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Medea

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Powerful sorceress and princess of Colchis who helped Jason win the Golden Fleece. When he betrayed her for another bride, she murdered their children and his new wife in revenge.

Detailed Definition
Medea, daughter of King Aeëtes, helped Jason win the Golden Fleece but was abandoned. Her infanticide shocked ancient audiences. Poets reference her to explore the extremes of passion, the vilification of foreign women, and the terrifying power of maternal rage turned destructive.
Example
Example in poetry:
Medea appears in tragic poetry as avenger: "Medea’s hands drip gold— / not treasure, but poison / for Jason’s new bride"; In feminist verse, she embodies betrayed love: "You called me barbarian— / now watch your house burn / with Greek fire"; Poets reference her in meditations on motherhood: "She kissed their cheeks first— / Medea’s love was so deep, / it drowned them"; She symbolizes foreign rage: "Exile taught her magic— / Medea turns your laws / into ash and screams"; In modern poetry, she questions justice: "What punishment fits / a man who trades vows / for a younger crown?"; Contemporary poets reclaim her complexity: "Not monster, not saint— / Medea chose the only power / left to a scorned woman"
Additional Notes
Medea, the Colchian sorceress who helped Jason win the Golden Fleece and later murdered their children in revenge for his betrayal, is one of Greek tragedy’s most complex figures. In poetry, she embodies the extremes of passion, the vilification of foreign women, and the terrifying power of maternal rage turned destructive. When referencing Medea, note Euripides’ sympathetic portrayal: she is both victim and monster, rational and vengeful. Her story invites exploration of xenophobia, gendered double standards, and the ethics of retribution. Related figures include Clytemnestra and Electra; modern adaptations (e.g., by Marina Carr or Toni Morrison) often reclaim her as a feminist antiheroine challenging patriarchal betrayal.
Other Meanings of “Medea”
Also Known As
The Colchian Sorceress The Wife of Jason The Mother of Vengeance
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