Social commentary in Euripides' Medea and the Gospel of Matthew

Medea vs. Jesus: Social Commentaries in Dramatic Fiction and in Gospel Narratives

Both Euripides' ancient Greek tragedy "Medea" and the chronicled gospel "Sermon on the Mount of Jesus" in "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" give the perspectives of outsiders critiquing the morals of their respective societies. Medea is a strange, witch of a woman, brought from a strange and alien land to marry Jason. Her alienation for Euripides becomes proof that people should not mingle with one another, across different city-states in Greece. Thus, although the play is sympathetic to Medea's plight to some degree, ultimately it acts as a validation of common Greek social values. In contrast, Jesus' social commentary instead validates the words of the speaker, rather than critiques them. The play is written from a sympathetic chronicler of Jesus' social mission and validates Jesus' words and Jesus' critique of common societal wisdom on the subjects of suffering, adultery, materialism, murder -- subjects Medea also addresses, but in a more conventional fashion.

Suffering

Jesus validates suffering in a positive fashion. In the section of the "Sermon on the Mount" known as the "Beatitudes," Jesus states "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." The most famous phrase of the Sermon on the Mount is "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." This suggests that those individuals society may reject are not necessarily bad -- in fact, quite the opposite. The world's decision to give favor to some and not give favor to others is not a moral judgment for all time, merely an expression of an incorrect societal moral norm. Thus, Jesus says, in God's eyes: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (5:2-6) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (5:10-11)

However, Medea does not have this sense comfort, instead she curses her suffering, cast out as she is, and wails, "Oh, oh! Would that Heaven's levin bolt would cleave this head in twain! What gain is life to me? Woe, woe is me! O, to die and win release, quitting this loathed existence!" She sees suffering as unjustly inflicted upon her, but does not believe in a heavenly authority that will validate her suffering in the world hereafter.

Adultery

Both Medea and Jesus speak to societies where adultery and divorce are tacitly accepted, although the former is not condoned practice by men. But, philosophically at the beginning of "Medea," one attendant muses to Medea's nurse that "Old ties give way to new" and Jason "bears no longer any love to this family." Unlike Jesus, Medea condemns adultery and divorce for personal and practical reasons. She states to her husband "thou hast cast me over, taking to thyself another wife, though children have been born to us. Hadst thou been childless still, I could have pardoned thy desire for this new union." But she left her home and betrayed her friends and family, for love of Jason, a love that is now rebuked. Thus she believes she should not be cast out and Jason should not be allowed to remarry, even though common custom and law allows a man to do so, keeping his children.

Medea must leave Jason, but she kills her children, asserting her maternal right over patriarchal law. Jesus, however, is not a married man, and condemns divorce and adultery from a cooler, moral perspective. "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (5:27-29) For Jesus, all divorce is wrong, and divorce is an emotionally interior matter as well as an external and legal concern, or a concern particular to a family, as it is in Medea. Jesus says: "But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorce committeth adultery." (5:32)

Even Medea is not so extreme -- she bemoans her loss of status and her loss of a place of position in the world and in her children's heart, not the moral transgression of love adultery, divorce, and remarriage signifies. Jesus denies divorce not because of social obligations between human beings like Medea, but because he believes that attention to be devoted to higher matters than material love.

Murder

As is evident from the above anecdote, Medea clearly believes that murder is justified, and the author, although Euripides does not support the woman's action, implies that Jason's decision to marry and subsequently cast off a barbarian woman into a hostile world precipitated the murderous events that ensued. Medea resolves early on: "Now comes a struggle needing courage. Dost see what thou art suffering? 'Tis not for thee to be a laughing-stock to the race of Sisyphus by reason of this wedding of Jason, sprung, as thou art, from noble sire, and of the Sun-god's race. Thou hast cunning; and, more than this, we women, though by nature little apt for virtuous deeds, are most expert to fashion any mischief." Medea resolves to exploit her female nature to its fullest, because she believes it is her only just recourse. But Jesus states that revenge and murder is never justified: "Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." (5:21-22) Jesus advocates a condemnation of murder that not simply states that personal vindication, as Medea takes, in the absence of legal recourse is wrong, rather Jesus advocates always turning one's cheek to personal injustice, to essentially behave better rather than on par with one's accuser.