The dramatic episodes in which Greek mythology character

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

plays a role have ensured that she remains vividly represented in popular culture. Titles are ordered chronologically.

Literature

* In

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

's court case ''

Pro Caelio ''Pro Caelio'' is a speech given on 4 April 56 BC, by the famed Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero in defence of Marcus Caelius Rufus, who had once been Cicero's pupil but more recently had become estranged from him. Cicero's reasons for defendin ...

'' (56 BC), the name Medea is mentioned several times, as a way to make fun of Clodia, sister of

Publius Clodius Pulcher Publius Clodius Pulcher ( – 18 January 52 BC) was a Roman politician and demagogue. A noted opponent of Cicero, he was responsible during his plebeian tribunate in 58 BC for a massive expansion of the Roman grain dole as well as Cic ...

, the man who exiled Cicero. * ''Medea'' (

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

's lost tragedy; two lines are extant) *

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

, ''The Legend of Good Women'' (1386) * In ''

La Tavola Ritonda ''La Tavola Ritonda'' (''The Round Table'') is a 15th-century Italian Arthurian romance written in the medieval Tuscan language. It is preserved in a 1446 manuscript at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence (''Codex Palatinus 556''). It ...

'' (c. 15th century), Medea lives on as the marvelously beautiful mistress of the island Perfida's Cruel Castle (''Castello Crudele'') in which she imprisons the hero Tristano (

Tristan Tristan (Latin/ Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; ; ), also known as Tristran or Tristram and similar names, is the folk hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. While escorting the Irish princess Iseult to wed Tristan's uncle, King Mark of ...

), as "every year she wanted to bent a ifferentknight to her pleasure" for she was "the most lecherous woman in the world". Tristano, faithful to his true love Isolda, manages to escape from Medea's magic castle. *

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

''Life and Death of Jason'' (epic poem, 1867) *

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...

, ''Hercules, My Shipmate'' (1945) * Dorothy M. Johnson, ''Witch Princess'' (1967) * John Gardner, ''Jason and Medeia'' (1973) *

Otar Chiladze Otar Chiladze ( ka, ოთარ ჭილაძე; March 20, 1933 — October 1, 2009) was a Georgian writer who played a prominent role in the resurrection of Georgian prose in the post-Joseph Stalin era. His novels characteristically fuse Su ...

, '' A Man Was Going Down the Road'' (1973) * H. M. Hoover, ''The Dawn Palace: The Story of Medea'' (1988) *

Percival Everett Percival Leonard Everett II (born December 22, 1956) is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and Distinguished professor, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. He has described himself as "pathologicall ...

, ''For Her Dark Skin'' (1990) *

Kerry Greenwood Kerry Isabelle Greenwood (17 June 1954 – 26 March 2025) was an Australian author and lawyer. She wrote many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher, which was adapted a ...

, ''Medea: Book I'' in the ''Delphic Women Series'' (1997). *

Christa Wolf Christa Wolf (; Ihlenfeld; 18 March 1929 – 1 December 2011) was a German novelist and essayist. She is considered one of the most important writers to emerge from the former East Germany.an antagonist in Stuart Hill's '' The Icemark Chronicles'' trilogy. * In

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Jr. ( ; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million cop ...

's ''

The Lost Hero ''The Lost Hero'' is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 12, 2010, and is the first book in ''The Heroes of Olympus'' series, a sequel to the ''Percy Jacks ...

'' (2010), Medea, having been resurrected by vengeful goddess Gaea (Mother Earth), runs a department store in Chicago. She appears again in ''

The Burning Maze ''The Burning Maze'' is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 1, 2018, and is the third book in ''The Trials of Apollo'' series, the second spin-off of the ...

