Revengeful Medea vs. Retaliatory Lysistrata

At the roots of revenge is pain and suffering which can cause a number of reactions according to the person and situation. Retaliation is another method used to take vengeance against someone who has harmed you. Yet, how can revenge and retaliation be distinguished from each other? Euripide's Medea and Aristophane's Lysisitrata can help to answer that question. In order to find out which of the two "problem solving strategies" provides better results, the two situations need to be looked at closely. By doing so, the conclusion is clear that Medea's hateful revenge leads only to tragedy while Lysistrata's clever retaliation achieves its purpose.

The two main characters Medea and Lysistrata face two distinct problems which result in two different approaches to the problems. Medea suffers from the pain of a lost love. Not only did she lose her beloved Jason, but also he left her for another woman. On the other hand, Lysistrata battles for the return of the men from the war. The women in Lysisitrata feel abandoned and alone without their husbands and lovers. Although the two situations are different, the emotions resulting from them are passio

Medea lacks this confidence and does not act as if the outcome of her revenge is important to her at all. Her methods show impulsiveness and a plan that is not well thought out, leading to tragic results. She feels that her only relief will come from extinguishing the presence of those who harmed her. Here we see that difference between revenge and retaliation, the first being more evil-spirited and the latter " a taste of their own medicine."

d presence of the husbands and lovers who have gone to war. This pain from abandonment has no background of deception or hate, so it does not ignite hateful actions. Instead, a well thought out plan which is not life-threatening is put in effect. The women collectively and peacefully want to obtain the return of their loves. Their peaceful intentions are seen when the leader of women says, "Poor fool! You never should attack or strike a peaceful girl . . . For I am quite content to sit unmoved, like modest maids, in peace and cause no pain; . . ." (Norton p. 713 lns 462-465) When you compare the tactics of Medea and Lysistrata these emotional differences need to be taken into consideration.

confirmed and what we thought god contrives. And so it happens in this story." (Norton p. 700 ln.1390-1394)

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Approximate Word count = 1420
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)