Manipulation in Medea

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Medea's Manipulation Many stories have underlying themes and morals, ancient Greek tragedies are no exception. Throughout Euripides?s play Medea, there is a common theme of manipulation. Medea manipulates everyone from the princess to her own children. She does this in order to reap revenge upon Jason, who was her husband but betrayed their marriage to marry the princess. Manipulation, as portrayed through Medea, can both aid and destroy a person's morale.

First, Medea manipulates the chorus so that they do not tell the people of Corinth about her plan to murder her children and husband. Since the chorus is entirely female Medea shows them the many ways in which men mistreat women. She states: ?Of all the things that have life and sense we women are the most hapless creatures; first must we buy a husband at a great price, and o?re ourselves a tyrant set which is an evil worse than the first; and herein lies the most important issue, whether our choice be good or bad.

For divorce is not honourable to women nor can we disown out lords. Next must the wife, coming as she does to ways and customs new, since she hath not learnt the lesson in her home, have a diviner?s eye to see how best to treat the partner of her life. If haply we perform these tasks with thoroughness and tact, and the husband live with us, without resenting the yoke, our life is a happy one; if not, ?twere best to die. But when a man is vexed with what he finds indoors, he goeth forth and rids his soul of its disgust, betaking him to some friend or comrade of like age; whilst we must needs regard his single self. And yet they say we live...