This paper examines the various themes to be found in Medea, the play by Euripides, the 5th-century playwright and friend of
Socrates (70-115). Euripides' play dramatizes the well-known legend of the journeys of Medea, granddaughter of Helios, god of the sun, and her husband Jason. According to this Greek legend Jason, an Argonaut, travels to Colchis on the Black Sea, where, with the help of Medea, he manages to secure the Golden Fleece. Medea, who is a sorceress of significant power, facilitates her escape and that of Jason from Colchis, chiefly by murdering her own brother. When Jason returns to his native Iolcus, he finds that his uncle, Pelias, has cheated him of his father's throne. Medea takes it upon herself to intervene again, on Jason's behalf, in the struggle by getting the daughters of Pelias to slay the ruler. And, once again, the couple takes flight and begins their lives as exiles at Corinth, having been given refuge by Creon, the ruler of Corinth.
The couple and their two children, both boys, reside at Corinth until a murderous crisis arises. Jason is offered the opportunity to marry the daughter of Creon, which he accepts. As the play opens Jason has left home and is living with his bride in the royal court. Medea, who has truly loved her husband, summons a fury she has demonstrated in the past. This time, however, her passion is even more palpable as she plots unspeakable crimes: the murders of the daughter and her father and the consequent slayings, by
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