Summary

At Medea’s home in Corinth, in 431 BC, her nurse wishes the ship Argo had never come to the land of the Colchians to search for the Golden Fleece. If it had not come, Medea would have never come to Corinth where she once dwelled in amity with Jason and her sons until a blight came over their love when Jason abandoned Medea and their children to lie with a royal bride, Princess Glauce, the daughter of King Creon. Medea is prostrate with grief and hates the sight of her own children, causing her nurse to fear her vengeance for “she is cunning. Whoever crosses swords with her will not find victory easy, I tell you."

Giving little thought to their mother’s sorrows, Medea’s sons enter with their tutor who asks the nurse if Medea is grieving, noting that she...