Medea as a woman, hero and god In Euripides' work the main role and focus of the work is the foreign witch Medea. Treated differently through the play by different people and at different times, she adapts and changes her character, finally triumphing over her hated husband Jason. She can plausibly be seen as a mortal woman, Aristotle's tragic hero figure, and even as a jubilant goddess. Medea's identity as a weak woman is emphasized at the very beginning of the play. It is very clear that she has come to misfortune through no fault of her own and is helpless in the face of her problem ("her world has turned into enmity"). Her inability to change her situation is an example of her portrayal as a weak female figure. We are told that she has been crying for days ("she lies collapsed in agony"). Immediately after these descriptions of her crying, the Guardian arrives and informs us that more bad news is coming her way ("I haven't heard the worst", "ban them"). At this point all pity is directed towards Medea, shunned by her husband and unable to control what happens around her, who instead cries uncontrollably ("screaming sharp, pitiful accusations"). Behind this weak figure, however, the Nurse's warnings hide, hiding this pity. He describes Medea's fury that arises from pain and how powerful she is ("do not relax her anger" "like a mad bull or a lioness"). Her aspect of a grieving woman is well represented but soon Medea leaves the house, shaking off this pain and focusing instead on revenge. His speech when he leaves the house gives us some evidence of his harsh character. As she speaks she presents herself as submissive ("I accept my place") and describes the unenviable position of women in society ("we women are the most wretched... middle of paper... for what they perceive as justice. Works Cited Bates, William Nickerson Philadelphia: Philadelphia Press, 1930. "Euripides and." NY: Cooper Square, 1963. "Medea." Paul Hamlyn Limited 1959.McDermott, EA (1989) Euripides' Medea: The Incarnation of Disorder, Professor. Lecture Notes on Classical Myth, 20 July 2001. http://ccwf.cc.utexasz.edu/~paz/myth/ notes.html.