Medea

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “Medea, the Hero”

Medea is a short play in which we enter in media res—in the middle of things—and come immediately into the action. The Nurse provides an introduction, and we can glean details about Medea’s adventures with Jason aboard the Argo that would have been very familiar to Euripides’s Greek audiences.

One of the themes of this text is Medea the hero. Medea acts like a Greek hero, departing in many ways from stereotypes of ancient Greek women and wives, yet she is also driven to the murder of her children by the end of the play. Break into groups of four or five and think together about Medea’s story and her motivation. Take twenty minutes and come up with an additional scene to be added anywhere in the play, whether it’s a conversation between Medea and the Nurse, a scene with Medea alone, or another scene with Medea and Jason. Some questions to ponder as you develop your scene include:

• Is Medea redeemable?
• What would make Medea’s motivations more understandable? Is that possible?

Then, perform your scene for the class. Be sure to provide the context for where you’re inserting this scene to help us understand where it fits within Euripides’s Medea. Afterwards, one group member should explain how this added scene helps us understand Medea.

Teaching Suggestion: Medea the hero is one of the central themes of this text, and this activity can encourage students to think about Medea as its central character and the motivations behind her decisions.

Paired Text Extension:  “Medea & Circe”

Part A

By considering Madeline Miller’s Circe alongside Medea you’ve now encountered two stories about mythological witches drawing from the Greek tradition. Medea’s story was told in the time of ancient Greece while Circe’s retelling is much more recent. First, get into groups of four or five. Then, together, answer the following questions:

1) How are these stories similar and different?

2) Is Circe a hero? A villain?

3) How might Madeline Miller imagine Medea?

After ten minutes, come back and share your group’s answers with the class.

Part B

Having discussed Circe and Medea together, return to your groups and think about what the two characters would say to one another, and write a scene that takes place after Medea in which the two witches are discussing recent events. What do you think Circe would say to Medea? How would Medea explain her actions?

After thirty minutes, be prepared to perform your scene for the class.

Teaching Suggestion: Madeline Miller’s retelling is one that puts a new spin on the traditional story of Circe as a villain who turned men into pigs. She is its hero, someone who sometimes did unsavory things in order to save herself and her son. Encourage students to think about Medea that way. What forces in society may have driven her to her actions, even if the actions themselves are abominable?