The Need for Revenge

Another reason psychologists believe that people commit filicide is due to a jealousy of their children. Often it is of the child's continued relationship with the estranged spouse or lover. In the case of Medea, Jason abandons both his wife and his children, but in some modern situations, that is not the case. When parents divorce or separate, the children commonly live with one parent, with one spouse cut off from their offspring. Such was the case of Douglas Mont, when his wife kicked him out and announced she and the children would soon be moving away. The prospect of his family beginning anew without him, as Jason tried to do, pushed him far enough to kill his three young children before shooting himself. In this case, the father was the killer, but the stakes seem to be similar to those of Medea. The mindset of "If I can't have them no one can" resounds very clearly in both scenarios. One of the strongest connections between these two stories is how the spouse was not physically harmed, but was left with the grief and suffering of the loss of their children. 

Works Cited:

Stocking, Ben. "Filicide-as-Parental Kidnapping: Mont, February 26, 1995 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Flickr. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. 

Happy Endings

The Medea Krater

The myth of Medea, while written by Euripides, has evolved and changed through time, possibly because its prequel, Jason and the Golden Fleece, was such a famous tale told by Homer. Both stories were embellished later on by other authors and storytellers as the tale was passed along. One of the strange aspects of this story is the fact that there is not one single tragic figure. While Medea loses her husband (and technically her children), she brought on some of the grief endured throughout the play. But unlike other tragedies, the shared pain of two main characters does not involve their simultaneous deaths. Jason survives the slaughters of all around him, and is left alone without a wife or children. Medea appears to triumph over and forget all of the horrors she has brought upon everyone as she uses her grandfather's sun chariot to rise above the city and leave everything in her dust.

Works Cited:
Policoro Painter. The Medea Krater. late 5th-early 4th century bc. Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH. CAMIO. Web. 30 Oct. 2010

La Llorona

The myth or legend of a woman killing her children usually ends in an even more grotesque way than Medea's. According to the South and Central American legend of La Llorona or the Malchine, a woman is driven so mad by her husband leaving her for another woman that she kills her two children and then herself. To this day she haunts the lands, searching for young children and men to kill. This tale was created at a different time and geographically isolated location from that of the myth of Medea. This shows that these themes are a part of human nature and interactions, not simply the product of one culture or poet/storyteller.

Works Cited:
Nájera-Ramírez, Norma Elia. Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change. Urbana: University of Illinois, 2002. Print.

When Good Mothers Go Bad

Filicide, the killing of one's son or daughter, is a rare but serious and disturbing occurrence. Throughout recorded history, this subject has fascinated and simultaneously horrified the public as they try to grasp how a parent, and more commonly a mother, could take the life of their own child. While one may see why someone in Medea's position would perform such an act, if every wife were to kill their children upon their husband left them for another woman, the population would be significantly lower. So what makes Medea's case different than another woman's heartache? Was she more dishonored than others or simply crazy? According to psychologists, the biggest trigger among women in this situation is the sexual abandonment by a male figure such as a boyfriend or husband. In Medea's case, after leaving her homeland and giving everything up to be with Jason, she is left alone with her children in a foreign place.

Works Cited:

Cyrino, Monica Silveira. "When Grief Is Gain: The Psychodynamics of Abandonment and Filicide in Euripides' "Medea"" Pacific Coast Philology 31.1 (1996): 1-12. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. 

Media manipulation

Our production has chosen to follow a more modern path in its style and message. One way we plan to relate this play to modern audiences is by showing how media manipulation is so similar to the way we piece together historical documents and facts. Even though the story of Medea is mythology, there is still much discrepancy between different writers of the time over facts and elements of the tale. Nowadays, the media is capable of and often does distort the information reaching audiences in order to promote or bring down a certain group or idea. Included is a link to a video which discusses some of the ways the media manipulates us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOwv_gytSOM

A Man's View

In "Medea", Jason has the audacity to think that Medea acts out of "mere sexual jealousy" when she kills their children. He believes that she is a lowly creature after killing her brother and betraying her father (albeit to help Jason succeed). This is not an uncommon way to think of women in that time, however, as women in Ancient Greece had very few rights other than keeping the home and having and raising children. But this way of thinking only reinforces Jason's role of this tragic play. For while Medea may be seen as the tragic character who goes mad and kills everyone, it is Jason who experiences everyone around him being murdered.

Works Cited: 

Reid, Matthew C., and Grant Gillett. "The Case of Medea: A View of Fetal-Maternal Conflict." Journal of  Medical Ethics 23.1 (1997): 19-25. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. 

Importance of sons in ancient Greece

Throughout history, sons have been highly valued over daughters in order to carry on the family name and honor. A son to a father was his way on passing on his seeds and it was extremely important to preserve these sons from harm. In this sculpture, titled "Laocoon and His Sons", one can see the consequences of upsetting the Gods, but more importantly, the cost to a family of losing sons. 

Laocoon upset the Gods, but instead of simply punishing him, Athena sent snakes after his two sons as well, a huge blow to Laocoon as he dies, to know that his family is now dead with his him and his children. In "Medea", Jason not only loses the chance to continue on his family name with either Medea or Creusa, but his two sons are killed, completely destroying his lineage. 

Works Cited:

"Anatomica." Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://figurestudio.com/simpleforum_pro.cgi?fid=04&topic_id=1228687335>.

The Greek Tragedy of Medea

Greek tragedies may be known for their heartache and bloodshed but the tale of Medea by Euripides catapults these literary themes and ideas far beyond the norm. In this story, Medea and her children are left by her husband Jason when he decides to promote his ranking by marrying Creusa, the daughter of King Creon. Medea decides to take a stance, killing Creusa, Creon, and her two young sons. The story ends with Jason's anguish as Medea flees to Athens, leaving him with nothing.


While having your husband leave you would be hard enough to deal with, imagine having helped him fulfill a mission of epic proportions beforehand. Recall the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece? In order to regain his kingdom, he is sent on an impossible mission to retrieve a golden fleece, and is only able to complete the mission with the help of Medea. It is no wonder then, why Medea would be more upset than the average wife losing her husband. But is that history and love anywhere near enough to warrant her crimes against Jason and others? That is for the audience to decide and understand.

Works Cited:

James Romm "Argonauts and the Golden Fleece"  The Oxford Companion to World Exploration. Ed. David Buisseret. Oxford University Press, 2007.  Central Washington University.  30 October 2010  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t230.e0044>

"Medea"  The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition). Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Central Washington University.  30 October 2010  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t140.e47395>