The Ancients – Medea: Maligned Sorceress or Heartless Murderer?

Host: Tristan Hughes
Guest: Natalie Haynes (classicist, bestselling author of No Friend to this House)
Release Date: January 11, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of The Ancients dives deep into the myth and legacy of Medea: a figure who has fascinated and horrified audiences since antiquity. Joined by classicist and author Natalie Haynes, host Tristan Hughes explores the many iterations of Medea’s story, from her roots in Colchis to Euripides’ shattering tragedy and her evolving role across Greek and Roman storytelling. Together, they discuss whether Medea is a misunderstood sorceress or a ruthless murderer, how her “foreign” status shaped ancient perceptions, and what her story reveals about gender, power, and morality—then and now.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medea’s Place in Myth and Literature

[01:19–04:23]

• Medea is a central, enduring figure in Greek myth, first named in Hesiod and referenced by Homer.
• Natalie Haynes explains her decades-long fascination with Medea and her experiences seeing the play in many languages, underlining Medea’s cultural reach and adaptability.
  • “I’ve probably seen about 30 Medeas over the years, in Dutch, in Japanese...the nice thing about knowing a play quite so well from the Greek is that you can put it in any language and I still know what’s going on.” (Natalie Haynes, 03:10)

2. Re-Tellings Through Time

[04:23–08:05]

• Multiple ancient sources recount Medea’s story: Homer and Hesiod mention her early; Pindar writes a narrative ode linking Medea with Cyrene’s foundation; Euripides stages his tragedy (431 BCE); Apollonius of Rhodes and Ovid adapt the tale later; Seneca dramatizes Medea for Roman audiences.
• Each version introduces variations in her character and the arc of her myth.
  • “Just in antiquity we have her story being told and retold for well over a thousand years.” (Haynes, 07:51)

3. Changing Portrayals of Medea

[08:05–11:47]

• Medea’s core contradiction is her transformation: from a powerful, magical teenage princess in Apollonius (helping Jason through love and sorcery), to a woman betrayed and rendered powerless in Euripides.
• Ovid and others grapple with reconciling her youthful agency and later suffering.
  • “How do you take somebody who’s this incredibly powerful, if sort of naive teenager, and get her to a point where she’s utterly powerless and can’t seem to stop her straying husband from straying?” (Haynes, 11:31)

4. Medea's Homeland: Colchis and the ‘Barbarian’ Lens

[11:47–16:27]

• Medea is from Colchis (modern Georgia), on the Black Sea’s eastern edge—foreign and exotic to Greeks.
• Greek audiences would have viewed her as a “barbarian,” emphasizing the culture clash essential to much Greek tragedy.
  • “Barbarian meant somebody who goes, bar, bar, bar. You can’t understand what they’re saying.” (Haynes, 14:06)
  • “Inventing the barbarian is central to Greek tragedy, and Medea is a crucial part of that story.” (Haynes, 16:04)

5. Medea and Jason: Meeting and Betrayal

[16:27–21:26]

• Their first meeting, orchestrated by gods (Aphrodite and Eros), sets Medea’s desire for Jason against her loyalty to family.
• The myth employs magical compulsion to explain her extreme betrayal, suggesting she is not merely capricious.
  • “The crucial thing...is that she has to be persuaded by desire—either for Greece or for Jason—to override her natural love for her family.” (Haynes, 19:58)

6. Fratricide: The Fate of Medea’s Brother

[22:27–25:19]

• Varying myths depict Medea (sometimes with Jason) killing her brother Apsyrtus to delay pursuit—sometimes as a child, sometimes an adult.
• Apollonius’s version has Jason kill Apsyrtus, highlighting the shifting burdens of guilt.

7. Euripides’ Medea: Geography, Power, and Exile

[25:19–28:53]

• The tragedy is set mostly in Corinth; Medea is at her most powerless, dealing with Jason’s betrayal and impending exile.
• She secures an escape route to Athens, reflecting both plot necessity and Athenian audience appeal.

