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Euripides’ Medea tells the story of the barbarian witch Medea, the niece of Circe, who uses her sorcery to save the Greek hero Jason on his quest to obtain the Golden Fleece. In return Jason took Medea back to Greece with him and married her. She gave him two sons, and helped him exact a terrible vengeance on the uncle who usurped his throne. Now, he has betrayed Medea and broken his oaths to the gods by marrying the princess of Corinth, in his quest for power and status. The play deals with the position of women in the ancient world, and with relations between Greeks and non-Greeks. Jason, as a Greek male, has very specific views about the subordinate position of women to men; Medea, a non-Greek woman who orchestrated her own marriage, views herself as Jason’s equal, as a heroic partner in his quest, and demands recognition of her status. She gives a wonderful speech about the inequality facing women in Greek society, and how this further intersects with her status as a foreigner. She is often compared to Homer’s Achilles in her concern for her honor and her vengeful anger. She is a complex character, and delivers a great monologue in which we see her internal torment over her act of vengeance. Is she an inherently evil character? Is she justified in taking revenge on Jason? Can we defend Jason’s actions? Do the gods support Medea?
Euripides' Medea was our group read-along for March 2020.
