Creon

And there all men rejoiced for the coming of a hero so mighty in war and a lady renowned for wisdom unearthly, for that Medea was grandchild of the sun-god.

But after ten years Creon the king of the land spake to Jason, saying, Lo, I will give thee my daughter to wife, and thou shalt reign after me, if thou wilt put away thy wife Medea.

But her and her two sons will I banish from the land.

So Jason consented, and of this befell things strange and awful, which are told herein.

Medea.

Chorus of Corinthian ladies.

Creon, king of Corinth.

Jason.

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Media by Euripides Translated by Arthur Sanders Way 1847-1930 Part 1 when the heroes who sailed in the ship argo to bring home the golden fleece came to the land of colchis they found that to win that treasure was a deed passing the might of mortal man so terribly was it guarded by monsters magical even fire-breathing bulls and an unsleeping dragon but aphrodite caused medea the sorceress daughter of ietes the king of the land to love jason their captain so that by her magic he overcame the bulls and the dragon then jason took the fleece and medea withal for that he had pledged him to wed her in the land of greece but as they fled absyrtus her brother pursued them with a host of war yet by medea's devising was he slain so they came to the land of iolcos and to peleus who held the kingdom which was jason's of right but media by her magic wrought upon peleus's daughters so that they slew their father yet by reason of men's horror of the deed might not jason and media abide in the land and they came to corinth and there all men rejoiced for the coming of a hero so mighty in war and a lady renowned for wisdom unearthly for that medea was grandchild of the sun god but after ten years creon the king of the land spake to jason saying lo i will give thee my daughter to wife and thou shalt reign after me if thou wilt put away thy wife medea but her and her two sons will i banish from the land so jason consented and of this befell things strange and awful which are told herein dramatis person nurse of media's children children's guardian pedagogus a trusted servant responsible for keeping the boys out of harm's way he was present at their sports accompanied them to and from school and never let them be out of his sight a similar institution is familiar to englishmen resident in india End note.

Media, chorus of Corinthian ladies, Creon, king of Corinth, Jason, Aegeus, king of Athens, Messenger, children of Media.

The scene is in front of Jason's house at Corinth.

Media.

Which is its own kind of violence, isn't it? Being erased and told it's for your own benefit.

Creon, the king, decides Medea and her sons are too dangerous to stick around and orders them into exile.

And this is where Medea does something that I think gets underplayed in the popular shorthand of this story.

She doesn't rage in the streets.

She goes quiet.

She asks for one day, just one day before she has to leave.

And Creon, not knowing what he's dealing with, grants it.

That one day is everything.

And there all men rejoiced for the coming of a hero so mighty in war and a lady renowned for wisdom unearthly, for that Media was grandchild of the sun god.

But after ten years Creon the king of the land spake to Jason saying, Lo, I will give thee my daughter to wife, and thou shalt reign after me, if thou wilt put away thy wife Media.

But her and her two sons will I banish from the land.

So Jason consented, and of this befell things strange and awful which are told herein.

Media.

Chorus of Corinthian ladies.

Creon, king of Corinth.

Jason.