Euripides - Medea: Overview Questions

Where does the Nurse wish the Argo had never visited?

Colchis

Where is Colchis and what does it signify for the Greeks?

The East; barbarity (i.e. the edge of the known world)

How is Medea characterised by the Nurse, in terms of her love for Jason, in the opening speech of the play?

"Mad with love"

What did Medea persuade Pelias' daughters to do, according to the Nurse?

Kill their own father

Why is Medea now full of hatred for Jason, according to the Nurse?

He is marrying Glauce (the princess of Corinth)

What did Jason gain out of marrying Glauce?

Political stability in Corinth and further kleos

What does Medea constantly evoke, according to the Nurse?

Her fidelity

What is Medea's physical response to the news of Jason's betrayal, according to the Nurse?

Starves herself and "collapsed in agony"

What had Medea done to her family, on departure from Colchis?

Betrayed them

What does Medea feel about her sons, according to the Nurse?

Hates them

Analysis: How does the Nurse's opening speech highlight the core characteristics of Medea at the start of the play?

She is positioned as a 'weaker woman' here, but nevertheless scorns what has happened to her and realises what Jason has done wrong; which is perhaps what helps her become more cunning and authoritative later on in the play

Analysis: How does the Nurse's opening speech introduce an immediate sense of tension?

She says that "some dreadful purpose" is beginning to form in Medea's mind, foreshadowing the plot to kill Glauce and the sons later on in the play

What does Creon intend to do to Medea and her sons, according to the Tutor?

Exile them

What does the Nurse think Jason will do, regarding his son's exile?

Stop them from being exiled

Why does the Tutor say Jason won't intervene with the exiling of his sons?

Jason no longer loves them, and instead has fallen in-love with Glauce

What is the Nurse's judgment of Jason's actions, in her conversation with the Tutor at the start of the play?

He has betrayed his closest family

What advice does the Nurse give the Tutor about the sons, in their conversation at the start of the play?

Keep them away from Medea!

How is Medea described, after the Nurse and Tutor's conversation at the start of the play?

"Her mood is cruel, her nature dangerous, her will fierce and intractable"

Analysis: How does the Nurse characterise the wildness of Medea's rage?

The asyndetic listing of Medea's scorn makes her rage seem endless, and the continuous use of exclamatives again heightens the tragedy and lament of the Nurse herself towards Medea's "wildness"

What does Medea wish upon her children and Jason?

Death

What does the Nurse say about the "mind of a queen", whilst trying to comfort Medea?

It is a "thing to fear"

Analysis: Why is the Nurse's "mind of a queen" comment particularly meaningful for the Athenians?

Alludes to Atossa / Artemissia during the Persian wars

How do the chorus describe Medea, in the opening part of the play?

As an "unhappy woman from Colchis"

Analysis: How is the first choral ode of the Corinthian women reinforcing Medea's barbaric origins?

Evokes her heritage from Colchis; an Eastern province that was on the 'edge of the known world' for the Greeks!

How does the Nurse describe Jason?

As a "prisoner in a princess' bed"

Analysis: To what extent is the Nurse portraying Jason as negative figure, in the opening part of the play?

Whilst she makes sure to emphasise how Jason has supposedly betrayed the household with his actions, she does mention how it might not be entirely his fault (i.e. as he is a "prisoner" of Glauce, perhaps evoking Odysseus' imprisonment by Calypso in the Odyssey)

How do the chorus depict Medea's grief as extreme, in their opening choral ode?

They evoke "Zeus, and Earth, and Light"

Which gods does Medea appeal to?

Themis and Artemis

What is significant about the function and origin of Themis and Artemis, as Medea evokes them?

Themis was the goddess of law and order, whereas Artemis protected female chastity

What did Medea hope would bind Jason to her?

Oaths (implied to be marital ones)

What did Medea admit to doing to her brother?

Murdering him

Analysis: To what extent does Medea's evocation of marital oaths suggests she knows about the laws of civilisation?

Suggests that she is not a wholly barbaric character, and knows somewhat about normal Greek marital practice; however, admitting to killing her own brother would have certainly been seen as wholly barbaric (i.e. the corruption of the oikos)

What does the Nurse remind us that Zeus is the Guardian of?

"Men's oaths"

How does the chorus describe Medea's passion?

An "irresistible flood"

Analysis: How does the chorus' description of Medea's passion work as a literary technique?

