goddess Aphrodite


the only one of gods or mortal men

who saved my expedition. As for
you,

well, you've a subtle mind. But if I told

how Eros
with his unerring arrows

 forced you to save me, I could injure
you.

(Ian Johnston translation)

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