What happens in Chapter 2 of Medea?
The Chorus of Corinthian women arrives at Medea's house, drawn by her anguished cries. They've heard her lamenting inside—cursing her marriage, her children, and Jason's betrayal—and they genuinely sympathize with her pain. The Nurse meets them at the door and informs them about Medea's worsening condition: she lies on the ground, refusing to eat, weeping non-stop, her eyes fixed downward. The Chorus encourages the Nurse to bring Medea outside so they can speak to her directly, hoping that human interaction and kind words might ease her sorrow. The Nurse warns them that Medea is unpredictable—her heart is filled with turmoil, and she won't be easily calmed—but she agrees to attempt it. Meanwhile, Medea's voice is heard again from within, now calling on Zeus, Themis, and the sun's light as witnesses to her despair, cursing the journey of the Argo that brought her to Greece. The Chorus responds with thoughtful pity, recognizing that Jason has wronged her, but gently advising that her anger towards him won't bring back what she has lost.
Analysis
The Parodos showcases Euripides' skill in dramatic architecture. He employs the Chorus not just as passive observers but as active participants, framing Medea's isolation through their arrival. While Medea's voice expresses deep grief offstage, the Chorus and Nurse stand at the threshold—both literally and symbolically marking the divide between her private suffering and the public realm of Corinth. This arrangement is significant: Medea's absence intensifies her pain, transforming her cries into something almost primal instead of simply personal.
The Nurse plays a dual role here, conveying Medea's inner turmoil in a way the Chorus can understand. Her warning that Medea's temper is "no easy thing to check" sets up the play's central dramatic conflict early on: sympathy and danger are intertwined in this character.
Euripides also brings in the theme of the sea voyage—the Argo, the Symplegades, the journey from Colchis—as the original wound. Medea's curse traces back to those early events, drawing in not just Jason but the entire framework of Greek heroism that both utilized and cast her aside. By invoking Zeus and Themis (divine justice), he indicates that her grievance extends beyond personal issues to a cosmic level.
The tone of the Parodos shifts between lyricism and pragmatism: the Chorus expresses empathy through song but conveys caution in their speech, establishing the complex moral landscape that will prevail throughout the play. Euripides avoids simplistic interpretations—while we feel pity for Medea, we also harbor fear of her.
Key quotes from Chapter 2
“O Zeus, and Earth, and Light, do you hear what a song of grief the wretched woman sings?”
The Chorus reacts to Medea's cries from within the house, their rhetorical appeal to the gods underscoring how her suffering seems to exceed ordinary domestic sorrow.
“Her heart is violent. She will never put up with being treated badly.”
The Nurse cautions the Chorus before attempting to bring Medea outside, establishing the dangerous duality of Medea's passionate nature from the very outset.
“Cursed be the voyage of the Argo through the dark Clashing Rocks to the land of Colchis!”
Medea's voice from offstage reaches its most expansive register as she traces her ruin back to the mythic sea-journey that first set her fate in motion.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 2
- lament
- A passionate expression of grief or sorrow, often spoken or sung aloud. In this play it refers to Medea's cries of anguish heard from inside the house.
- Clashing Rocks
- Another name for the Symplegades, the mythical moving rocks that smashed together to destroy ships sailing into the Black Sea.