Euripides summary. Tragedies of Euripides

other Greek Εὐριπίδης. Ἱππόλυτος
Summary of the tragedy
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Theseus ruled in ancient Athens. Like Hercules, he had two fathers - the earthly one, King Aegeus, and the heavenly one, the god Poseidon. He accomplished his main feat on the island of Crete: he killed the monstrous Minotaur in the labyrinth and freed Athens from tribute to him. The Cretan princess Ariadne was his assistant: she gave him a thread, following which he left the labyrinth. He promised to take Ariadne as his wife, but the god Dionysus demanded her for himself, and for this the goddess of love Aphrodite hated Theseus.

The second wife of Theseus was an Amazon warrior; she died in battle, and Theseus left her son Hippolytus. The son of an Amazon, he was not considered legal and was not brought up in Athens, but in the neighboring city of Troezen. The Amazons didn't want to know men - Hippolytus didn't want to know women. He called himself a servant of the virgin hunting goddess Artemis, initiated into the underground mysteries, which the singer Orpheus told people about: a person must be clean, and then he will find bliss behind the grave. And for this, the goddess of love Aphrodite also hated him.

The third wife of Theseus was Phaedra, also from Crete, the younger sister of Ariadne. Theseus took her as his wife in order to have legitimate children-heirs. And here begins the revenge of Aphrodite. Phaedra saw her stepson Hippolytus and fell in love with him with mortal love. At first, she overcame her passion: Hippolyte was not around, he was in Troezen. But it so happened that Theseus killed the relatives who had rebelled against him and had to go into exile for a year; together with Phaedra, he moved to the same Troezen. Here the stepmother's love for her stepson flared up again; Phaedra went mad from her, fell ill, fell ill, and no one could understand what was happening to the queen. Theseus went to the oracle; in his absence, tragedy struck.

Actually, Euripides wrote two tragedies about this. The first one has not survived. In it, Phaedra herself revealed herself in love to Hippolytus, Hippolytus rejected her in horror, and then Phaedra slandered Hippolytus to the returned Theseus: as if this stepson had fallen in love with her and wanted to dishonor her. Hippolyte died, but the truth was revealed, and only then Phaedra decided to commit suicide. This story is best remembered by posterity. But the Athenians did not like him: Phaedra turned out to be too shameless and evil here. Then Euripides composed a second tragedy about Hippolyte - and it is before us.

The tragedy begins with Aphrodite's monologue: the gods punish the proud, and she will punish the proud Hippolytus, who abhors love. Here he is, Hippolyte, with a song in honor of the virgin Artemis on his lips: he is joyful and does not know that punishment will fall on him today. Aphrodite disappears, Hippolyte comes out with a wreath in his hands and dedicates it to Artemis - "pure from pure." "Why don't you honor Aphrodite too?" - asks his old slave. “I do, but from afar: the night gods are not to my liking,” Hippolyte replies. He leaves, and the slave prays for him to Aphrodite: "Forgive his youthful arrogance: that's why you gods are wise to forgive." But Aphrodite will not forgive.

The choir of Troesen women enters: they have heard a rumor that Queen Phaedra is sick and delirious. From what? Wrath of the gods, evil jealousy, bad news? Phaedra, tossing about on her bed, is carried out to meet them, with her old nurse. Phaedra raves: “I would like to hunt in the mountains! to the flower Artemidin meadow! to the coastal horse races" - all these are Hippolytus' places. The nurse persuades: “Wake up, open up, pity if not yourself, then the children: if you die, they will not reign, but Hippolytus.” Phaedra shudders, "Don't say that name!" Word for word: “the cause of the disease is love”; "the reason for love is Hippolyte"; "There is only one salvation - death." The nurse opposes: “Love is the universal law; resisting love is fruitless pride; and there is a cure for every disease.” Phaedra understands this word literally: maybe the nurse knows some kind of healing potion? Nurse leaves; the choir sings: “Oh, let Eros blow me!”