'' and is shown to work under

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

. * David Vann, ''Bright Air Black'' (2017) retells Medea's story in prose poetry from a third person perspective. *

Madeline Miller Madeline Miller (born July 24, 1978) is an American novelist, author of '' The Song of Achilles'' (2011) and ''Circe'' (2018). Miller spent ten years writing ''The Song of Achilles'' while she worked as a teacher of Latin and Greek. The novel tel ...

, ''

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

'' (2018) narrates Medea's visit to her aunt Circe to be cleansed for the killing of her brother. * Ben Morgan, ''Medea in Corinth'' (2018) is a sequence of poems and dramatic interludes which focus on Medea's religious encounter with Hecate. It includes a sonnet sequence composed of letters to Creusa, her love rival, illuminating their relationship. * Rosie Hewlett's ''Medea'' (2024) retells Medea's story in a captivating first-person perspective. * In 2024,

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

released the English version of ''Medea'', a Belgian graphic novel retelling written by Blandine Le Callet and illustrated by

Nancy Peña Nancy Peña may refer to: * Nancy Peña (handballer) * Nancy Peña (comics writer) {{hndis, Pena, Nancy ...

Theatre

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...

, ''

Médée ''Médée'' is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century Fr ...

'' (1635) *

Georg Anton Benda Georg Anton Benda (; 30 June 17226 November 1795) was a Bohemian composer, violinist and ''Kapellmeister'' of the classical period. Biography Born into a family of notable musicians in Old Benatek (today Benátky nad Jizerou), Bohemia, he st ...

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

, ''

'' (1775), based on a text by

Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter (3 September 1746 – 18 March 1797) was a German poet, dramatist, and opera librettist. Biography He was born at Gotha. He started out studying law, but early on was influenced to write for the theatre. After the compl ...

. *

Franz Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He ...

, ''Das goldene Vließ'' (en: ''The Golden Fleece'') (1822) *

Ernest Legouvé Gabriel Jean Baptiste Ernest Wilfrid Legouvé (; 14 February 180714 March 1903) was a French dramatist. Biography Son of the poet Gabriel-Marie Legouvé (1764–1812), he was born in Paris. His mother died in 1810, and almost immediately aft ...

, ''Médée'' (1856) *

Hans Henny Jahnn Hans Henny Jahnn (born Hans Henny August Jahn'';'' 17 December 1894 – 29 November 1959) was a German playwright, novelist, and organ-builder. Personal life Hans Henny Jahn was born in 1894 in Stellingen, one of Hamburg's suburbs, and was the s ...

, ''Medea'' (1926) * Peter Kien's ''Medea: An der Bose'' (en: On the Border), a play written while Kien was interned at the

Theresienstadt Ghetto Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination c ...

and never performed, having been hidden in

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

until after his death in 1944. * American composer

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

wrote his ''Medea'' ballet (later renamed ''The Cave of the Heart'') in 1947 for

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...

and derived from that '' Medea's Meditation & Dance of Vengeance'' Op. 23a in 1955. The

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

'' Blast!'' uses an arrangement of Barber's ''

'' as their end to Act I. *

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; ; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ...

's ''Médée'' (1946), which centers around Medea,

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...

, Creon, and Medea's nurse, and was premiered at Théâtre de l'Atelier in Paris on March 25, 1953. *

Robinson Jeffers John Robinson Jeffers (January 10, 1887 – January 20, 1962) was an American poet known for his work about the central California coast. Much of Jeffers' poetry was written in narrative and Epic poetry, epic form. However, he is also known f ...

' retelling, first performed in 1947. *

A. R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. Gurney is known for plays including ''The Dining Room'' (1982), '' Sweet Sue'' (1986/7), '' T ...

''s ''The Golden Fleece.'' *

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, econom ...

and Paulo Pontes' ''Gota d'Água'' (1975) *

Heiner Müller Heiner Müller (; 9 January 1929 – 30 December 1995) was a German (formerly East German) dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. His "enigmatic, fragmentary pieces" are a significant contribution to postmodern drama and postd ...

