OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) — Women in the Ancient World
If you have ever sacrificed everything to help someone, only to be entirely abandoned, you might understand the start of Medea's story. Euripides' tragedy, first performed at the Great Dionysia in 431 BC, presents a deeply complex protagonist whose origins instantly mark her as an outsider.
Medea uses her magical abilities to help Jason survive King Aeëtes' seemingly impossible trials. She provides ointment to protect him from fire-breathing bulls, advises him on defeating the earth-born warriors spawned from dragon's teeth, and drugs the dragon guarding the Fleece. However, her capacity for extreme violence is revealed early; to delay her father while fleeing with Jason, she murders and dismembers her own brother, Apsyrtus.
Sometimes, the very skills that make someone useful also make them terrifying. Upon returning to Jason's homeland of Iolcus, King Pelias refuses to hand over the throne to Jason as promised.
As a result of this murder, Jason and Medea are exiled from Iolcus and flee to Corinth as refugees. She has now completely burned her bridges to both her homeland and her adoptive city.
Athenian audiences would have initially been conflicted, viewing Medea as a sympathetic victim of patriarchal oppression. Jason completely abandons her in Corinth to marry the local princess, Glauce.
On the other hand, Euripides rapidly shifts this sympathy to horror as Medea's actions become increasingly monstrous. Her characterisation is heavily tied to her status as a barbaros, marking her as an outsider with potentially dangerous, unrestrained emotions.
Why would a respected king harbour a known killer? The arrival of King Aegeus of Athens in Corinth changes the trajectory of the entire play.
This guarantee of asylum empowers Medea to transition from a desperate victim to a ruthless, calculating aggressor.
To utterly destroy Jason, Medea concludes that murdering his new bride is not enough. She commits infanticide, murdering their two sons to wipe out Jason's bloodline and ensure he has no one to care for him in old age.
In classical tragedy, the worst crimes usually result in the harshest divine punishments, but Euripides presents a shocking subversion. Medea escapes human justice entirely.
Ultimately, Medea is the ultimate transgressive figure. Despite committing the most horrifying crimes imaginable to an Athenian audience, she is protected by her divine heritage and escapes unpunished, leaving the audience to grapple with the terrifying consequences of both broken oaths and unchecked vengeance.
Students often evaluate Medea purely as a villain from the very beginning. To access higher marks, you must acknowledge her initial presentation as a sympathetic, stateless victim of Jason's oath-breaking.
When asked to 'Evaluate' Medea's characterisation, explicitly contrast her status as an oppressed female foreigner with her adoption of the hyper-masculine heroic code of timé.
Use specific visual evidence, like the Policoro Painter Krater, to support arguments about how Athenian artists presented her 'Otherness' (using Eastern clothing) and her divine protection (the sun halo).
Examiners frequently look for you to link Medea's final escape on the mechane to her divine lineage (granddaughter of Helios), proving she operates above mortal human justice.
Colchis
Medea's homeland on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, regarded by ancient Greeks as a 'barbarian' territory on the edge of the civilised world.
Sophia
A Greek term for 'cleverness' or 'wisdom', often used negatively by other characters to describe Medea's dangerous skills in magic and deception.
Zeus Horkios
The aspect of Zeus as the supreme protector of oaths, whose laws Jason violated by abandoning Medea.
Barbaros
A non-Greek or 'Barbarian', a status that marked Medea as a dangerous outsider with unrestrained emotions.
Timé
The male Homeric code of honour, which dictates helping friends and harming enemies to avoid public mockery.
Suppliant
A vulnerable person making a formal, humble plea to someone in power for protection, typically involving ritual physical contact like touching the knees.
Sanctuary
A safe place of asylum or refuge, which Medea secures from King Aegeus to guarantee her survival.
Infanticide
The deliberate act of a parent murdering their own child, as committed by Medea against her two sons.
Thumos
A Greek concept referring to spirited passion, anger, or the desire for revenge, which overcomes Medea's maternal reason.
Mechane
A theatrical crane used in Greek tragedy to lower actors playing gods onto the stage, shockingly used by Medea at the end of the play.
Deus ex machina
Literally 'god from the machine'; a plot device where a seemingly unsolvable problem is resolved by divine intervention.
Transgressive figure
A character who severely breaks societal, moral, or gender boundaries, such as Medea claiming male heroic agency.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Classical Civilisation
Colchis
Medea's homeland on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, regarded by ancient Greeks as a 'barbarian' territory on the edge of the civilised world.
Sophia
A Greek term for 'cleverness' or 'wisdom', often used negatively by other characters to describe Medea's dangerous skills in magic and deception.
Zeus Horkios
The aspect of Zeus as the supreme protector of oaths, whose laws Jason violated by abandoning Medea.
Barbaros
A non-Greek or 'Barbarian', a status that marked Medea as a dangerous outsider with unrestrained emotions.
Timé
The male Homeric code of honour, which dictates helping friends and harming enemies to avoid public mockery.
Suppliant
A vulnerable person making a formal, humble plea to someone in power for protection, typically involving ritual physical contact like touching the knees.
Sanctuary
A safe place of asylum or refuge, which Medea secures from King Aegeus to guarantee her survival.
Infanticide
The deliberate act of a parent murdering their own child, as committed by Medea against her two sons.
Thumos
A Greek concept referring to spirited passion, anger, or the desire for revenge, which overcomes Medea's maternal reason.
Mechane
A theatrical crane used in Greek tragedy to lower actors playing gods onto the stage, shockingly used by Medea at the end of the play.
Deus ex machina
Literally 'god from the machine'; a plot device where a seemingly unsolvable problem is resolved by divine intervention.
Transgressive figure
A character who severely breaks societal, moral, or gender boundaries, such as Medea claiming male heroic agency.