From behind the stage - noise: Phaedra hears the voices of the nurse and Hippolytus. No, it was not about the potion, it was about Hippolyte's love: the nurse revealed everything to him - and in vain. Here they go on stage, he is indignant, she prays for one thing: “Just don’t say a word to anyone, you swore!” “My tongue swore, my soul had nothing to do with it,” Hippolyte replies. He pronounces a cruel denunciation of women: “Oh, if only you could continue your race without women! A husband spends money on a wedding, a husband takes in-laws, a stupid wife is difficult, a smart wife is dangerous - I will keep my oath of silence, but I curse you! He's leaving; Phaedra in desperation stigmatizes the nurse: “Damn you! by death I wanted to be saved from dishonor; Now I see that even death cannot save us from it. There is only one thing left, the last resort, ”and she leaves without naming him. This remedy is to blame Hippolytus before his father. The choir sings: “This world is terrible! run away from him, run away!”

From behind the scene - crying: Phaedra in the noose, Phaedra died! There is anxiety on the stage: Theseus appears, he is horrified by an unexpected disaster. The palace swings open, a general cry begins over the body of Phaedra, But why did she commit suicide? In her hand are writing boards; Theseus reads them, and his horror is even greater. It turns out that it was Hippolyte, the criminal stepson, who encroached on her bed, and she, unable to bear the dishonor, laid hands on herself. "Father Poseidon! Theseus exclaims. “You once promised me to fulfill my three wishes, - here is the last of them: punish Hippolytus, let him not survive this day!”

Hippolyte appears; he is also struck by the sight of the dead Phaedra, but even more so by the reproaches that his father brings down on him. “Oh, why can’t we recognize lies by sound! Theseus screams. - Sons are more deceitful than fathers, and grandsons are more deceitful than sons; soon there will be no place on earth for criminals.” Lies are your holiness, lies are your purity, and here is your accuser. Get out of my sight - go into exile! "-" Gods and people know - I have always been clean; Here is my oath to you, but I am silent about other excuses, - Hippolytus replies. - Neither lust pushed me to Phaedra the stepmother, nor vanity - to Phaedra the queen. I see: the wrong one came out clean from the case, but the truth did not save the clean. Execute me if you want." - "No, death would be a favor to you - go into exile!" “Sorry, Artemis, sorry, Troezen, sorry, Athens! you have never had a purer heart than me.” Hippolyte exits; the choir sings: “Fate is changeable, life is terrible; God forbid I know the cruel laws of the world!”

The curse comes true: a messenger arrives. Hippolyte in a chariot left Troezen along a path between the rocks and the seashore. “I don’t want to live as a criminal,” he called out to the gods, “but I just want my father to know that he is wrong, and I am right, alive or dead.” Then the sea roared, a wave rose above the horizon, a monster arose from the shaft, like a sea bull; the horses shied away and carried away, the chariot hit the rocks, the young man was dragged over the rocks. The dying man is carried back to the palace. “I am his father, and I am dishonored by him,” says Theseus, “let him expect neither sympathy nor joy from me.”

And here above the stage is Artemis, the goddess Hippolyta. "He's right, you're wrong," she says. - Phaedra was not right either, but she was driven by the evil Aphrodite. Cry, king; I share your grief with you." Hippolyte is brought in on a stretcher, he groans and begs to finish him off; Whose sins is he paying for? Artemis leans over him from a height: “This is the wrath of Aphrodite, it was she who killed Phaedra, and Phaedra Hippolyta, and Hippolytus leaves Theseus inconsolable: three victims, one more unfortunate than the other. Oh, what a pity that the gods are not paid for the fate of people! There will be grief for Aphrodite - she also has a favorite hunter Adonis, and he will fall from my, Artemis, arrow. And you, Hippolyte, will be eternally remembered in Troezen, and every girl before marriage will sacrifice a strand of hair to you. Hippolyte dies, having forgiven his father; the chorus ends the tragedy with the words: “Tears will flow for him - / If fate overthrew the great husband - / His death is unforgettable forever!”

Genre of the work: tragedy

Year of writing: 431 BC

Place and time of action: the action takes place in Corinth, where Jason stopped. The story of Medea is part of the myth about the campaign of the Argonauts.

Main heroes:

Medea is a sorceress who fell in love with Jason and helped him throughout the journey.

Jason - the hero of Greek myths, the head of the campaign of the Argonauts. I decided to leave Medea for the sake of the Corinthian princess.

The action begins with the lamentations of the nurse, pitying poor Medea: all the way the sorceress helped Jason and saved him from death, and now, having found refuge in Corinth, Jason decided to leave Medea to marry the daughter of the Corinthian king. The nurse is afraid for the children of Jason and Medea and expects that the sorceress can be terrible in anger. The uncle, looking after the boys, returns with them from a walk and tells the nurse the terrible news - he heard that the Corinthian king wants to drive Medea along with the children. The nurse is horrified and tries to keep the children away from their mother, fearing that she might take out her grief on them.

