The appearance of Aegeus represents a crucial turning point in the play. By offering Medea sanctuary, he gives her the security and the confidence necessary to exact her terrible vengeance upon Jason. No longer is Medea now simply a wronged woman; she is an active, scheming aggressor with an insatiable thirst for revenge. As revenge is the main theme of the play, Aegeus's appearance is significant because it facilitates the implementation of Medea's wicked plan.
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The appearance of Aegeus represents a crucial turning point in the play. By offering Medea sanctuary, he gives her the security and the confidence necessary to exact her terrible vengeance upon Jason. No longer is Medea now simply a wronged woman; she is an active, scheming aggressor with an insatiable thirst for revenge. As revenge is the main theme of the play, Aegeus's appearance is significant because it facilitates the implementation of Medea's wicked plan.
That plan, of course, includes the murder of her own children. And the scene with Aegeus has further significance in this regard. Aegeus agrees to provide Medea with sanctuary in return for magic drugs that will enhance his fertility. So, in other words, Aegeus's desire to have children provides Medea with the opportunity to kill hers. The arrival of Aegeus's future offspring sounds the death knell for Medea's children. There is a clear conflict here, one that reflects the significance of children in the overall story. Unwittingly, children are the source of much of the play's conflict. Aegeus desperately wants them; Medea desperately wants to get rid of hers.
Though often criticized for being clumsily constructed and implausible from a plot standpoint, there is no doubt that the scene with Aegeus contributes enormously to the play's dynamism, as well as carrying immense thematic importance in its own right.
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