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Medea of Euripides - Euripides
Medea of Euripides
by: (author)
4.50 5
The Medea, in spite of its background of wonder and enchantment, is not a romantic play but a tragedy of character and situation. It deals, so to speak, not with the romance itself, but with the end of the romance, a thing which is so terribly often the reverse of romantic. For all but the very... show more
The Medea, in spite of its background of wonder and enchantment, is not a romantic play but a tragedy of character and situation. It deals, so to speak, not with the romance itself, but with the end of the romance, a thing which is so terribly often the reverse of romantic. For all but the very highest of romances are apt to have just one flaw somewhere, and in the story of Jason and Medea the flaw was of a fatal kind. The wildness and beauty of the Argo legend run through all Greek literature, from the mass of Corinthian lays older than our present Iliad, which later writers vaguely associate with the name of Eumêlus, to the Fourth Pythian Ode of Pindar and the beautiful Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius. Our poet knows the wildness and the beauty; but it is not these qualities that he specially seeks. He takes them almost for granted, and pierces through them to the sheer tragedy that lies below. Jason, son of Aeson, King of Iôlcos, in Thessaly, began his life in exile. His uncle Pelias had seized his father's kingdom, and Jason was borne away to the mountains by night and given, wrapped in a purple robe, to Chiron, the Centaur. When he reached manhood he came down to Iôlcos to demand, as Pindar tells us, his ancestral honour, and stood in the market-place, a world-famous figure, one-sandalled, with his pard-skin, his two spears and his long hair, gentle and wild and fearless, as the Wise Beast had reared him. Pelias, cowed but loath to yield, promised to give up the kingdom if Jason would make his way to the unknown land of Colchis and perform a double quest. First, if I read Pindar aright, he must fetch back the soul of his kinsman Phrixus, who had died there far from home; and, secondly, find the fleece of the Golden Ram which Phrixus had sacrificed.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9781490516554 (1490516557)
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages no: 42
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Julian Meynell's Books
Julian Meynell's Books rated it
4.5 Euripides' Medea
Famous as the greatest of Euripidea plays (I have read three and I don't think it is), its certainly a striking masterpiece. The story is set after Jason has returned with the Golden Fleece and with Medea as his bride. He abandons her and her children to make a new marriage, and the story concerns...
The Blogging of a Book Addict
The Blogging of a Book Addict rated it
3.0 Medea
"More like Meh-dea, amiright?"I am not typically a fan of ancient writings, and Medea was no exception. That said, I didn't dislike the play so much as I was rather bored by it. I was also rather annoyed at the depiction of Medea as an insane monster (even though I knew it was coming): but hell hath...
Little Miss Reader
Little Miss Reader rated it
2.0 Medea (Dover Thrift Editions)
It was interesting and I like reading mythology :)
Clif's Book World
Clif's Book World rated it
3.0
Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the barbarian protagonist as she finds her position in the Greek world threatened, and the revenge she takes against her husband Jason who has betrayed her...
Reading is Therapy
Reading is Therapy rated it
3.0
Do not get cross with a woman!
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