Themes in Jason and Medea

 
The myth of Jason and Medea is one which has inspired writers and artists for centuries. Jason arrives at the island of Colchis and finds that the king Aeetes, has set, “a series of impossible tasks,” for him in order to gain the Golden Fleece. “These were to yoke a pair of brazen-footed, fire-breathing bulls, the gift of Hephaestus to Aeetes, and with them plow a large field and sow it with dragon’s teeth, from which would spring up armed men, whom he would then have to kill” (Morford, Lenardon, 2003, 578). The “he” in this case is Jason. The only way in which Jason can survive these tasks is with the help of Aeetes’ daughter, Medea. Medea, against her will, falls in love with Jason and aids him with her magic, thus winning him the golden fleece and betraying her father and country. 

After their return to Iolcus, Medea “rejuvenated” Aeson, who is Jason’s father, and then killed his uncle Pelias, who had usurped Aeson’s throne. From there, the couple fled to the city of Corinth, where Jason abandons Medea for a more advantageous marriage. Medea in turn murders her two children by Jason, and flees to Athens where she marries King Aegeus. 

There are many underlying themes and meanings in this myth which probably have their origins in older mythologies. Morford and Lenardon suggest that the myth of Jason, “reflect the expansion of the Greeks into the Black Sea” (Morford, Lenardon, 573). The importance of this story can also be “reflected” in the Roman’s expansion of their empire. The tale also seems to invoke the theme of order and male dominance over the primitive female power. While Ovid’s Roman version of this story has Medea playing a mere sorceress, it is likely that she was once connected to the potent female goddesses of the past. “Much of the saga goes back to the earliest stages of Greek mythology, not excepting Medea, whose status as the granddaughter of the sun must once have been more important than her functions as a magician” (Morford, Lenardon 589).