Moans and curses of the sobbing Medea are heard. Medea goes out to the choir of the Corinthians and cries out her grief, talks about how hard the lot of women is and how lonely she is, reports her resentment towards her husband and her intention to take revenge. King Creon of Corinth comes to the house, informing Medea that he is expelling her and her children from his kingdom. Medea cries and begs to give her at least a day to decide where to go. The king reluctantly agrees. As Creon leaves, Medea begins to plot revenge. Jason arrives, angry at Medea's coldness towards him. Medea blames him for her misfortune and asks him to remember how much she did for him. However, Jason does not feel gratitude towards her, in his opinion, she has already been sufficiently rewarded for her labors. Jason tries to convince his wife that his new marriage will help their children, to which Medea replies that they cannot get happiness through such a shame. The conversation ends in a fight. Aegeus comes to Medea, dejected by his childlessness. Medea promises him that he will not die childless, and in return asks for asylum for her. Egey easily agrees. He himself condemns Jason, and the words of Medea about children finally convince him. Medea rejoices, her plan matures completely: she wants to beg Jason to leave her sons in Corinth, so that through them they can pass poisoned gifts to the bride, and then kill them themselves. The choir of slaves is trying to convince Medea to take pity on at least innocent children, but the sorceress is adamant. When Jason arrives, she pretends to be resigned and persuades him to beg the Corinthian king not to send the children out of the city. She offers to appease the royal family of Corinth with gifts and hands over her peplos and diadem, asking her sons to bring gifts to the princess. The sons return, Medea hugs them, realizing that she is not yet able to fulfill her plan. She asks the children to run away from her. A messenger comes and reports that both the king and the princess died from the poison of Medea. The news fills the sorceress with determination, and she leaves to kill her sons. Jason returns, wanting to find the culprit, he is informed that his children are dead. On a chariot harnessed by winged dragons, Medea appears with the bodies of her children. Jason curses her and cries for the children, asking her to touch them at least once. Medea refuses, saying that his actions ruined them. Medea disappears, Jason falls to the ground crying.

The play participated in the competition at the Great Dionysia in 431. BC, where she took the last, third place. The second place was given to the work of Sophocles, the first - to Euphorion.

According to the ancient Greek myth, Medea did not kill her children, it was done by the angry Corinthians, who tore the innocent inside the sacred temple, for which they had to make atoning sacrifices. It is believed that this change was made to the plot because of the bribe that the Corinthians offered to Euripides.

Brief information:

Euripides (also Euripides, 480, Salamis - 406 BC) is a Greek poet, considered (together with Aeschylus and Sophocles) one of the pillars of Greek drama, a representative of the new Attic tragedy, in which psychology prevails over the idea of divine fate.
The outlook of Euripides, in comparison with the other two great playwrights: E. does not idealize his characters. Sophocles portrays people as they should be portrayed, and Euripides as they really are. In Euripides, the heroes in traditional myths turn into ordinary people. The Athenians understood the characters of Euripides, because. he portrayed his contemporaries in tragedies.
The reason for the unhappiness of people according to Aeschylus: this is the punishment for sin. According to Sophocles: the combination of human pride with stubbornness and their clash with an accident (moreover, the gods "sanction" what is happening, they do not adjust it). According to Euripides: ignorance and stupidity of the people themselves, their vices. Euripides' look is sad, but not cynical. The gods do not interfere in people's lives, they themselves are responsible for everything good and bad in their lives.
Euripides was occupied with the dynamics of passion and feeling. The female image, Euripides believed, provides more material. Women live naturally and sincerely.
The image of the struggle of feelings and internal discord is something new that Euripides introduced into Attic tragedy. Along with this - numerous arguments about the family, marriage, fatherhood, about the fatality of passions.

