3. What are the stages of Medea's decision, and how does Euripides use them to enhance the dramatic effect on the audience?

Thesis: Medea is filled with suicidal self-hate in the beginning and by the end she is filled with homicidal anger, which increases the dramatic effect of her actions.

Notes:Medea goes from suicidal to homicidal in the course of this play. In the beginning, Medea is filled with self hate, she then moves to anger, and decides to murder Creon, Glauce and Jason. Once she meets up with the King of Athens and she knows she has a way to escape, she decides to murder her own children as well. The dramatic effect on the audience is growing fear for everyone in the play and newfound sympathy for Jason by the end.

7. What is the effect of dramatic irony and verbal irony in the play?

Thesis: In the play it Medea, the dramatic irony of so many characters, not knowing Medea's plans heighten the suspense that the audience knows horrible things are going to happen, but the characters are oblivious.

Notes:Irony means that there is a difference between what is said and what actually is going on. Dramatic irony is when the audience has knowledge of information and the characters in the play, do not, and it may be used to foreshadow the future, to heighten a theme, to give insight into a character or to elicit an emotional response. It always heighten suspense. Examples of dramatic irony in the play are when the the nurse says “May it be enemies, not loved ones that suffer” , when Creon says” you'll not have time to do what I dread” , when Jason says “I could never think cruelly of you” , when Jason says “I shall see that they are all right” talking about the children.

 

10. Sophocles’ plays had frequent references to the gods, fate, happiness, wisdom, and the danger of excessive pride. What you think the moral is in Euripides play?

Thesis: There are many morals in Euripides plays, I believe the moral in Medea is to never underestimate the power of an angry woman.

13. Who holds the higher moral ground, Jason or Medea?

Thesis: I believe Medea holds the higher moral ground in the play because Jason understood that Medea was a homicidal murderer before he even married her.

Notes:Medea holds the higher moral ground. Jason is weak and the villain in this play. You could argue Medea is strong and is willing to do anything to get revenge for what Jason has put her through, even if it hurts her. Jason knew what he was getting into when he got together with Medea. She had murdered her own brother. So Jason has no excuse for not understanding the kind of person she was before he married her. Medea was a good wife and mother before Jason left her.

14. What is the most controversial issue Euripides raises in the play? Using Aristotle's elements of tragedy, discuss its importance to the whole play.

Thesis: Medea's character is the most controversial issue raised in the play because she chooses to murder her own children just to destroy Jason and her actions make her wretched and bring out emotional feelings of pity and horror to the audience

Notes:To make it really horrible for the audience, Aristotle suggested that the evil deed should be done to a family member. The most controversial issue raised in the play is Medea murdering her own two children to destroy Jason.