Medea Character Analysis

Medea is Aeëtes’s daughter and Circe’s niece. She is also a witch, which Aeëtes resents, as he fears that she will eventually arm her husband with magic. Medea falls fiercely in love with Jason and uses her magic to help him get the golden fleece. As they are escaping from Aeëtes, Medea knows that they will be caught and tortured by her father unless she does something drastic. She then kills her brother—who is also Aeëtes’s favorite son—and dismembers him, throwing his limbs into the ocean. She knows that Aeëtes must stop and collect all the pieces to give him a proper burial, which slows him down and allows Medea and Jason to escape. It is a heartless and selfish act, but Medea does so anyway, which shows not only how she is like her callous father, but also how she feels like she must exploit others in order to survive. Circe tries to persuade Medea to stay with her on Aiaia, where Medea will be safe and Circe can teach her witchcraft. But Medea refuses; she is too in love with Jason. Circe warns her that Jason will leave her—he is already shrinking from her powers—but Medea refuses to listen. Circe finds out years later that Jason does leave Medea for another woman. In retaliation, Medea burns the new wife alive and then kills her own children so that Jason cannot have them. Circe is not surprised, but she is nonetheless saddened to hear that Medea turns out to be just like her cruel father, Aeëtes.