Editors Reads Verdict
Euripides's most radical play — he gave Medea the deliberate choice to kill her children, which earlier tradition did not, making the play an investigation of extremity, autonomy, and the psychology of revenge that is as disturbing now as it was in 431 BCE.
What We Loved
- Euripides's decision to make Medea's infanticide deliberate rather than accidental makes the play psychologically modern
- Medea's soliloquy before the killing is the first sustained depiction of internal moral conflict in Western literature
- The play's sympathy for its protagonist — a woman, a foreigner, a social outcast — was radical in its context
Minor Drawbacks
- The divine machinery at the end — Medea escaping in a sun-chariot — is the weakest element
- Jason is less fully drawn than Medea
Key Takeaways
- → Euripides invented Medea's deliberate infanticide — in earlier versions it was accidental — creating a protagonist who chooses the absolute over survival
- → The famous soliloquy in which Medea debates herself is the first depiction of psychological interior conflict in Western drama
- → Medea is both victim of Jason's betrayal and perpetrator of an atrocity — Euripides does not resolve this, which is what makes the play endure
| Author | Euripides |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Penguin Classics |
| Pages | 208 |
| Published | January 1, 1 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Classic, Drama |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Best For | Readers of Greek tragedy and anyone interested in the psychology of revenge, women in antiquity, and the limits of dramatic sympathy. |
The Choice
In the myth as it existed before Euripides, Medea’s children were killed by the Corinthians in retribution after Medea murdered the princess. Euripides changed this: in his version, Medea herself kills her children, deliberately, as the most complete revenge on Jason possible — taking from him not just what he abandoned but what he will remember for the rest of his life.
This change made the play — and makes it still — one of the most disturbing works in the dramatic canon. Medea is not mad when she acts. She debates herself in a soliloquy that Aristotle found problematic. She makes a choice.
The Soliloquy
The speech before the killing is the first sustained depiction of internal moral conflict in Western literature. Medea is fully aware of what she is about to do and why it is monstrous. She does it anyway. Euripides does not explain this away or resolve it. The play ends with Medea escaping in a divine chariot, and Jason below, destroyed.
Our rating: 4.3/5 — Euripides’s most radical work — a character who chooses the absolute, depicted with full psychological force.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Medea" about?
Jason abandons Medea, his wife and the mother of his children, to marry the Corinthian princess. Medea, a foreigner and sorceress, takes revenge — poisoning the princess, and killing her own children to destroy Jason utterly. Euripides gave Medea her choice where earlier versions made it accidental.
Who should read "Medea"?
Readers of Greek tragedy and anyone interested in the psychology of revenge, women in antiquity, and the limits of dramatic sympathy.
What are the key takeaways from "Medea"?
Euripides invented Medea's deliberate infanticide — in earlier versions it was accidental — creating a protagonist who chooses the absolute over survival The famous soliloquy in which Medea debates herself is the first depiction of psychological interior conflict in Western drama Medea is both victim of Jason's betrayal and perpetrator of an atrocity — Euripides does not resolve this, which is what makes the play endure
Is "Medea" worth reading?
Euripides's most radical play — he gave Medea the deliberate choice to kill her children, which earlier tradition did not, making the play an investigation of extremity, autonomy, and the psychology of revenge that is as disturbing now as it was in 431 BCE.
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