"Medea", summary (431 BC):
Medea, the sorceress princess, the daughter of the king in Colchis, saved the hero Jason when he and his friends were mining the sacred golden fleece. Medea gave Jason magical potions, thanks to the cat. Jason plowed arable land on fire-breathing bulls, helped put the dragon guard to sleep. When Jason and Medea, who fell in love with each other, set sail from Colchis, Medea killed her brother and scattered pieces of his body along the shore in order to detain the Colchian pursuers. When they returned to Iolk, Medea, in order to save Jason from the deceit of Pelias (Jason's elder relative who seized power), persuaded the daughters of Pelias to slaughter their old father, promising to resurrect him young after that. Medea reneged on her promise, and the parricide daughters fled into exile. However, the people rebelled against the foreign sorceress, and Jason, Medea and two young sons fled to Corinth. The old Corinthian king offered him his daughter and kingdom as his wife, so that he could divorce the witch. Jason accepted the offer: after all, a new marriage would ensure the safety of Medea, their children, and Jason himself. On a solar chariot sent to her by her grandfather, the god of the Sun, harnessed by dragons, Medea fled to Athens, and ordered her children to give her stepmother a “wedding gift” - a cloak and a bandage that were soaked in poison: she manages to kill the princess. She then kills her own children as well. Jason vainly prays to Zeus, but Medea's revenge has already come true.
"Hippolytus", summary (431 BC):
The son of Theseus from the Amazon, Hippolyta, wants to punish Aphrodite for pride and contempt for love. Hippolytus is devoted to fasting to Artemis, the patroness of hunting, he comes out with a wreath in his hands and dedicates it to Artemis - "pure from pure." To destroy the young man, Aphrodite makes Phaedra, Theseus' wife and stepmother Hippolytus, fall in love with him. Phaedra is sick and delirious. The old nurse of Phaedra, wanting to save her, initiates Hippolytus into the secret, he listens to her story with horror and confesses: “Oh, if only it were possible to continue your race without women! A husband spends money on a wedding, a husband takes in-laws, a stupid wife is difficult, a smart wife is dangerous - I will keep the oath of silence, but I curse you! Phaedra commits suicide, but resentment prompts her to leave a note in which she accuses Hippolytus of encroaching on her honor. Theseus finds this message and asks Poseidon to fulfill his third wish: to send his son into exile. Hippolyte tries to convince his father of his innocence, but in vain. The curse comes true when Hippolytus rides a chariot between the rocks and the seashore. The dying young man is brought back to Athens, Artemis appears in the epilogue and reveals the truth, but too late: Hippolytus dies, forgiving his father, and Athena proclaims eternal memory to Hippolytus: before marriage, every girl will have to sacrifice a strand of hair to him.

"Electra" summary:
Elektra was given by her parents Aegisthus and Clytemnestra to marry a poor Mycenaean plowman. but this marriage remains a fictitious one, because the peasant is conscious that he did not rightfully receive Electra. Electra goes to fetch water and meets Orestes at the spring, who, together with Pylades, secretly arrived in Argos and, from a conversation between Electra and the choir, recognized her as her sister. Elektra is frightened at first, then she recognizes her brother in him from the scar and from the evidence of Aegisthus. A revenge plan is drawn up, and Orestes is confused, not knowing how to deal with Aegisthus and his mother at the same time. Elektra offers her help in relation to the mother, she makes a plan herself. She must lure Clytemnestra into the house on the pretext of having her first child. Before the arrival of Clytemnestra, Orestes is horrified and doubtful, he is completely ready to abandon the idea of \u200b\u200bkilling her, and only the perseverance and inflexibility of Elektra returns him to the original plan. Elektra meets Clytemnestra full of hatred and reproaches with a speech and escorts her to the house where she is killed by Orestes. Immediately after the murder of the mother, the brother and sister raise a cry about what they have done, and Elektra takes all the blame.

"Iphigenia in Aulis", summary:
At the very beginning of the action, Agamemnon is talking to his faithful old slave. Agamemnos doubts whether to lead the army to victory and propitiate Artemis or save his daughter, who was intended to be sacrificed to the goddess. Agamemnon sent an order to Argos to bring Iphigenia to Aulis (as if for a wedding with Achilles), then writes a letter canceling this order and sends the old man on his way. But when leaving the camp he meets King Menelaus; who took away the secret letter. He reproaches Agamemnon for betraying the army. The brothers are arguing, but Clytemnestra and Iphigenia have already arrived. Agamemnon fails to convince Clytemnestra to leave for Argos, leaving her daughter with her father. Clytemnestra and welcomes Achilles as a future son-in-law. Achilles is at a loss, then the old slave reveals to them all the deception.
Knetimnestra and Iphigenia fail to convince Agamemnon to change his mind. The warriors demand the princess as a sacrifice, but Achilles is ready to fight against everyone. But Iphigenea decides to voluntarily go to death for the sake of the fate of her homeland.