, ''Medeamaterial'' (1974) and the supplementary ''Medeaplay'' text (1983). * Chrysanthos Mentis Bostantzoglou (Bost)'s 1993 parody. *

Cherríe Moraga Cherríe Moraga (born September 25, 1952) is an influential Chicana feminist writer, activist, poet, essayist, and playwright. A prominent figure in Chicana literature and feminist theory, Moraga's work explores the intersections of gender, sex ...

'''s The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea'' (1995) combines classical

Greek myth Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancien ...

Medea with the Mexicana/o legend of

La Llorona (; ) is a vengeful ghost in Hispanic American folklore who is said to roam near bodies of water mourning her children whom she drowned in a jealous rage after discovering her husband was unfaithful to her. Whoever hears her crying either suffer ...

and the Aztec myth of

lunar deity A lunar deity or moon deity is a deity who represents the Moon, or an aspect of it. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related. Lunar deities and Moon worship can be foun ...

Coyolxauhqui. *

Marina Carr Marina Carr is an Irish playwright, known for '' By the Bog of Cats'' (1998). Early life and education Carr was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1964, but spent most of her childhood in Pallas Lake, County Offaly, adjacent to the town of Tulla ...

's ''

By the Bog of Cats ''By the Bog of Cats'' is a play by Marina Carr. ''By the Bog of Cats'' premiered at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in October 1998. A 2004 revival of the play in London's West End starred Hollywood actress Holly Hunter in the role of protagonist Hes ...

'' (1998) is loosely inspired by the Medea myth. *

Dea Loher Dea Loher (born 1964) is a German playwright and author. Biography Dea Loher was born Andrea Beate Loher in 1964 in Traunstein, Bavaria, Germany. She initially used the first name Dea as a pen name, but eventually changed her name officially to ...

's ''Manhattan Medea'', which premiered in 1999 in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

, is set in modern-day

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

; Medea and Jason are living as illegal immigrants, until Jason marries the daughter of a rich businessman, abandoning Medea and their child; the play takes place on their wedding night. *

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', '' Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and '' See W ...

scored ''

Marie Christine ''Marie Christine'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Michael John LaChiusa. It opened on Broadway in 1999. While loosely based on the Greek play ''Medea'', it is set in the 1890s, in New Orleans and Chicago, and draws heavily on the bi ...

'', a Broadway musical with heavy opera influence based on the story of Medea. The production premiered at the

Vivian Beaumont Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT ...

in December 1999 for a limited run under

Lincoln Center Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT ...

. LaChuisa's score and book were nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

in 2000, as was a tour-de-force performance by six-time Tony winner

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American singer and actress. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four acti ...

. *

Laurent Gaudé Laurent Gaudé (born demain, 6 July 1972) is a French writer. He studied theater and has written many dramatic works, among them ''Onysos le furieux, Cendres sur les mains, Médée Kali,'' and ''Le Tigre bleu de l'Euphrate''. Life Gaudé was b ...

, ''Médée Kali'' (2003), first performed at the

Théâtre du Rond-Point The Théâtre du Rond-Point () is a theatre in Paris, located at 2bis avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt, 8th arrondissement. History The theatre began with an 1838 project of architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff for a rotunda in the Champs Elysees. I ...

. * In 2012, Australian playwrights Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks retold the myth of Medea from her and Jason's doomed children's points of view. *

Helen McCrory Helen Elizabeth McCrory (17 August 1968 – 16 April 2021) was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her professional stage debut in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in 1990. Other theatre roles include play ...

played Medea in the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

's acclaimed production in 2014. * Hannah Shepherd-Hulford played Medea in the Lost Dog dance-theatre production of ''Ruination'' at the Royal Opera House in 2022.

Opera

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading op ...

, ''Giasone'' (1649) *

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

, '' Thésée'' (1674) *

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

, ''

'' (

tragédie en musique ''Tragédie en musique'' (, musical tragedy), also known as ''tragédie lyrique'' (, lyric tragedy), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas i ...

