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).
This is just another example of how the Romans took the powerful view of women that the Greeks had, and turn it into something petty. This playing down of Medea could also be Ovid’s way of trying to pacify Augustus. Medea was a powerful woman who allowed her life to be ruled by her passions. Ovid could be intimating that powerful and passionate women had and would always be a thorn in society’s side, much as Cleopatra had been to Augustus and the Roman people. The tale could also be a commentary on the moral reform of Rome which Augustus was leading: those who allow themselves to be ruled by their passions will be punished in one way or another for letting oneself behave with abandon. Whatever else the tale of Jason and Medea is, it is one which displays in detail, every human emotion. It shows the dangers of love, and the cost of betrayal.
