MEDEA

From the dawn of European literature the figure of Medeabest known as the helpmate of Jason and murderer of her own childrenhas inspired artists in all fields throughout all centuries Euripides Seneca Corneille Delacroix Anouilh Pasolini Maria Callas Martha Graham Samuel Barber and Diana Rigg are among the many who have given Medea life on stage film and canvas through music and dance from ancient Greek drama to Broadway In seeking to understand the powerful hold Medea has had on our imaginations for nearly three millennia a group of renowned scholars here examines the major representations of Medea in myth art and ancient and contemporary literature as well as the philosophical psychological and cultural questions these portrayals raise The result is a comprehensive and nuanced look at one of the most captivating mythic figures of all time Unlike most mythic figures whose attributes remain constant throughout mythology Medea is continually changing in the wide variety of stories that circulated during antiquity She appears as enchantress helpermaiden infanticide fratricide kidnapper founder of cities and foreigner Not only does Medeas checkered career illuminate the opposing concepts of self and other it also suggests the disturbing possibility of otherness within self In addition to the editors the contributors include Fritz Graf Nita Krevans Jan Bremmer Dolores M OHiggins Deborah Boedeker Carole E Newlands John M Dillon Martha C Nussbaum Christiane SourvinouInwood and Marianne McDonald