International | the plays | 2004 / 2005 | medEia | synopsis
medEia
Medeia is the daughter of Evidia and Aietes, king of Kolchis, and granddaughter of Helios, god of the sun. She grows up as a princess but she devotes her young life as priestess to Hekate, goddess of magic and witchcraft. She spents her days in the temple and her life is dominated by her religion.

Jason is the rival of his uncle Pelias, king of Iolkos, who has sent him away to the distant land of Kolchis, by the Black Sea, to take posssesion of the Golden Fleece. Pelias assumes that Jason will die during this mission.

One day, Medeia is not in her temple, and on that day, Jason and his hirelings - the Argonauts - plunder Kolchis. They set houses on fire, they rape women, they fight with men and they search for the Golden Fleece. In the streets, the soldiers encounter a group of women, with Medeia among them. The moment she sees Jason, her heart catches fire, and she is overwhelmed by feelings of unconditional love that she cannot control. After a restless night and a diaologue with the forces of nature, she decides to go for this love. With her aid, Jason obtains the Golden Fleece and in return he takes her with him as his wife. When they start their flight for Greece, Medeia lures her little brother into joining her. She kills him and chops his body into pieces. The pursuers try to collect the body parts and they are slowed down by this. Jason is astounded by the events, but also fascinated.

Jason returns to Iolkos and this time it is Pelias' turn to be astounded, but he keeps his bewilderment to himself. He receives the Golden Fleece but refuses to pass the throne to Jason in return, although this was part of the deal. Jason is furious but he has Medeia at his side and that makes him feel strong. She will help him again. Medeia convinces Pelias' daughters that she can restore his youth with her magic if they kill him. And so they do.

Together with the Argonauts, Jason and Medeia sail away over the ocean again, in search of a country where they are welcome. Finally they arrive in Corinth where the people are proud to welcome them in as heroes and where Creon is king. There, Jason and Medeia build up a new life, a life in exile. They have a little house, just outside the centre of town and they have two children, two boys. Everything goes well until it goes wrong.

Jason enjoys himself much more in the centre of town with the other men than at home. He likes to play games and to dance. More and more, Medeia and Jason grow apart. At a certain moment, Creon wants to give his daughter, Kreusa, to Jason in marriage, and Jason is thereupon prepared to cast out Medeia.

Medeia takes revenge during the one-day's grace she has before having to leave Corinth. She makes sure she will find protection in Athens and then she gives a cloak to her rival, Kreusa, as a present, a false gesture of reconciliation. The cloak is soaked with poison and when Kreusa puts it on, she is consumed by a devouring fire and she dies in the arms of her father, Creon, who tries to help and also dies. Meanwhile, Medeia kills the two sons she had by Jason.

In vain, Jason begs Medeia to release the bodies for burial, and he looks on as she flees on a wagon that seems to be made of fire and is drawn by dragons. People say that her grandfather, Helios, made the wagon, and that he helped her to escape, but those are rumours.