Medea (mythology)
Medea is a prominent figure in Greek mythology, recognized for her complex character and tragic narrative. She is best known as the wife of Jason, who helped him secure the Golden Fleece through her magical abilities and knowledge of sorcery. Medea's story takes a dark turn when Jason abandons her for another woman, prompting her to seek vengeance in a series of intense and tragic actions, including the murder of her own children. This narrative is most famously portrayed in Euripides' play "Medea," which emphasizes her emotional turmoil and motivation, leaving audiences with a deep sense of sympathy despite her horrific actions.
Medea is often depicted as both a powerful sorceress and a conflicted mother, showcasing the duality of her character. While some variations of her story portray her as a villain, others highlight her as a tragic figure driven by love and betrayal. The legacy of Medea continues to resonate in literature, art, and philosophy, where she is frequently examined in discussions of morality, revenge, and the complexities of human emotion. Her tale remains a poignant exploration of the lengths to which one might go when faced with profound grief and betrayal.
Medea (mythology)
Medea is a tragic figure in Greek mythology known for vengefully slaying her own children. She is featured in the works of many great Greek writers including Ovid (born 43 BCE), Seneca (4 BCE–65 CE), Herodotus (484 BCE–425 BCE), and Hesiod (circa 750 BCE–650 BCE). Though varying accounts of her tale exist, most describe Medea's wrath after her husband leaves her for another woman. The most popular version of the myth of Medea is presented in Euripides's (480 BCE–406 BCE) play Medea, which was first staged in the fifth century BCE Medea has also been depicted as a malicious enchantress and a heroic maiden in other mythological accounts. References to Medea's infamy continued to filter through popular culture for many centuries.
Medea and Jason
Medea is most commonly linked to the mythical hero Jason, who came with the Argonauts to her father's city in search of the Golden Fleece. Medea fell madly in love with Jason and promised to help him in his quest if he agreed to marry her. Jason accepted her offer and Medea quickly made good on her word. In most accounts, Medea is a great sorceress with many powers. She gives Jason an ointment that makes him invincible for a day and drugs the dragon protecting the Fleece so he can steal it.
Medea uses her sorcery to aid and protect Jason many more times after obtaining the Fleece. According to one source, she helped Jason avenge his throne by enchanting King Pelias's daughters into killing their father. After demonstrating her power to restore youth with a special incantation, Medea tricked the girls into believing she would do the same for their father. The girls then murder Pelias and attempt the incantation, but Medea has tricked them and Pelias remains dead. Jason and Medea flee to Corinth to avoid punishment after participating in regicide, and King Creon offers them refuge. The pair live in Corinth harmoniously for many years, and Medea gives birth to two children. Jason then unexpectedly abandons Medea to marry Creon's daughter, setting into motion a series of tragic events immortalized in the words of poets and playwrights for generations to come.
Medea as Murderous Mother
Euripides's play Medea acknowledges and compiles several of the Medea myths that circulated in Greece during his time. Euripides's version became the most recognized form of the Medea myth for many centuries following its publication. The play begins after Jason has abandoned Medea and their children for another woman, Glauce, daughter of King Creon of Corinth. Medea is shattered and angry. Fearful of her wrath, Creon exiles Medea and her children from Corinth. Medea deceives Creon into giving her one more day in Corinth, which allows her time to plot her revenge.
Medea's original plan is to murder Jason, Glauce, and Creon, but her wrath quickly escalates to include the slaying of her own children as well. She reasons with herself that the satisfaction she will feel in making Jason suffer the loss of his children will greatly triumph over the sadness she will feel upon killing them. After a chance encounter with Aegeus, King of Athens, secures her sanctuary in his city, Medea sets her plans into motion.
Medea tricks Jason into believing she supports his choice to remarry and gifts his new bride a dress and coronet, which are poisoned. Glauce puts on the dress and dies from the poison. Glauce's brokenhearted father chooses to die by holding her close to absorb the poison himself. Half of her plan completed, Medea sets out to finish the job. After murdering her children, Medea flees to Athens, taunting Jason as she goes. Jason is left overcome with sorrow, guilt, and shame. His plans to heighten his status within Corinth have failed, and he has lost all that he loved.
Varying Accounts
In some versions of the myth, Medea's children help her carry out her revenge and are killed by Corinthian guards or members of Creon's family for their participation in the murders. Other accounts state Medea mistakenly kills her children when she tries to make them immortal. Though Euripides chooses to portray Medea as the murderer of her children, he instills a sense of sympathy in her actions, noting she is motivated by motherly love. Having killed the king and princess, Medea knows the Corinthians will kill her sons as punishment. She insists the kindest way for them to die is at the hand of their mother, though it pains her to commit altruistic filicide.
Euripides's play ends with Jason's grief, but Medea's tale continues in other literary works. In Athens, Medea marries Aegeus and bears him a son. After several years, Medea finds her son's position threatened by the arrival of Aegeus's lost son, TheseusTheseus. Medea initially convinces Aegeus, who is not aware Theseus is his son, to send the young man on an errand to kill a deadly beast. She believes the beast will kill Theseus, eliminating the threat. Theseus defeats the beast, however, so Medea tries to poison him at a feast instead. Aegeus recognizes his son right before he is about to drink the poison and saves him, forcing Medea to flee once more. Little is known of what became of Medea after she fled Athens, and her death remains a mystery.
The Legacy of Medea
The character of Medea is referenced in numerous plays, poems, books, and films. She has also inspired many musicians to compose songs about her and multiple operas have explored her tragedy. Medea has been interpreted in many ways. Though Euripides's version treats her sensitively, other accounts commonly cast her as a villainess. Medea has also been of great use to ancient and modern philosophers in their meditations on rationality and the concept of revenge.
Bibliography
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Johnston, Sarah Iles. Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy, and Art. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997. 3-21. Print. Available online at https://books.google.com/books?id=480Wd8G6LPYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=medea+mythology&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAGoVChMIvefa4IGGxgIVBjCMCh3ObQDx#v=onepage&q=medea%20mythology&f=false
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