Medea

Medea, Euripides’s most famous work, is a nerve-jarring portrait of passionate love turning into furious hatred. Like any other tragedies, the play evokes a kind of pity for the unfortunate protagonist despite all the hindering imperfections she possesses.

Medea is filled with vengeance towards her husband, Jason, because he abandons her to marry the Greek princess for his own gain. Jason’s adultery takes place after the sacrifices his wife made for him, such as killing her father, brother and leaving her homeland. To add to her sorrow, the king of Corinth banishes Medea and her children from the kingdom since he fears that Medea will put his daughter in danger. Filled with bitter grief, Medea sends poisonous gifts to bring an end to the king and his daughter. Then, she butchers her own children to cause Jason eternal suffering, which causes numerous debates over whether the action is morally justifiable or not. Although most people immediately find her decision unforgivable, there are reasons against this limited view.

In “Beyond Good and Evil” philosophy book, Friedrich Nietzsche points out a contrast between "pre-moral" societies, where an action’s value is judged based on its consequences, and modern "moral" societies, where such value is found in its origin. However, the philosopher looks beyond both to see an "extra-moral" world that overcomes morality, where the actions’ motives are just the surface of complex drives that need to be uncovered and analyzed. Our current morality assumes that our intentions are simple and transparent and allows us to judge a certain action by its essence. Nonetheless, in the “extra-moral” community, Medea’s action is just because its motive is good even though the murder seems terrific.

In contrast to conventional thinking, Nietzsche states that the traditional moral systems are only attempts by the weak masses to protect themselves against powerful individuals. He claims that everything has to be simplified in order for the majority to understand. Nietzsche calls this "herd" morality, which assumes that we should all follow the same rules. But he doesn’t accept it as a general principle just because most people are submissive. For him, in a community that is safe from external threats, any aggressive members can be seen as one. These people often need "masks" to hide their true nature as people cannot understand their free spirit and interpret it as something different. Nietzsche worries that this minority will be seduced by the preaching of the herd and follow the rules like everyone else. To be independent, he asserts, they must not let themselves become attached to anyone or anything. Nietzsche suggests that the strongest people are marked by a cruelty to themselves. They are solitary souls who dare to rise above the rabble. The fact that Medea makes herself a unique mother by committing infanticide is in line with individuation. The action separates her from the mass and focuses on self-identity instead of group identity which the audience can connect. This is why he admires the "healthy" power of the violent barbarian, like Medea.