"Bacchantes", summary;
The Theban king Pentheus and his mother Agave do not believe in the divine origin of Dionysus, they say that the mother of Dionysus suffered from a mere mortal, but she invented about Zeus. And in general they are against the cult of Dionysus. They don't like the fact that women break loose en masse in bacchanalia several times a year. Pentheus grabs Dionysus, disguised as a wanderer, ties him up and locks him in a barn.

Dionysus is offended: mortals have raised their voice against God! To begin with, he organizes a small earthquake, destroys the palace of Pentheus, deprives Agave of her mind, makes her his passionate follower, obsessed with a maenad, sends her to the mountains with a crowd of other distraught women, plunges her into an abyss of revelry and orgies. The distraught mother, being under the spell sent to her by Dionysus, kills Pentheus, her own son, tears him to pieces and returns to the city with his head impaled on the thyrsus - the rod of Dionysus. Agave, stupefied by Dionysus, thinks that she has attacked a lion, and considers her son's head to be a lion's head. She terrifies the townspeople. Dionysus gives the mother to come to her senses and understand the horror of what happened. This is followed by the lamentation of Agave: Agave conquers her religious fear and, with weeping, kisses separate pieces of Pentheus' body. Dionysus turns Agave's father into a dragon, his old wife into a snake, and Agave and his sisters, with whose hands he tore Pentheus to pieces, he sends into exile.

Once Theseus lived in Athens, he was a hero, he accomplished many feats, even killed a monster. The king was supposed to marry the princess, who somehow helped him, but he gave her as a wife to God. Aphrodite was angry with the king.

After that, Theseus married an Amazon. She died, leaving the king's son Hippolytus. He promised himself not to fall in love with women, so Aphrodite hated him.

Then Theseus married Phaedra. She fell in love with her husband's son. Theseus had to go away for a long time. Phaedra was in the same city with her stepson. Her love was so strong that Phaedra fell ill and hardly left the house. She was delirious. She had a nurse with her. Phaedra was sure that only death could save her. The persuasions and consolations of the nurse had no effect on the princess.

The nurse has gone. She revealed to Hippolyte the secret of Theseus' wife. He was horrified. He cursed all women on earth.

Theseus' wife was angry with her nurse. She wanted to die without losing honor. But she didn't succeed.

Phaedra committed suicide, she hanged herself. Theseus returned to his homeland. He was shocked and upset when he saw the corpse of his wife. She left a note saying that Hippolyte molested her. And she couldn't bear it. Theseus begged Poseidon to take revenge on his son.

The king scolded Hippolytus. The young man did not expect to see the corpse of his stepmother. The father drove the son away. Hippolytus tried to justify himself, but Theseus refused to listen to him, deciding that his son was lying.

Hippolyte did not want his father to have a bad opinion of him. He rode along the coast. A monster attacked him. His horses were frightened, the chariot crashed against the stones, and the body of the young man was dragged along the ground.

Hippolyta was brought to his father, but he still did not recognize the innocence of his son. Then Artemis appeared. She proved Theseus wrong. Hippolyte did not understand why fate punished him so. It turned out that it was Aphrodite who played a cruel joke with the family. Artemis promised to take revenge on the unjust goddess. Theseus was inconsolable. But Hippolyte forgave him before his death.

Tragedy teaches you not to jump to conclusions or you will regret it.

A picture or drawing of Euripides - Hippolytus

The main characters of the tragedy

Main characters:

Medea is the Colchis princess Medea, the granddaughter of the solar god Helios, a sorceress who fell in love with Jason and helped him throughout the journey.
Jason - the king of Thessaly, the hero of Greek myths, the head of the campaign of the Argonauts. I decided to leave Medea for the sake of the Corinthian princess.

Other characters:

Aegeus, king of Athens.
Creon, king of Corinth.
Sons of Medea and Jason.
Nurse.
Uncle.
Herald.
Chorus of Corinthian Women.
Extras.

Euripides "Medea" in abbreviation

Euripides "Medea" summary for the reader's diary:

The Greek hero Jason sails to Colchis to get the Golden Fleece. However, getting it is not so easy. The daughter of the king Medea, who knows witchcraft, comes to his aid. With her help, Jason receives the Fleece and sails away, taking Medea with him. To delay the pursuers, the girl kills her brother and scatters pieces of his body along the shore.