, 1693). Also staged at the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

David McVicar Sir David McVicar (born 1966) is a Scottish opera and theatre director. Biography McVicar was born in Glasgow in 1966. He studied as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 1989. In 2007, ''The Independent'' ra ...

(director) and

Sarah Connolly Dame Sarah Patricia Connolly (born 13 June 1963) is an English mezzo-soprano. Although best known for her baroque and classical roles, Connolly has a wide-ranging repertoire which has included works by Wagner as well as various 20th-century ...

(Médée) in 2013. *

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

, ''

Teseo ''Teseo'' ("Theseus", HWV 9; ) is an opera seria with music by George Frideric Handel, the only Handel opera that is in five acts. The Italian-language libretto was by Nicola Francesco Haym, after Philippe Quinault's '' Thésée''. It was Ha ...

'' (Theseus) (1713) *

Luigi Cherubini Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethov ...

, ''

'' (1797); it is Cherubini's best-known work, but better known by its Italian version, ''Medea''. A lost aria, which Cherubini apparently smudged out in spite more than 200 years ago, was revealed by x-ray scans. *

Simon Mayr Johann(es) Simon Mayr (also spelled Majer, Mayer, Maier), also known in Italian as Giovanni Simone Mayr or Simone Mayr (14 June 1763 – 2 December 1845), was a German composer. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the R ...

, '' Medea in Corinto'' (1813), composed to a libretto of Giuseppe Felice Romani, and premiered in Naples. *

Saverio Mercadante Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (baptised 17 September 179517 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. While Mercadante may not have retained the international celebrity of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti or Gioa ...

, ''Medea'' (1851), composed to a libretto by

Salvadore Cammarano Salvadore Cammarano (19 March 1801 – 17 July 1852) was an Italian librettist and playwright perhaps best known for writing the text of ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' (1835) for Gaetano Donizetti. For Donizetti he also contributed the libretti for ''L ...

. *

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

, ''Médée'' (1939), composed to a text by

Madeleine Milhaud Madeleine Milhaud Milhaud (22 March 1902 – 17 January 2008) was a French actress and librettist. She was both cousin to and wife of composer Darius Milhaud. Biography Madeleine Milhaud was born in Paris to Michel and Maria Milhaud. Her fath ...

. * Ray E. Luke'''s Medea'' won the 1979 Rockefeller Foundation/New England Conservatory Competition for Best New American Opera. *

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films '' Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' (1969), and '' Serpico'' (1973). He was a three-ti ...

, ''Medea'' (1991), premiered at the

Teatro Arriaga The Arriaga antzokia in Basque or Teatro Arriaga in Spanish is an opera house in Bilbao, Spain. It was built in Neo-baroque style by architect in 1890, the same architect that built the city hall. It is named after Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, ...

. This was the first in Theodorakis' trilogy of lyrical tragedies, the others being ''Electra'' and ''Antigone''. *

Chamber Made Chamber Made, formerly known as Chamber Made Opera, is an Australian arts organisation based in Melbourne, creating work operating at the intersections of music, sound and contemporary performance. Formed in 1988 by theatre director and libretti ...

, ''Medea'' (1993), composed by Gordon Kerry, with text by Justin Macdonnell, after Seneca. *

Oscar Strasnoy Oscar Strasnoy (born November 12, 1970) is a French-Argentine composer, conductor and pianist. Although primarily known for his stage works, the first of which ''Midea (2)'' premiered in Spoleto in 2000, his principal compositions also include t ...

, ''Midea (2)'' (2000), based on Irina Possamai's libretto, premiered at

Teatro Caio Melisso The ''Teatro Caio Melisso'' is an opera house located in Spoleto, Italy and it serves as the main venue for opera performances during the annual summer Festival dei Due Mondi. The theatre has undergone several transformations and name changes si ...

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. H ...