Shows how endless it is, and that there is no stopping it in the foreseeable future!

What does the Nurse enter the house to do, after speaking with the chorus?

Fetch Medea

Where do the chorus say Medea came from and where did she go to?

"From Asia to Hellas"

What is symbolic about Medea's crossing "from Asia to Hellas"?

Mirrors the crossing of Xerxes across the Hellespont

Analysis: What had happened at the Hellespont during the Persian wars, and what makes the chorus' evocation of it so significant?

Xerxes attempted to "bridge" the Hellespont, as an act of hubris, causing great destruction and suffering (perhaps symbolising how Medea's crossing will cause the same thing to happen in Corinth)

What does Medea say a stranger should do?

"Conform"

What did Jason used to mean to Medea, before his betrayal?

He was her "whole life"

Why does Medea think that women are wretched creatures?

They are forced to accept a husband without any choice in the matter

How should a foreign woman find out how to treat a man, according to Medea?

Through "magic"

Who does Medea feel should be under the marriage yoke?

The husband

Analysis: To what extent does Medea show an understanding of the proper role of a Greek women and to what extent does she seem barbaric (or perhaps simply masculine)?

She understands the role of Greek women (i.e. to remain subjugated to their husbands in marriage), but shows barbarity / masculinity in trying to transcend the marital roles, and in misunderstanding the role of men (to a certain extent!)

What do the chorus say would be just to happen to Jason?

For him to be punished

What does Creon command Medea to do at once, after the opening scene ends?

Leave Corinth

Analysis: Why might Medea's past actions have lead to Creon to banish her instantly?

Her corruption of Pelias' / the Colchis oikos, and the threats she has issued to Glauce, may make him fear that the royal Corinthian oikos is to suffer the same fate!

Why does Creon say he will banish Medea?

He fears her

What techniques does Medea use to try and persuade Creon to let her stay?

Uses a series of rhetorical questions to undermine his status in Corinth, and then asserts that he is behaving cowardly by 'fearing' Medea, a mere woman!

Why does Creon say he trusts Medea even less, after she tries to convince him to let her stay?

He fears the "plots [...] nursing deep within [her] heart"

What physical gesture does Medea adopt to try and persuade Creon?

Supplication

Analysis: How does knowledge and usage of supplication custom characterise Medea?

As less of a barbaric character, as it was usually used by the Greeks to show respect / ask for aid; nevertheless, Xerxes / the Persians also use supplication in Herodotus, perhaps negating the civility of Medea's supplication

What does Medea ask Creon for before she goes into exile?

One more day

How does Creon respond to Medea's request for an additional day in Corinth?

Accepts it

Analysis: To what extent is Medea intellectually superior to Creon?

She understands his foibles, and uses them - as well as her innate understanding of Greek culture - to manipulate him (whereas Creon fails to see her doing it)

Analysis: How does Medea's successful manipulation of Creon help characterise her?

Medea is clearly very cunning, but her manipulation of Creon perhaps gives rise to the idea that she has sophia / techne similar to that of Odysseus himself!

What methods of killing her enemies does Medea propose to herself, after successfully manipulating Creon?

Setting fire to the house; burning the bridal chamber; knife them in bed; poison

Analysis: How do the various methods of murder that Medea considers characterise her? Homeric, masculine, or barbarian?

I think that the various methods characterise Medea as mainly barbaric, as they largely involve the corruption of the marital chamber (all except the poison, which still would have been seen as barbaric, as it was a "cowardly" way to commit murder; yet also slightly Homeric, as it required a certain level of sophia / techne to pull off!)

What will Medea do if she cannot find a clever way of killing her enemies?

Kill them with a sword

Which goddess does Medea venerate above all others, as she discusses the killing of her enemies?

Hecate

Analysis: What is significant about Hecate as a goddess, and Medea's veneration of her?

She was the goddess of witchcraft and necromancy; making Medea herself seem even more barbaric / fearful from a Greek perspective (as she follows the Greek stereotype of a darker / magical side to women, that must be controlled to maintain societal order)

How does Medea describe women as a gender, in her speech to the chorus, after discussing various methods of murder?

"Useless for honest purposes, but in all kinds of evil skilled practicioners"

What does Jason say is responsible for Medea's predicament?

Her abuse of the royal household

What does Jason say he will do for Medea to help?