Returning to Jason's homeland, Medea persuades the king's daughters to kill their father. After that, the sorceress supposedly will be able to return him to the young. However, after the murder, she does nothing, and the people expel the dishonorable daughters of the ruler. Now nothing threatens Jason's rule, but after some time the inhabitants of the city rebel against Medea.

Taking the children, Jason and Medea flee to Corinth. But the king of this policy, fearing the power of the sorceress, persuades Jason to divorce her and marry his daughter. This allegedly the hero will be able to save not only himself, but also his children. Jason, who himself begins to fear his wife, agrees. After that, Medea is asked to leave Corinth, but she has nowhere to go.

She finds shelter with the ruler of Athens, Aegeus, who suffers from a lack of heirs. Taking advantage of this, the witch promises that if the king will shelter her, then he will have a son. Having found a new home, she decides to take revenge on Jason. Even before leaving Corinth, she pretended to be resigned to the choice of her husband.

Now she is preparing a gift for his young wife. The woman asks her children to take the poisoned cloak and bandage to their stepmother, which they do. Upon the return of the children, Medea cries, says goodbye to them and kills them, realizing that if she does not do this, then others will.

Jason's new wife is trying on a cloak, but suddenly it bursts into flames. Her father rushes to her aid, but the enchanted flame wraps around them both, and they burn out. Jason runs to Medea, but she, with the bodies of children, runs away from him in a chariot.

the main idea:

The main idea of the tragedy is to show how the soul of a person can be torn apart by passions to such an extent that his human personality is destroyed.

This is interesting: The tragedy "" Sophocles was written in 442 BC. e. We recommend reading the summary of Antigone chapter by chapter for better preparation for the lesson on. The plot of the ancient Greek work is based on the confrontation between state laws and a set of generic unwritten rules.

Short retelling of "Medea" by Euripides

"Medea" Euripides summary:

The leader of the Argonauts, Jason, was to become the ruler of the city of Iolka in Greece. However, Pelius reigns there instead. To prove his rights and gain power, Jason must perform a feat. He will have to sail on the "Argo" to distant lands and, together with his faithful friends, bring back the magical Golden Fleece from Colchis. The journey is dangerous, because a valuable trophy is guarded by a dragon.

The king of Colchis had a daughter, Medea, who was excellent at spells and magic. She fell in love with Jason and decided to help him pass all the tests. And they were not easy. To begin with, the young man had to plow the land with the help of bulls that spewed flames. Then he had to take the fleece from the dragon. To do this, Medea gave Jason a potion that could put the monster to sleep. But the king still did not want to give the magic fleece to strangers.

When the Argonauts with the trophy set sail from Colchis, Medea decided to sacrifice her brother's life for the love of Jason. She killed him and scattered the remains all over the shore. This delayed the pursuers. Jason, who promised to take Medea as his wife, sailed back to Iolk.

In Jason's hometown, Medea helps him seize power. She incites the daughters of Pelius to kill their father, promising to resurrect and rejuvenate him later. But she deceived the girls, the former ruler is dead, and the throne for Jason is free. Daughters who kill their own father are cast out in disgrace. But the locals were also indignant against the treachery of Medea. Therefore, she, Jason and their children are forced to leave for Corinth.

The local ruler is afraid of the sorceress, and Jason himself is already afraid of the deceit and cruelty of his wife. The king of Corinth invites Jason to break with Medea, marry his daughter and reign with her. He agrees. He explains to his wife that a new marriage will solve their problems and benefit their children.

Medea is forced to leave, but she cannot understand Jason and thinks about how to take revenge on her husband for her exile and disgrace. She is hiding in Athens with King Aegeus. He is depressed by the absence of an heir to the throne. Medea promises to conjure a son for him if he allows her to live in Athens.

Through her children, Medea gives the new queen a wedding gift - a beautiful cloak and a headband. This clothing was saturated with a poisonous mixture, so the young princess was burned alive along with her father, who tried to help her.

The inhabitants were angry at the children who brought deadly gifts. Medea understands that if she herself does not take their lives, then others will. In addition, she wants to finally take revenge on Jason and interrupt his family. A mother kills her children.

Jason curses Medea for all the murders. He reminds her of the cruel price she paid for his wife's place: she betrayed her father and killed her brother. Medea blames her husband for betrayal, the death of his children, and predicts a terrible, painful death for him. After that, taking the bodies of the children, he soars into the sky on a chariot drawn by dragons.