, Italy. It won the 2000 Orpheus Opera Award. * Aribert Reimann, ''

'' (2011), which premiered at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

, directed by

Marco Arturo Marelli Marco Arturo Marelli (born 21 August 1949) is a Swiss set designer and stage director who has worked at European opera houses for opera and ballet. He designed sets for ballets by John Neumeier, and for premieres of the operas ''Thomas Chatterton' ...

, with

Marlis Petersen Marlis Petersen (born 3 February 1968) is a German operatic coloratura soprano. Career Born in Sindelfingen, Baden-Württemberg, on 3 February 1968, Marlis Petersen won several piano competitions before eventually going to the Stuttgart Conserv ...

in the title role.

Art

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...

, ''Médée furieuse'', 1862, Paris, musée du Louvre. *

Victor Mottez Victor-Louis Mottez (13 February 1809 – 7 June 1897) was a French fresco painter, painter and portraitist. Life He was born in Lille. His father was passionate about art and was himself a painter. Sent to Paris with a pension for some years, V ...

, ''Médée'', 1865, château de Blois, musée des Beaux-Arts. * Aimé Nicolas Morot, ''Médée'', 1876, Bar-le-Duc, musée barrois. *

Alfons Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist. Living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, he was widely known for his distinctly stylized ...

, poster for ''Médée'' at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, 1898, Paris, musée des Arts Décoratifs. *

Frederick Sandys Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys (born Antonio Frederic Augustus Sands; 1 May 1829 – 25 June 1904), usually known as Frederick Sandys, was a British painter, illustrator, and draughtsman, associated with the Pre-Raphaelites. He was also asso ...

, ''

'', 1868, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. *

Anselm Feuerbach Anselm Feuerbach (12 September 1829 – 4 January 1880) was a German Painting, painter. He was the leading neoclassicism, neoclassical painter of the German 19th-century school. Biography Early life Feuerbach was born at Speyer, the son of ...

, ''Medea'', 1870, Munich, Neue Pinakothek. *

, ''Medea mit dem Dolche'', 1895, Kunsthalle Mannheim. *

Valentine Cameron Prinsep Valentine Cameron Prinsep (14 February 1838 – 4 November 1904) was a British painter of the Pre-Raphaelite school. Early life Born in Calcutta, India, he was the second child of Henry Thoby Prinsep, a civil servant of the British Raj, and hi ...

, ''Medea the Sorceress'', 1880, London, Southwark Heritage Centre. *

Evelyn de Morgan Evelyn De Morgan (30 August 1855 – 2 May 1919) was an English painter associated early in her career with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite Movement, and working in a range of styles including Aestheticism and Symbolism. Her paintings are ...

, ''Medea'', 1889, Williamson Art Gallery and Museum. *

John William Waterhouse John William Waterhouse (baptised 6 April 184910 February 1917) was an English painter known for working first in the Academic style and for then embracing the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. His paintings are known for ...

depicted Jason and Medea in

Jason and Medea (painting) ''Jason and Medea'' is an oil painting in the Pre-Raphaelite style created by John William Waterhouse in 1907. The painting depicts the Colchian princess, Medea, preparing a magic potion for Jason to enable him to complete the tasks set for him ...

. * Thomas Satterwhite depicted Margaret Garner, an enslaved woman who killed two of her children to spare them from slavery, in ''The Modern Medea''.

Music

* Louis-Nicholas Clerambault, ''Médée'' (1710), cantata for soprano, violin and continuo, 1710) *

Antonio Caldara Antonio Caldara ( – 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Caldara was born in Venice (exact date unknown), the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark's in Venice, where he learned several instruments, probab ...

, ''Medea in Corinto'' (1711), cantata for alto, 2 violins and basso continuo, 1711) *

Jacob Druckman Jacob Raphael Druckman (June 26, 1928 – May 24, 1996) was an American composer born in Philadelphia. Life A graduate of the Juilliard School in 1956, Druckman studied with Vincent Persichetti, Peter Mennin, and Bernard Wagenaar. In 1949 an ...