Give her money and resources for exile

Analysis: How is Jason being characterised, in his first speech to Medea (where he offers her resources for her exile)?

Though Jason has still betrayed his marriage vows / the sacred idea of the oikos (from a Greek perspective), his offer of wealth to Medea may have redeemed him somewhat (even though, from a modern audience's perspective, this may seem a little half-hearted!)

What does Medea call Jason, after his first speech to her?

A "filthy coward"

What four things does Medea remind Jason that she did for him, in her response to his opening speech?

Helped him yoke fire-breathing bulls; killed the serpent guarding the golden fleece; got Pelias' daughters to kill their father; bore his sons

What does Medea say would have made Jason's behaviour possibly excusable?

If they had not had children

What three very important Greek social customs does Medea allude to, in her response to Jason's opening speech?

The oikos, xenia, and the sanctity of marriage

Why does Medea have no home to return to, as would be normal in a divorce?

She has betrayed her family

Analysis: To what extent is Medea depicted as a masculine Homeric hero in this passage?

She is deprived of both an oikos and nostos, which would have been particularly tragic from a Homeric perspective (as she is deprived of they key facets of a Homeric hero)

What does Jason say motivated Medea to help him, during his quest for the golden fleece?

"Helpless passion"

What does Jason say Medea got in exchange for helping him?

Learnt more about civilised Greek society and its customs

Analysis: How does Jason's assertion that Medea has been allowed to learn about civilised society help characterise her as barbaric?

Reminds the audience of Medea's barbaric upbringing, and implies that she would have been completely naive to proper Greek social custom were it not for the intervention of Jason

Why does Jason say he left Medea to marry Glauce?

To help Medea and the children integrate into Corinthian society

What does Jason say is the only thing that keeps women happy?

Sex

Analysis: If this an obsession with sex common to all women, is there anything particularly barbaric about this aspect of Medea?

Yes, as she is also attempting to corrupt the oikos with Jason, as a direct result of her destructive obsession with sex

What does Medea say was no longer respectable for Jason, as he was an "ageing man"?

An "Asiatic wife"

Who does Medea say has sent her as a curse to Jason, because of his betrayal of his marital vows?

The fates

What does Medea predict will happen to Jason on his marriage day?

The marriage being lost, with only "loathing and horror left"

What is particularly notable about Aegeus' opening greeting to Medea?

Refers to her as an "old friend"

Why has Aegeus been to Delphi?

He wants to cure his sterility

Why does Aegeus think Medea will be able to help interpret the oracle's prophecy?

Her intelligence

What is the oracle's prophecy to Aegeus, regarding his lack of children?

Not to "unstop the wineskin's neck" until he returns home

What does Medea tell Aegeus Jason has done?

Betrayed their marriage vows

What does Medea beg Aegeus for, after she is banished by Creon?

Sanctuary in Athens

What does Medea promise that Aegeus will have, in return for giving her sanctuary in Athens?

Children

How does Medea physically persuade Aegeus to grant her sanctuary?

Supplicates him

What does Medea make Aegeus do to confirm his promise?

Swear an oath to the gods

What specifically does Medea make Aegeus promise?

Never to expel her from Athens, or willingly let her enemies take her away

Analysis: How is Medea showing she is a skilled manipulator, in her authorship of both his oath and promise to her for sanctuary?

The "swearing an oath" tactic was similarly used by Odysseus in the Odyssey, when he forced Calypso into swearing an oath before accepting her offer of aid to get home (showing that Medea possesses sophia, techne and metis)

Analysis: What crucial information is Medea neglecting to tell Aegeus, in forcing him to swear an oath to offer her sanctuary?

Her plans to kill Glauce, and her own children!

How does Medea say she will kill the princess Glauce?

Sending a poisoned coronet and dress as gifts

How does Medea plan on sending Glauce the poisoned wedding gifts?

Via the sons

What does Medea say she will do to her children?

Kill them

Where will Medea go next, after killing her sons and Glauce, as part of her plan?

Out of Corinth, into exile

Whilst she says she can endure guilt, what does Medea say she is totally unable to endure?

"The laughter of my enemies"

What doesn't Medea want people to think about her?

"Humble, weak or passive"

What do the chorus think of Medea's actions, up to this point (i.e. having manipulated Creon and Aegeus, and having made her plan)?

They abhor her plan to murder the children, and strongly advise her not to do it, but at the same time are complicit (as they do not warn anyone about Medea in advance)