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Characters · 9
Aegeus, King of Athens
Aegeus, the King of Athens, makes a brief but crucial appearance in a key scene (lines 663–758) of Euripides' Medea.
character
Creon, King of Corinth
Creon, the King of Corinth, is the political figure whose single decisive act—the edict of exile—triggers the tragedy's disaster.
character
Glauce (Princess of Corinth)
Glauce, the Princess of Corinth and daughter of King Creon, is a silent yet crucial figure in Euripides' Medea.
character
Jason
Jason is the play's main male character and chief antagonist, whose lack of moral integrity pushes Medea into her devastating act of revenge.
character
Medea
Medea is the protagonist and anti-heroine of Euripides' tragedy, a foreign sorceress from Colchis whose dramatic decline drives the entire plot.
character
The Chorus of Corinthian Women
The Chorus of Corinthian Women acts as the moral and emotional conscience of Euripides' Medea, positioned between the audience and the unfolding drama.
character
The Messenger
The Messenger is a minor but crucial character in Euripides' Medea, appearing in one extended scene to report the catastrophic deaths at the Corinthian palace.
character
The Nurse
The Nurse is a nameless household slave who opens Euripides' Medea with the play's well-known prologue monologue, quickly setting the emotional and moral tone of the drama.
character
The Tutor (Paidagogos)
The Tutor (Paidagogos) is a minor yet crucial character in Euripides' Medea, acting as the household slave who looks after Medea and Jason's two young sons.
character
Key quotes · 11
“There is no house that can be happy without a woman who is good.”
This line is delivered by the Chorus in Euripides' Medea (431 BCE), which consists of Corinthian women who watch and comment on the tragic events.
Chorus
“A woman in most matters is full of fear, and a coward in facing steel; but when she is wronged in love, no mind is more murderous.”
This chilling observation is voiced by the Chorus of Corinthian Women in Euripides' Medea (431 BCE), as they witness Medea's fury grow after Jason leaves her for a royal marriage.
Chorus of Corinthian Women
“My children are dead — and it was my hand that killed them.”
This heartbreaking confession is delivered by Medea near the climax of Euripides' tragedy, after she has committed the unimaginable act of killing her own children to take revenge on her husband Jason, who has left her to marry the Corinthian princess Glauce.
Medea
“I saved you, as every Greek who sailed with you knows well.”
This line is delivered by Medea to her husband Jason during their intense confrontation in Euripides' tragedy Medea.
Medea
“Of all things which are living and can form a judgment we women are the most unfortunate creatures.”
This line is spoken by Medea early in the play during her first significant speech to the Chorus of Corinthian women.
Medea
“I know indeed what evil I intend to do, but stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury.”
This chilling declaration is made by Medea near the climax of Euripides' tragedy, as she prepares to murder her own children in revenge against Jason, who has left her to marry the Corinthian princess Glauce.
Medea · Lines 1078–1080 (approximately)
“Love is the source of all our greatest blessings and of all our greatest sorrows.”
This line is spoken by the Chorus in Euripides' Medea (431 BCE), a group of Corinthian women who watch and comment on the unfolding tragedy.
Chorus
“What greater grief can there be for mortals than to see their children dead?”
This painful rhetorical question is voiced by Medea in Euripides' tragedy Medea (431 BCE), resonating with deep irony throughout the play.
Medea
“Let no one think me a weak one, feeble-spirited, a stay-at-home, but rather just the opposite, one who can hurt my enemies and help my friends.”
This declaration is made by Medea early in Euripides' tragedy, as she grapples with the crushing betrayal of her husband Jason, who has left her to marry Glauce, the princess of Corinth.
Medea · Prologue / early episodes
“You are a clever woman, versed in evil arts.”
This line is spoken by Creon, the King of Corinth, directly to Medea in Euripides' tragedy Medea (431 BCE).
Creon
“Do not be pained by what is happening, for it is fated that she shall die, and there is no way out.”
This chilling line is spoken by Medea in Euripides' tragedy Medea (431 BCE) as she steels herself—possibly addressing the audience or her own conscience—just before committing infanticide and murdering Glauce, the princess.
Medea
Symbols · 5
Fire
In Euripides' Medea, fire represents destructive passion, revenge, and the all-consuming nature of betrayed love.
The Children
In Euripides' Medea, the children represent innocence trapped in the chaos of adult ambition, betrayal, and revenge.
The Dragon-Drawn Chariot
In Euripides' Medea, the dragon-drawn chariot represents Medea's ability to rise above human limitations and the frightening independence of a woman who won't be held back by a patriarchal society.
The Poisoned Gifts (Robe and Crown)
In Euripides' Medea, the poisoned robe and golden crown sent to Glauce illustrate the deadly impact of betrayed love and Medea's fierce desire for revenge.
The Sword
In Euripides' Medea, the sword represents the chilling mix of maternal strength and vengeful destruction.
Literary devices · 12
Dramatic Monologue
Medea's powerful soliloquy in the fourth episode — 'Why should I hurt their father through their pain / and cause myself twice over as much grief?' — serves as a lengthy dramatic monologue where she grapples with her thoughts for over fifty lines.