's orchestral work, ''Prism'' (1980), is based on three different renderings of the Medea myth by Charpentier, Cavalli, and Cherubini. Each movement incorporates material and quotations from the music of Druckman's three predecessors. At the time of his death, Druckman was writing a large-scale grand opera on the Medea myth commissioned by the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

. *

Insomnium Insomnium is a Finnish melodic death metal band formed in Joensuu in 1997. The sound and lyrical themes of their music portray darkness, sorrow, loss, pain, and nature. Their music includes elements of progressive metal, black metal, folk meta ...

, ''Medeia'', song, released on the Finnish death metal band's album '' In the Halls of Awaiting'' (2002). *

Vienna Teng Cynthia Yih Shih (born October 3, 1978), better known by her stage name Vienna Teng, is an American pianist and singer-songwriter who lives in Washington, DC. Teng has released five studio albums: '' Waking Hour'' (2002), ''Warm Strangers'' (200 ...

, ''My Medea'', song, from the album ''

Warm Strangers ''Warm Strangers'' is singer-songwriter Vienna Teng's second album. Track listing #Feather Moon – 4:06 #Harbor – 4:24 #Hope on Fire – 4:26 #Shine – 2:39 #Mission Street – 4:32 #My Medea – 4:09 #Shasta (Carrie's Song) – 3:29 #Hom ...

'' (2004). * The Hanslick Rebellion,
Medea my Mistress
', song, from the album
the rebellion is here
' (2005). *

Spinvis Spinvis is a Dutch one-man music project centred on Erik de Jong (born 2 February 1961). Using experimental lo-fi music, de Jong released his debut album as Spinvis in 2002 at the age of 41. He has recorded five top-ten albums in the Netherlan ...

, ''Medea'', from the album ''Goochelaars & Geesten'' (2007). * The Showdown, ''Medea - One Foot In Hell,'' song, from their album ''Back Breaker'' (2008). *

Dietmar Bonnen Dietmar Bonnen (born 27 July 1958 in Cologne, Germany) is a German composer and pianist. Life Dietmar Bonnen studied music and fine arts in Cologne and Düsseldorf. In 1981 he founded the avantgarde-rock ensemble Fleisch, with whom he recorded s ...

, ''Medea'', instrumental chamber music piece (2008). *

Kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

, ''Medea'', on '' Coming Up For Air (Kayak album), Coming Up For Air'' (2008)''.'' * Rockettothesky (

Jenny Hval Jenny Hval ( , born 11 July 1980) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter, record producer, and novelist. She has released nine solo albums, two under the alias Rockettothesky and seven under her own name. In 2015, Hval released her fifth studio album, ...

), ''Medea,'' album (). * Mauro Lanza (music) and Angelin Prelijocaj (choreography), ''Le Songe De Médée'', a ballet for the

Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

and featured in the film La Danse. * Battleroar, ''The Curse of Medea,'' from ''Blood of Legends'' (2014). * Ex Libris, ''Medea'', album (2014), a concept album which tells the tragic story of Medea. *

Eleni Karaindrou Eleni Karaindrou (; born 25 November 1941) is a Greek composer. She is best known for scoring the films of the Greek director Theo Angelopoulos. Biography Karaindrou moved with her family to Athens when she was eight years old, and she studied ...

, ''Medea'' (2014,

ECM ECM may refer to the following: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Lenstra's Elliptic curve method for factor ...

), composition for

lavta The lavta is a plucked string music instrument from Istanbul. Description The Politiko Laouto has a small body made of many ribs made using carvel bending technique. Its appearance is somewhat like a small (Turkish) oud - the strings are mad ...

ney The ney ( ; ) is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in traditional Persian, Turkish, Jewish, Arab, and Egyptian music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played for over 4,500 ye ...

