![]() ![]() It's highly unlikely that the majority of audience members, modern or ancient, would think the jealous slaughter of innocent children is good. Her methods are effective Jason is decimated at the end of the play. In the end, though, revenge is more important to Medea than maternal love, and she kills her children in order "To get at heart" (233). ![]() Sure Jason did Medea wrong, but is killing their kids really the appropriate response? Even Medea recognizes this when she says, "Why damage them in trying to hurt their father?" (173). ![]() Why, oh why did you do it Euripides? What are we to make of Medea's escape? It's doubtful that an audience is supposed agree with Medea when she says she only did what was right. Euripides is infamous for such endings and has been criticized greatly for them. Medea's escape in the dragon chariot given to her by the god Helios is a classic example of deus ex machina. The term translates to "god from the machine" and has come to be used anytime a playwright resolves their play with a sudden surprise ending. Instead of making his heroine pay for her crimes, Euripides saves her using a deus ex machina. Medea commits four murders, the most horrendous being the slaughter of her own children. For one, it defies the conventions of tragedy by letting its protagonist off the hook. It's chock full of contradictions and conundrums. The ending of Medea has caused debate for thousands of years. ![]()
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