See also: The tragedy "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles is an excellent example of ancient Greek drama that has survived to this day. It is of great cultural value, since it is recognized as one of the most perfect tragedies of antiquity. We recommend reading chapter by chapter, which will be useful in preparing for the literature lesson.

The content of the tragedy "Medea" with quotes

The Colchis princess Medea, the granddaughter of the solar god Helios, fell in love with the Greek hero Jason, who sailed with the Argonauts to her homeland for the Golden Fleece. She helped Jason outwit her father, take possession of the rune and return to Hellas along a dangerous path.

There is a myth about the hero Jason, the leader of the Argonauts. He was the hereditary king of the city of Iolka in Northern Greece, but power in the city was seized by his elder relative, the imperious Pelius, and in order to return it, Jason had to accomplish a feat: with his fellow heroes on the Argo ship, sail to the eastern edge of the earth and there , in the country of Colchis, get the sacred Golden Fleece, guarded by a dragon.

In Colchis, a mighty king, the son of the Sun, ruled; his daughter, the sorceress Medea, fell in love with Jason, they swore fidelity to each other, and she saved him.

First, she gave him witchcraft potions, which helped him first to endure the test feat - to plow arable land on fire-breathing bulls - and then to put the dragon's guardian to sleep.

Secondly, when they sailed from Colchis, Medea, out of love for her husband, killed her own brother and scattered pieces of his body along the shore; the Colchians pursuing them lingered, burying him, and could not overtake the fugitives.

Thirdly, when they returned to Iolk, Medea, in order to save Jason from the treachery of Pelias, invited the daughters of Pelias to slaughter their old father, promising after that to resurrect him young. And they slaughtered their father, but Medea renounced her promise, and the parricide daughters fled into exile.

However, Jason failed to get the kingdom of Iolk: the people rebelled against the foreign sorceress, and Jason with Medea and two young sons fled to Corinth. The old Corinthian king, having looked closely, offered him his daughter as a wife and the kingdom with her, but, of course, so that he divorced the sorceress. Jason accepted the offer: perhaps he himself was already beginning to be afraid of Medea. He celebrated a new wedding, and the king sent an order to Medea to leave Corinth.

On a solar chariot drawn by dragons, she fled to Athens, and told her children: “ Give your stepmother my wedding gift: an embroidered cloak and a gold-woven headband.". The cloak and bandage were saturated with fiery poison: the flames engulfed the young princess, the old king, and the royal palace. The children rushed to seek salvation in the temple, but the Corinthians, in a rage, stoned them to death. What happened to Jason, no one knew for sure.

It was hard for the Corinthians to live with the notoriety of child-killers and wicked people. Therefore, the legend says, they begged the Athenian poet Euripides to show in the tragedy that it was not they who killed the Jason children, but Medea herself, their own mother. It was difficult to believe in such horror, but Euripides made him believe it.

« Oh, if those pines from which the ship on which Jason sailed had never collapsed... "- the tragedy begins. This is Medea's old nurse speaking. Her mistress has just learned that Jason is marrying a princess, but does not yet know that the king tells her to leave Corinth. Behind the scenes, the moans of Medea are heard: she curses Jason, herself, and the children. " Take care of children”, says the nurse to the old tutor. The choir of Corinthian women is in alarm: Medea would not have called out a worse misfortune! " Terrible royal pride and passion! better world and measure».

The groans ceased, Medea goes out to the choir, she says firmly and courageously. " My husband was everything to me - I have nothing more. O wretched fate of a woman! They give her away to a strange house, pay a dowry for her, buy her a master; it hurts her to give birth, as in a battle, and to leave is a shame. You are local, you are not alone, but I am alone". The old Corinthian king comes forward to meet her: immediately, in front of everyone, let the sorceress go into exile!

« Alas! it is hard to know more than others: from this fear, from this hatred. Give me at least a day to decide where to go". The king gives her a day. " Blind! she says after him. - I don't know where I'm going, but I know I'll leave you dead". Who - you? The choir sings a song about universal untruth: oaths are violated, rivers flow backwards, men are more insidious than women!

Jason enters; an argument begins. " I saved you from the bulls, from the dragon, from Pelius - where are your oaths? Where should I go? In Colchis - the ashes of a brother; in Iolka - the ashes of Pelias; your friends are my enemies. Oh Zeus, why can we recognize fake gold, but not a fake person!».