, clarinets, violoncello,

santouri The santur ( ; ) is a hammered dulcimer of Iranian origin.--- Rashid, Subhi Anwar (1989). ''Al-ʼĀlāt al-musīqīyya al-muṣāhiba lil-Maqām al-ʻIrāqī''. Baghdad: Matbaʻat al-ʻUmmāl al-Markazīyya. History The santur was invented ...

bendir The bendir (, ; : , ) is a wooden-framed frame drum of North Africa and West Asia, Southwest Asia. The bendir is a traditional instrument that is played throughout North Africa, as well as in Sufism, Sufi ceremonies; it was played, too, in Ancie ...

, and choir

Cinema and television

* '' Jason and the Argonauts'' (movie, 1963), starring

Nancy Kovack Nancy Kovack (born March 11, 1935) is a retired American film and television actress. Early years Nancy Kovack was born in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Michael A. Kovack, was the manager of a General Motors plant. Career After working as a mo ...

as Medea. Medea is a temple dancer who Jason saves after her ship sinks, causing her to help him. * ''Medea (movie, 1969)'', dir.

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

, starring Maria Callas. * '' A Dream of Passion'' (movie, 1978), starring

Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a prominent political family for multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a F ...

as Maya, an actress who is portraying Medea and seeks out Brenda Collins (

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy A ...

), a mother who recently murdered her children. * '' Medea (movie, 1988)'', dir.

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...

, filmed for Danish television using a pre-existing script by filmmaker

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, his movies are noted for emotional austerity ...

. Cast included

Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, he has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He has ...

, Kirsten Olesen, Henning Jensen, and Mette Munk Plum. * ''

Highway to Hell ''Highway to Hell'' is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979, by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the first of three albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and is the last albu ...

'' (movie, 1992), starring

Anne Meara Anne Meara (September 20, 1929 – May 23, 2015) was an American comedian and actress. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara. Their son is actor, director, and producer Ben S ...

. * '' Jason and the Argonauts'' (miniseries, 2000), starring

Jolene Blalock Jolene Blalock ( ; born March 5, 1975) is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing the Vulcan first officer and science officer T'Pol on the science-fiction series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Her other work includes guest-st ...

and presented by

Hallmark A hallmark is an official Mark (sign), mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''Wikti ...

. * In the 2002 biopic of Mexican artist

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

, Diego Rivera's previous wife Lupe Marín (played by Valeria Golino) and Frida Kahlo (played by

Salma Hayek Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...

) talk of Lupe's response to Diego's infidelity. In response, Frida points a knife in a non-threatening gesture at Lupe, and calls her "Medea". * ''Medea'' (miniseries, 2005), dir. Theo van Gogh, an adaptation placing Medea in dutch politics. * '' Médée Miracle'' (movie, 2007), dir.

Tonino De Bernardi Tonino De Bernardi (born 24 August 1937) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Chivasso near Turin, after graduating in literature with Massimo Mila, with a thesis on neoclassical Stravinsky, Tonino De Bernard ...

, starring

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Known for her portrayals of cold, austere women devoid of morality, she is considered one of the greatest actresses of her generation. With 16 nominations and two win ...

as Medea; a modern version of the myth set in Paris. The character of Medea lives in Paris with Jason, who leaves her. * ''Medeya'' (2009), dir. Natalia Kuznetsova, a pioneer of a genre styled by the director as "Rhythmodrama". * ''

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

'' (TV series, 2013), featuring

Amy Manson Amy Manson (born 9 September 1985) is a Scottish actress. She has portrayed Alice Guppy in ''Torchwood'', Abby Evans in ''Casualty'', Lizzie Siddal in ''Desperate Romantics'', Daisy Hannigan-Spiteri in '' Being Human'', Medea in ''Atlantis'', ...

as Medea. * ''

Olympus Olympus or Olympos () may refer to: Mountains In antiquity Greece * Mount Olympus in Thessaly, northern Greece, the home of the twelve gods of Olympus in Greek mythology * Mount Olympus (Lesvos), located in Lesbos * Mount Olympus (Euboea) ...

