Médée

For other uses, see Medea (disambiguation).
Médée
Written byPierre Corneille
CharactersMédée
Créon (king of Corinth)
Ægée
Jason
Pollux
Créuse
SettingCorinth

Médée is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Pierre Corneille, first performed in 1635 at the Théâtre du Marais.[1] Corneille was inspired by both the Seneca and Euripedes tellings.[2]

Summary

The heroine of the play is the sorceress Médée. After Médée gives Jason twin boys, Jason leaves her for Creusa. Médée exacts her revenge on her husband by burning his new spouse and slitting the throats of her two children. The final act of the play ends with Médée's escape in a chariot pulled by two dragons, and Jason's suicide.[3]

In Pierre Corneille's career

Médée was Corneille's first tragedy. Furthermore, the performances of Médée followed Corneille's expulsion from Richelieu's prestigious group of five authors. The playwright no longer had the protection of Richelieu, who, resentful, greeted Corneille's first tragedy with disapproval.[1] During its installation, the play's reception was lukewarm, leading to only eight productions by the end of the 188th century.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Pierre Corneille (2013-08-21). Médée (in French). Internet Archive. Larousse. ISBN 978-2-03-589299-7.
  2. ^ a b "Didaskalia - The Journal for Ancient Performance". www.didaskalia.net. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  3. ^ Wiley, W. L. (1964). "Corneille's First Tragedy: "Médée" and the Baroque". L'Esprit Créateur. 4 (3): 135–148. ISSN 0014-0767.