The tale of Medea contains many heated rivalries. However, not all of these rivalries take place between two people.  Some of the most intense battles that Euripides creates occur in Medea’s mind.  These emotional conflicts that occur cause other oppositions to take place in the story.  Some oppositions still appear in cultures all around the world today, such as the role of men and women in society.  These tensions can lead to many questions of morality and honor.  Should men have to follow the same rules as their female counterparts? Should the social guidelines of a society effect the personal beliefs of a person?  First, understand that the conflicts only lead to more tensions and oppositions.  Differences in cultures lead to competition and rivalries.   The conflict between the Greeks and the barbarian Medea reflects the difference between the two separate cultures of Greece and Colchis.  Euripides uses the distinct traits of characters and locations to create physical and emotional conflicts.

            The role of men and women creates emotional tension between the characters of Medea and Jason, owing to their conflicting personalities.  Jason chose to “betray his children and wife and go to bed with a royal marriage” (18-19).  A Greek man can marry a woman even if he already has another wife.    It would be a betrayal for Medea to do the same thing as Jason and marry more than one person.  The role of Jason as a man does not change his duties as a husband.  Medea uses her womanly properties to her own advantage to trick Jason. Medea tells Jason that “women are naturally delicate and close to tears” (945).  Jason does not realize that Medea plays up her role as a woman in order to deceptively gain his trust. She says this to convince Jason that she does not harbor any anger towards him and only wants the best for her children.  For her to show feminine emotion allows Jason to believe that she has truly changed her ways.  Jason himself states “It would be better if men could get children some other way, and there were no female race” (608-609).  This proves that Jason wants to keep the kids and take care of them only so that they can continue his legacy.  Jason’s egotistical male role causes this greedy action.  Only a man would want children for the sole purpose of making himself look good later on.  The ways that Euripides contrasts the roles that gender plays, helps fuel the struggle between Medea and Jason.

            Euripides creates a great struggle in Medea’s mind between reason and passion, by reason of Medea’s mental instability and characteristics as a witch.  Medea remains completely aware of every action that she makes and the consequences of those actions.  Jason explains to Medea that he has “made the royal marriage…wishing to save her” (631-633).  Medea understands that his explanation is valid, however she does not accept it.  She thinks only of the pain that Jason causes her and the children.  Rather than acting rationally, she decides to take dramatic actions.  Medea develops a plot to kill Creon and his daughter (399-412).  Medea does not care for any explanation Jason gives for his actions.  She instead chooses to take out her anger on those that Jason has become close to.  She acts in such heated rage that she does not even try to reason another solution.  After the death of Creon and his daughter, Medea tells the chorus, “I have decided to kill my sons” (1263).  The fact that she would kill her own children proves that passion wins in the struggle against reason. Medea acts on blind passion alone with no great care to what she is actually doing.  Without any guidelines to her actions, Medea is a highly passionate and unpredictable character.

            Tensions increase between the Greeks and Medea, the barbarian, owing to the difference in culture and location.  In Greece, a city-state gives people their identity and those who do not come from the same polis remain barbarians in the minds of the Greeks.  The barbarian, Medea, does not want her husband to become heir to the Corinthian throne.  Jason says that he wants to marry Creon’s daughter so that Medea can “live in Greece instead of a barbarian land” (568-569).  The Greeks only allow Medea to stay in their land because of Jason’s relationship with the king’s daughter.  A foreigner can not live on an equal level with the people of Corinth.  Medea’s banishment comes because she “cursed the royal house with unholy words” (644).  She disrespects the people that allow her to stay in their nation.  How can someone that is not even of the same quality as the land’s residents seek to belittle the king.  Medea’s reputation precedes her in a foreign land.  Even the women in the chorus turn on her once she decides to kill her children.  The chorus pleads, “Stop her, take from this home that poor, murderous Fury, driven by revenge” (1289-1290).  Even those closest to her in Corinth will eventually choose loyalty to city-state over her barbarian friendship.  At some point they decide that they must stay loyal to their home rather than to this wicked enchantress.  The tie of the Greeks to their homeland creates a divide between them and Medea.

            Euripides created much emotional and physical opposition by using character traits and settings. He allows for more drama and conflict from Jason and Medea.  Some conflicts arise between Medea and herself, while others occur between Medea and Jason.  Gender roles add a lot of tension to the conflict surrounding Medea.  Her role as a woman allows her to exploit others.  It also allows the mistreatment of Medea by Jason.  Her hard fought struggle between reason and passion portrays her internal conflicts.  This shows when Medea gives in to passionate actions of revenge and deception.  Creon casts her away because of her disrespectful actions towards her guest home of Corinth.  The people of Corinth call her a barbarian.  Medea faces many struggles and conflicts that fuel her passionate and vengeful actions against Jason and Corinth.