'' (TV series, 2015), featuring Sonita Henry as Medea. * The 2015 television series ''

Doctor Foster Doctor Foster may refer to: * "Doctor Foster" (nursery rhyme), an English nursery rhyme * ''Doctor Foster'' (TV series), a British television drama * Dr Foster Intelligence Dr Foster Intelligence is a provider of healthcare information in the U ...

'' was inspired by the myth of Medea. * Between June and August 2016, the Cuban Broadcasting Radio Progreso presented the 60 chapters series ''The Mark of Medea'' written by Orelvis Linares and directed by Alfredo Fuentes. In the series, two women, played by the actresses Arlety Roquefuentes and Rita Bedias, commit crimes inspired by the myth of Medea. This first of them castrates her lover in revenge by his treason. The second one drowns her own four-year-old daughter in a pond because the baby disturbed her plans of living with her lover.

Video games

Liquid Entertainment Liquid Entertainment was an American independent video game developer based in Pasadena, California. The studio was founded in April 1999 by Ed Del Castillo and Mike Grayford. History Liquid Entertainment was founded in April 1999 by Ed Del ...

's 2008 video game ''

Rise of the Argonauts ''Rise of the Argonauts'' is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Liquid Entertainment and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Although very much at variance with the story of Jason in the origin ...

'' portrays Medea as a dark sorceress and a defector from a cult of

Hecate Hecate ( ; ) is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, or snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. She is variously associat ...

-worshiping assassins. * In the 2004

visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...

as well as the

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

adaptations of ''

Fate/stay night ''Fate/stay night'' is a Japanese visual novel game developed by Type-Moon. It was first released for Microsoft Windows, Windows on January 30, 2004. The story takes place over three distinct routes: ''Fate'', ''Unlimited Blade Works'' ...

'', Medea appears as a relatively major character under the title of Caster. She can also be summoned as Servant Caster in the mobile game ''

Fate/Grand Order is a free-to-play Japanese gacha game, gacha mobile game, developed by Lasengle (formerly Delightworks) using Unity (game engine), Unity, and published by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The game is based on Type-Moon' ...

'' in two variants: as an adult who experienced Jason's betrayal already and as a young teen in the time of her just meeting Jason called "Medea Lily". In the stories of Fuyuki, Older Medea has become an antagonist, while in the Okeanos storyline, where her younger self lies with Jason in the ship, Argo, she is both the protagonist and the antagonist. * The

Persona A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public, the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. It is also considered "an intermediary ...

of Chidori Yoshino in ''

Persona 3 is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus that is the fourth main installment in the ''Persona (series), Persona'' series, which is part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in ...

'' (2006) and its rereleases (''FES'', ''Portable'' and '' Reload'') is portrayed with the skull of a ram and curly yellow hair, most likely representing her involvement in the story of the golden fleece. * In the game, ''

Hades II ''Hades II'' is an upcoming roguelike action role-playing game video game developed and published by Supergiant Games, serving as a sequel to ''Hades'' (2020), making it their first project as a sequel. It was announced in December 2022 and was ...

'' (the sequel to ''

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

''), "Lady

", a fellow sorceress of the

Protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

Melinoë Melinoë (; ) is a chthonic goddess invoked in one of the '' Orphic Hymns'' (2nd or 3rd centuries AD?), and represented as a bringer of nightmares and madness. In the hymn, Melinoë has characteristics that seem similar to Hecate and the Erinye ...

, is the 'Helpful-Hand' character, for "Ephyra" the 1st Surface Biome, having been stationed up there prior by Lady Hecate to be her eyes and ears there.

References

{{reflist Classical mythology in popular culture Medea