The Medieval Medea

The legends of Jason and Medea illustrate how disparate and sometimes contradictory stories were combined in the creation of the first secular princely quest, how that quest functioned as a benchmark of western chronology, and how that in turn assured the stories' position as part of the legends of Troy. The innovations of Euripides and Apollonius were imitated throughout Antiquity, and examples of murderous mothers illustrated the lethal disruptions of which women could be capable. For many medieval authors Dante, Chaucer, Boccaccio, Gower, Christine de Pizan and others the problem of a hero who betrays his oath and a heroine who murders and escapes offered insoluble and tragic subjects. This study discusses how the legends contribute not only to ideas of history, but also to conceptions of the power and ruthlessness of women. RUTH MORSE is Professeur des Universites at UniversiteParis VII.