Euripides
and
Medea
English IV AP
Background
 Variety of retellings
 Most famous is by Apollonius of Rhodes, The Voyage
of the Argo, written in 3rd century B.C.E.
 According to legend, Medea was
The grand-daughter of the Sun
Her father was Aeetes, King of Colchis
Colchis was the location of the Golden Fleece, a treasure guarded by a
dragon
Jason came to Colchis on a quest for treasure
The Playwright
 18/90 plays extant (including one satyr play)
 Better sampling, but still random.
 Not nearly as popular as Sophocles or Aeschylus (only
won 4 times, a 5th win came posthumously)
 Euripides garnered certain criticism for his abrupt
endings, his treatment of the gods, and, in this play,
for letting Medea off the hook.
Jason
 Rightful king of the Greek state of Iolcus.
 Pelias, his uncle, ruled in his stead while he was young and
away at school (after usurping Jason’s father).
 When he returned, Pelias was reluctant to give up the throne in
Iolcus.
 He asks Jason what one should do to get rid of a man who is a
threat.
 Jason says “send him to get the Golden Fleece.”
 Pelias took the advice and Jason accepts the challenge.
(hubris?)
The Quest
 Expedition of 50 of the noblest heroes.
 Sailed the Argo, the first large ship.
 After many adventures, they arrive in Colchis.
 Aeetes is reluctant to part with the fleece, but offers it to Jason
if he can perform several difficult tasks.
 Aeetes is confident the tasks are too hard, but Jason’s divine
protector, Hera, the Queen of the gods, persuads Aphrodite,
the goddess of love, to make Medea fall in love with Jason.
 With the help of Medea’s magic powers, Jason accomplishes all
of the tasks.
Medea’s hamartia/problem
 She trusts Jason completely.
 Her assistance was a direct betrayal of her father and her
country.
 She is forced to flee with Jason back to Greece.
 In route, her brother, Apsyrtus, is murdered (probably by
Medea herself).
 An Athenian woman could appeal to her family for help if her
marriage became unbearable. Medea has nothing but Jason;
thus, his betrayal is shattering.
 451 B.C.E. Athens—Athenian men could not marry foreign
women. They could only be concubines (audience would be
aware of this law).
Medea: the troubling question
 What do we make of her?
 Hero or villian?
 She is the most Sophoclean of all Euripides’ characters.
Like Ajax, she is isolated, invisible inside the skene at the beginning of the play
 The paradigm of the wronged wife
 At the end of the play, note how she appears above the skene in the place of
the gods.
 Whatever she is, she is not trivial….nor is Jason
 Her name means “clever” ***This is not a compliment.
 She represents the duality of women’s character
Creon’s speech about women
Medea’s speech about women
Who has position/power?
 Jason and Medea return to Ioclus where Pelias is still
king.
 Medea uses her magic to show Pelias’ daughters how
to rejuvenate their aging father.
 The daughters end up killing their father and Medea
and Jason are forced to flee again.
 They come as refugees to Corinth where the play takes
place.
 Jason does not have a position of royalty in this
kingdom, and their marriage is not recognized since
Medea is not Greek by birth.
The Chorus
 Some differences to note:
 All women (though men are still the actors)
 Demonstrate some partiality to Medea
Support her even when they disagree!

Similarities:
 Engage in dialogue (as a unit) with the characters
 Offer observations
 Reflect on themes
 mediator
Treatment of the gods
 Euripides, unlike Sophocles, does not demonstrate the same reverence for
the gods; they are not depicted as reliable, consistent, or virtuous.
 Euripides’ portrays the gods with very human qualities: lust for revenge,
random, arbitrary, senseless, unpredictable.
What’s up with the ending?
 Filled with contradictions and conundrums
 Defies the genre by letting its protagonist off the hook. Where’s the fall?
 Escape in the dragon chariot (given by Helios) is a prime example of “deus
ex machina”
 Term used to note whenever a play is suddenly and abruptly resolved—
Euripides is infamous and highly criticized for this tendency.
 It’s doubtful that we are to agree with Medea’s choices, but she is saved.
Therefore, what are we to make of the ending?
 Some scholars argue that Euripides was sympathetic to the plight of
women; Medea’s violence is the by-product of repression/oppression—so
he lets her off the hook.
Symbolism of the Children
 Represent her marriage to Jason (this is why she kills them).
 Parallels woman kind’s attempt to rise above the oppressor (note: both
children are male).
In this way, she prevents another generation of male oppression.
Euripides’ warning to his all-male Athenian audience: be careful of whom you oppress.