An Examination of the Role of Medea in the Heroic Tale, "Jason and the Golden Fleece"
Throughout history, heroic tales have been the source of both delight and controversy as the respective roles of the major characters have been debated as to their true purpose. While many of these major characters have been men, in many cases there are female characters as well that play important role in their own capacity, as well as contributing to the character development of the protagonist. To determine how these issues play out in a popular heroic tale, this paper provides an examination of the role of Medea in the heroic tale, "Jason and the Golden Fleece," followed by a discussion of how the feminine aspect contributes to the myth. An assessment of how this female character affects the character of Jason is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion. The epic tale of Jason and his Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece has been enjoyed by countless readers for thousands of years, and the tragedies and challenges faced by Jason in his quest are truly the stuff of legend - but he is only able to accomplish these feats through the magical intervention of Medea, the daughter of King Aietes. Although popularized as a heroic figure himself, Jason manages to come across as a b
In Part 5 of his essay, "In Search of Myths and Heroes: Jason and the Golden Fleece," Michael Wood (2005) reports that Jason had "to yoke fire-breathing bulls, plough and sow a field with dragons' teeth, and overcome phantom warriors" (1). Complicating the plot but certainly helping Jason though is the fact that the goddess of love, Aphrodite, has inexplicably caused Medea to fall uncontrollably in love with Jason (Wood 1). Thereafter, Medea only agrees to help Jason accomplish these undoable tasks if he will agree to marry her (Wood Part 5:1). While he may be a hero in the end, Jason is clearly nobody's fool and recognizes that if he is going to succeed in getting the Golden Fleece returned from King Aietes, he is going to need to some serious help. When King Aietes throws a banquet, Wood (2005) points out that after he tells Medea of his plot to kill Jason and the Argonauts instead of returning the Golden Fleece, Medea is the one who warns Jason. Consequently, Jason accepts Medea's marriage proposal and is thereby empowered to do the otherwise-undoable tasks described above to regain the Golden Fleece. From a character development perspective, there is much to be found in female character of Medea. For example, both a sorceress and a murderess, Medea is characterized by Harry Thurston Peck (1898) as being "celebrated for her skill in magic" and that when she was betrayed by Jason (discussed further below), she exacted "fearful vengeance upon her faithless husband by murdering the two children whom she had borne to him and by destroying his young wife by a poisoned garment; and
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Approximate Word count = 1079
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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