In Medea, Euripides shows Medea’s empathy-evoking problems right away. Although before the play, the audience is warned of Medea’s plans, it is easy to empathize with her at first. At the start, Medea has just been abandoned by Jason, the only person she has left after their exile (Euripides 14). As the play continues, Medea becomes less and less sympathetic. Once Medea begins her plans to kill her children in order to carry out her revenge, it is hard to keep the same level of empathy that is present at first. In a way, Medea’s sacrifice of her children is evidence to her tragedy. Her revenge is thought out, and she knows that killing her children is the way to hurt Jason the most. The juxtaposition of empathy and repulsion is important in tragedies, since it builds tension throughout the
In Medea, Euripides shows Medea’s empathy-evoking problems right away. Although before the play, the audience is warned of Medea’s plans, it is easy to empathize with her at first. At the start, Medea has just been abandoned by Jason, the only person she has left after their exile (Euripides 14). As the play continues, Medea becomes less and less sympathetic. Once Medea begins her plans to kill her children in order to carry out her revenge, it is hard to keep the same level of empathy that is present at first. In a way, Medea’s sacrifice of her children is evidence to her tragedy. Her revenge is thought out, and she knows that killing her children is the way to hurt Jason the most. The juxtaposition of empathy and repulsion is important in tragedies, since it builds tension throughout the