I. Jason and the Argonauts
A. Jason (descendent of Deucalion and Pyrrha)1. Birth: son of Aeson (Tyro + Cretheus), exiled by his half-brother Pelias (Tyro + Poseidon)2. Education: Chiron
3. Travel to Iolcus:
- Helps disguised Hera across stream
- Oracles "Beware of the man with one sandal"
- Sent after Golden Fleece (from ram that rescued Phrixus and Helle&emdash;offspring of Nephele and Athamas&emdash;who were persecuted by Athamas' second wife Ino = evil stepmother motif)
B. The Quest for the Golden Fleece (Apollonis' Argonautica&emdash;3rd c. BC)
1. Some Argonauts: Heracles, Hylas (boy lover of Heracles), Zetes and Calais, Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux) = Dioscuri, Orpheus (the poet), Meleager, Peleus (father of Achilles), Telamon (father of Ajax).2. The voyage to Colchis
- Lemnos: Hypsipyle
- Propontis: Cyzicus
- Mysia: Hylas and Heracles lost
- Salmydessus): Phineus and the Harpies
- The Symplegades ("Clashing Rocks")
3. In Colchis
- Aeetes (son of Helius; brother to Pasiphae and Circe) and Medea
- Fire-breathing bulls
- Dragon's teeth (from Cadmus)
- Dragon guarding fleece
4. Trip home from Colchis
- Death of Apsyrtus
- Medea and Jason married
- Hesperides
- Talus
5. Back home
- Rejuvenation of Aeson
- Daughters of Pelias
- Exile in Corinth: Euripides' Medea
- Jason dies when a piece of the Argo falls on him
C. Perspectives
1. Romance: originates from the quest-myth2. The "deflated hero": Jason amêchanos
- First adventure took place in the bedroom; second adventure ends in a slaughter; relies too much on Medea and her sorcery; unheroic end
- Jason vs. Theseus and Heracles
3. History:
- Representation of voyages in Bronze Age or Dark Age?
- Herodotus: Medea is in retaliation for the supposed rape of Io; leads to the abduction of Helen by Paris
II. Euripides' Medea (Produced 431 BC in Athens)
A. Narrative1. Prologue: Nurse and Tutor worry about Medea (1-130)
- Chorus discusses Medea with the Nurse (131-212)
2. First Episode: Medea explains her situation to the chorus and gets them to promise to keep silent (214-270); Medea gets Creon to allow her to stay in Corinth for one more day (241-411)
- Chorus says that men, not women are deceitful (412-445)
3. Second Episode (Agon): Medea and Jason wrangle (446-626)
- Chorus expresses sympathy for Medea and anger at Jason (627-662)
4. Third Episode: Medea gets Aegeus to promise her refuge in Athens (663-763); Medea tells chorus she will kill her rival and her children (764-823)
- Chorus sings praises of Athens (824-865)
5. Fourth Episode: Medea sends Jason with children to Glauce with poisoned dress (866-975)
- Chorus mourns for Glauce, children, and Medea (976-1001)
6. Fifth Episode: Children return and Medea resolves to kill them (1002-1080)
- Chorus bemoans the fate of mothers (1081-1115)
7. Sixth Episode: Messenger speech: messenger reports deaths of Glauce and Creon (1251-1235); Medea resolves to kill her children (1116-1250)
- Chorus mourns for Medea as they hear her killing her children (1251-1270)
8. Epilogue: Medea reveals dead children to Jason and flees to Athens (1271-end)
B. Themes
1. Deceptive gifts (p.50, 53)2. Marriage and sexual antagonism (cf. Perseus)
3. Religion vs. the law
4. Female poetics (p. 37, 41-2, 56)
- Is Euripides a feminist? Is the Medea about women's rights or women' wrongs?
C. Interpretations: Ambiguous Medea
1. Medea as witch?
- Poison that brings life (p. 48) and death (p. 50)
- Chariot of Helius (p. 61)
2. Medea as hero
- Central figure of the play like Oedipus
- Exhibits countless heroic characteristics: daring, rashness, resolve, eloquence (esp. pp.42-3), inspires fear (p. 38-9), etc.
- Like heroes, she is concerned with her glory (p.50) and being treated unjustly or with disrespect (p.34, 61; cf. Dionysus and Achilles), especially being the object of laughter (p.55)
- She is a help to her friends (e.g., Aegeus), dangerous to her foes (p.50) (cf. Dionysus: the most friendly to men and the most dangerous)
- Deceit and cunning (cf. Hermes, Prometheus) over brute strength (Heracles)
- Confident that the gods are on her side (p. 36: Zeus and Earth, 40, 43: Zeus, 41: Hecate, 49: Earth and Sun, 61: Zeus) vs. Jason (62)
- She prevails (cf. Oedipus: he too prevails in a way but is still blind)
3. Medea as god
- "This is the gods' and my deed" (p. 54): sees herself as the gods' instrument and associate!
- Her farewell on the chariot of Helius = deus ex machina (reserved for gods only!); gives prophecy like god (p.62)
- Cult in Corinth and Athens
4. Medea as beast
- Savage (p.35), a lioness (p.37), tigress and Scylla (p.61)
- Apolis (p.46); cf. Aristotle: anyone who cannot live in a partnership is either a god or beast.
Longinus, On the Sublime 9.7: "I feel indeed that in recording as he does the wounding of the gods, their quarrels, vengeance, tears, imprisonment, and all their manifold passions Homer has done his best to make the men in the Iliad gods and the gods men."