Jason replies: It was not you who saved me, but the love that moved you. I am counting on this salvation: you are not in wild Colchis, but in Greece, where they know how to sing glory to me and to you. My new marriage is for the sake of children: born from you, they are incomplete, and in my new house they will be happy». - « Happiness is not needed at the cost of such resentment!» - « Oh, why can't people be born without women! there would be less evil in the world". The choir sings a song about evil love.

Medea will do her job, but where will she go then? Here the young Athenian king Aegeus appears: he went to the oracle to ask why he had no children, and the oracle answered incomprehensibly. " You will have children, - says Medea, - if you give me shelter in Athens».

She knows that Aegeus will have a son on a foreign side - the hero Theseus; knows that this Theseus will drive her out of Athens; he knows that later Aegeus will die from this son - he will throw himself into the sea with false news of his death; but is silent. " Let me die if I let you drive you out of Athens!" - says Egey, Medea doesn't need anything else now. Aegeus will have a son, and Jason will have no children - neither from his new wife, nor from her, Medea. " I will uproot Jason's race!" - and let descendants be horrified.

Medea reminded of the past, secured the future - now her concern is about the present. The first is about her husband. She calls Jason, asks for forgiveness - " that's how we women are!" - flatters, tells the children to hug their father: “ I have a cloak and a bandage, the legacy of the Sun, my ancestor; let them bring them to your wife!» - « Of course, and may God grant them a long life!" Medea's heart shrinks, but she forbids herself pity.

The second concern is about children. They carried the presents and returned; Medea cries over them for the last time. " I gave birth to you, I nursed you, I see your smile - is it really the last time? Dear hands, dear lips, royal faces - won't I spare you? The father stole your happiness, the father deprives you of your mother; I will pity you - my enemies will laugh; don't be this! Pride is strong in me, and anger is stronger than me; decided!».

The choir sings: Oh, it’s better not to give birth to children, not to lead at home, to live in thought with the Muses - are women weaker in mind than men?»

The third concern is about the homeowner. The messenger runs in: Save yourself, Medea: both the princess and the king died from your poison!» - « Tell me, tell me, the more, the sweeter!" The children entered the palace, everyone admires them, the princess rejoices at the dresses, Jason asks her to be a good stepmother for the little ones.

She promises, she puts on an outfit, she shows off in front of a mirror; suddenly the color escapes from the face, foam appears on the lips, the flame covers her curls, the burnt meat shrinks on the bones, the poisoned blood oozes like resin from the bark. The old father, screaming, clings to her body, the dead body wraps around him like ivy; he tries to shake it off, but he himself becomes dead, and both, charred, lie dead. " Yes, our life is just a shadow, - the messenger concludes, - and there is no happiness for people, but there are successes and failures.».

Now there is no turning back; if Medea does not kill the children herself, others will kill them. " Do not hesitate, heart: only a coward hesitates. Be silent, memories: now I do not mother them, I will cry tomorrow". Medea leaves the stage, the choir sings in horror: “ Sun-ancestor and supreme Zeus! hold her hand, don't let murder multiply by murder!" Two children's groans are heard, and it's all over.

Jason breaks in:

« Where is she? on earth, in the underworld, in the sky? Let her be torn to pieces, if only I could save the children!»

- « Too late Jason the choir tells him.

The palace opens, above the palace - Medea on the Sun chariot with dead children in her arms.

« You are a lioness, not a wife! Jason screams. - You are the demon that the gods struck me with!»

- « Call it what you want, but I hurt your heart». - « And own!» - « My pain is light to me when I see yours».

- « Your hand killed them!» - « And before that - your sin». - « So let the gods execute you!» - « The gods do not hear perjurers».

Medea disappears, Jason calls out to Zeus in vain.

The chorus ends the tragedy with the words:

« What you believed to be true does not come true

And the unexpected gods find ways -

This is what we have experienced» …

This is interesting: The novel "" Theodore Dreiser was first published in 1925. The plot is based on the murder in 1906 by C. Gillette of his girlfriend Grace Brown and a similar case with C. Harris. To prepare for the literature lesson, we recommend reading the summary of "An American Tragedy" for the reader's diary.

Conclusion:

The work teaches that deception does not make anyone happy. It is impossible to be so cruel, not to spare relatives and friends for the sake of the goal. If a person commits betrayal, he must be prepared to be repaid in kind.