Discuss Medea as a Revenge Tragedy.

I think that there is much in the drama that makes it a
revenge tragedy.  The act that Medea takes against Jason for his transgressions is
revenge enough.  Yet, where I think that the revenge element is completely explored is
that we are not entirely certain why she does what she does.  Revenge becomes the source
of analysis, the origins of questions about both the character and the act.  If Medea is
so incensed with Jason's infidelity and disloyalty, why does she target her own
children?  Where is that line that allows wrath to overtake love?  When the Nurse tells
us that she fears for the children because someone, anyone, is going to have to take the
brunt of her scorn, the exploration of revenge as an element that knows no bounds
becomes evident.  At the same time, I think that the revenge element is also brought out
by the fact that the chorus seems to be encouraging Medea, suggesting that the true
damage of revenge is that it becomes contagious.  In this light, revenge becomes almost
sensationalistic, like the first Reality Television show, where individuals are
perversely fascinated with the carnage about to unfold and not assuming the moral and
ethical positions to prevent it.