Irony
Dramatic irony runs deep in the play, as the audience is aware, thanks to the myth, of Medea's intentions, while characters like Creon and Jason remain blissfully confident in their decisions.
Apostrophe
Medea often speaks directly to absent or abstract figures, which brings her inner turmoil into a grander context.
Imagery
Euripides shapes the play's emotional core using striking imagery.
Personification
Abstract forces take on a physical form throughout the play.
Simile
The Nurse's opening speech draws a vivid comparison between Medea's gaze and that of a bull or a lioness: "She looks at the servants with the eye of a lioness that has cubs."
Ode
The choral odes break up the action and serve as lyrical reflections that reshape the audience's understanding of what they've just seen.
Pathetic Fallacy
The play's emotional atmosphere is vividly reflected in the physical world through the use of pathetic fallacy.
Motif
The theme of the foreigner or outsider is present in every scene.
Paradox
The play's most profound paradox lies in Medea's most horrific act — killing her children — which she believes is also her most loving gesture.
Anaphora
Medea's rhetorical speeches use anaphora, which is the repetition of initial phrases that adds emphasis.
Allusion
The play is packed with references to earlier myths that an Athenian audience would have instantly recognized.
Vocabulary · 24
winged its way
Moved swiftly through the air or water, like a bird in flight. Here it describes the ship Argo traveling at great speed across the sea.
phrase · Chapter 1
Symplegades
The legendary Clashing Rocks at the entrance to the Black Sea, said to crash together and crush ships that tried to pass between them.
noun · Chapter 1
irrevocable
Impossible to take back or undo once it has been done. The Nurse fears Medea will commit an act whose consequences can never be reversed.
adjective · Chapter 1
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.
noun · Chapter 2
Clashing Rocks
Another name for the Symplegades, the mythical moving rocks that smashed together to destroy ships sailing into the Black Sea.
noun · Chapter 2
judgement
The capacity to reason, form opinions, and make decisions. Medea uses it to argue that women, as thinking beings, are the most unfortunate of all creatures.
noun · Chapter 3
wrap my meaning in soft words
To soften or disguise what one really means by choosing polite, gentle language instead of speaking plainly and directly.
phrase · Chapter 3
irreparable
So badly damaged or destroyed that it cannot be fixed or made right again. Creon fears Medea will do harm to his daughter that can never be undone.
adjective · Chapter 3
feeble-spirited
Lacking courage or inner strength; cowardly and easily defeated. Medea insists she is the opposite of this — someone capable of fierce action.
adjective · Chapter 3
stay-at-home
A person who is passive and confined to the domestic sphere, taking no bold or independent action in the wider world.
noun · Chapter 3
foul-tongued slander
Malicious, false, and insulting speech meant to damage someone's reputation. The Chorus celebrates that women will no longer be subjected to such verbal attacks.
phrase · Chapter 4
versed in evil arts
Skilled and experienced in the practice of magic, sorcery, or other dark and harmful knowledge. Jason uses it as a backhanded acknowledgment of Medea's power.
phrase · Chapter 5
Eros
The Greek god of love and desire, whose arrows were said to cause people to fall passionately in love, sometimes with destructive consequences.
noun · Chapter 6
irresistible passion
An overwhelming romantic or sexual desire so powerful that a person cannot resist or control it, often leading to ruin.
phrase · Chapter 6
exile
Forced removal from one's home city or country, often as a legal punishment, leaving the person without a homeland or community to return to.
noun · Chapter 6
diadem
A jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of royal status. In the play, Medea sends a golden diadem as one of her poisoned gifts to the princess.
noun · Chapter 7
finery
Expensive, showy clothing and jewelry worn for display. Here it refers to the poisoned robe and crown Medea sends as gifts to the princess.
noun · Chapter 7
pollution
In ancient Greek belief, a spiritual contamination or curse that a person carries after committing a terrible act, especially murder, which can spread harm to those around them.
noun · Chapter 8
avenging spirits
Supernatural beings from the underworld believed to pursue and punish those who commit terrible crimes, especially against their own family.
noun · Chapter 9
coronet
A small decorative crown, less grand than a full royal crown, worn as an ornament on the head. Medea's poisoned gift to the princess takes this form.
noun · Chapter 11
fine-spun
Woven from very thin, delicate threads, producing a light and beautiful fabric. The robe Medea sends is described this way, making its deadly nature all the more horrifying.
adjective · Chapter 11
consumed
Completely destroyed or devoured, as fire burns something entirely away until nothing remains. The poisoned robe burns Glauce's body in this way.
verb · Chapter 11
lifeless image
A reflection in a mirror, which has no life of its own but merely copies the person looking into it. Glauce smiles at her own reflection just before the poison takes effect.
phrase · Chapter 11
savage
Brutally fierce and cruel, beyond what any civilized or even natural creature would do. Jason uses it to condemn Medea's killing of her own children as monstrous.
adjective · Chapter 12