Blog: Medea Murders the Children
The most familiar story of Medea comes from the third-prize winning tragedy of that name by Euripides. In Euripides' version of the story of Jason and Medea, Jason tells Medea he is marrying the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth. This will enhance his social position, something he has been harming since he took up with the barbarian Medea.
Medea left Colchis, with Jason, after betraying her father. After Medea made Pelias' daughters kill their father, at Iolcus, Jason and Medea had to flee, again, arriving in Corinth where they had been living as husband and wife, at the opening of the drama.
When Jason tells Medea he will be marrying the princess Glauce (Creusa), Medea condemns him for breaking his oath to her. Although they were not married in the traditional manner, Jason made the binding gestures to Medea, in lieu of a paternal figure. Jason had promised marriage in exchange for her help in Colchis, and the love-smitten poisoner had been happy to oblige. Jason argues most unconvincingly and condescendingly, even attributing Medea's help, not to Medea, but the love goddess. She is furious, jealous, and, after all, at least a witch, if not immortal.
Medea resolves to get revenge, but how she will do so depends on what her fate will be. Luckily for her, the king of Athens, Aegeus, arrives on the scene in Corinth. He promises Medea a place to stay if she will help him with his problem -- lack of a son.
After Medea gets rid of Jason's fiance and her father, Medea kills her children -- the ones fathered by Jason. Jason is middle-aged by this time, and having been driven out of Colchis, Iolcus, and soon, perhaps, Corinth, as well, he will have a hard time finding a suitable Greek woman willing to marry him and bear the wrath of the woman scorned, Medea; hence, Jason will have no heir.
For more on the outline of events in Euripides' tragedy, see Euripides' Medea.
Articles on Medea
The following articles look at themes from Euripides' Medea, including the amount of blame that should be cast on Jason.- "Autochthony, Misogyny and Harmony: Medea 824-45," by Stephen A. Nimis
- "The Female Intruder: Women in Fifth-Century Drama," by Michael Shaw. Classical Philology, Vol. 70, No. 4 (Oct., 1975), pp. 255-266.
- "Euripides' Medea and the Vanity of Logoi," by Deborah Boedeker. Classical Philology, Vol. 86, No. 2 (Apr., 1991), pp. 95-112.
- "An Apology for Jason: A Study of Euripides' 'Medea'," by Robert B. Palmer. The Classical Journal, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Nov., 1957), pp. 49-55.
- Medea and Athens
- Medea in Jason and the Argonauts
- Murdering Her Children
- Victim and Victimizer