8. Medea and Jason: Was It a Good Match?

[28:53–32:18]

• Unlike other mythic couples, Medea and Jason are portrayed in Euripides as intellectual equals—quick-witted, passionate, capable of both love and hate.
  • “When you watch Euripides’ Medea, what you see is these two characters who absolutely get each other. They’re both clever, they’re both good at rhetoric. ... These two had amazing sex.” (Haynes, 29:20)

9. Rhetoric, Debate, and the Heart of Tragedy

[32:18–34:13]

• Euripides’ craftsmanship gives both characters powerful voices, making Jason’s plausible but toxic justifications stand against Medea’s suffering.
• The chorus provides a moral compass but recognizes the complexities in both arguments.

10. Medea’s Twin Monologues: Feminist Laments and Deliberation

[34:13–45:53]

• First Monologue: Medea mourns the vulnerability and lack of agency of women in ancient patriarchy—the speech resonating through centuries as proto-feminist literature.
  • “It’s just the worst thing being a woman if your marriage isn’t happy...you have to buy a husband at a huge price, there’s no mark, like there is with gold, to show you that it’s proper gold rather than some painted bit of lead. But you don’t get a mark on a man, so you can’t tell if he’s a good guy or a bad one.” (Haynes, 34:41)
• Second Monologue: Medea agonizes over whether she can or must kill her children, repeatedly changing her mind—a showcase of tragic dianoia (deliberation) and psychological extremity.
  • “She changes her mind...I think it was seven times...these two halves of herself are at war.” (Haynes, 43:29)

11. The Play’s Controversial Ending: Apotheosis and Divine Approval

[45:53–48:27]

• Medea escapes in a chariot of the sun god, suggesting divine sanction; Jason is left vanquished.
  • “By killing her children...she has become an equivalent to a goddess. ... The gods have seen what happened and they’ve rewarded her with a chariot to get her out of town.” (Haynes, 46:04)

12. Roman Reimaginings

[48:27–50:44]

• Ovid and Seneca rework Medea’s myth, with Ovid’s Heroides providing letters from Medea’s perspective. Roman society’s different gender norms allow for new readings and roles.
  • “Ovid...can imagine himself…What it’s like from a woman’s perspective. ... It’s just absolutely extraordinary.” (Haynes, 49:34)

13. Audience Reception: Ancient Athens vs. Rome

[50:44–53:01]

• Medea’s reception differed as Roman women had more public rights; Greek Athens was “one of the worst times and places for a woman ever to be living” (Host, 40:58).
• Initial Athenian response to Euripides was tepid (the play came third of three at its festival) but became widely popular soon after.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Medea’s complexity:
  “How do you take somebody who’s this incredibly powerful...and get her to a point where she’s utterly powerless?” (Haynes, 11:31)
• On the proto-feminist monologue:
  “It is just the most extraordinary piece of writing. ... [Euripides] must have had an absolutely astonishing understanding of the lives of women around him.” (Haynes, 38:49)
• On the myth’s enduring appeal:
  “Just in antiquity we have her story being told and retold for well over a thousand years.” (Haynes, 07:51)
• On Greek views of foreigners:
  “Inventing the barbarian is central to Greek tragedy, and Medea is a crucial part of that story.” (Haynes, 16:04)
• On Medea and Jason’s relationship:
  “When you watch a production of Euripides Medea, what you see is these two characters who absolutely get each other...these two had amazing sex.” (Haynes, 29:20)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Medea’s mythic origins and sources: 01:19–08:05
• Portrayals and transformations: 08:05–11:47
• Colchis, ‘barbarian’ identity, and culture clash: 11:47–16:27
• Jason and Medea meet—love magic and betrayal: 16:27–21:26
• Medea’s brother and the question of fratricide: 22:27–25:19
• Euripides’ play—setting, power, and exile: 25:19–28:53
• Jason & Medea as a couple: 28:53–32:18
• Euripidean debate and chorus: 32:18–34:13
• Medea’s first monologue (feminist lament): 34:13–39:43
• Medea’s second monologue (on killing her children): 43:29–45:53
• The ending: Medea’s divine escape: 45:53–48:27
• Roman versions and Ovid’s take: 48:27–50:44
• Reception and cultural legacy: 50:44–53:01
• Discussion of Haynes’ new novel: 53:01–55:01

Final Thoughts

This rich, wide-ranging episode underscores Medea’s enduring and evolving myth—from her magical origins and harrowing choices to her role as both villain and voice for the voiceless. Natalie Haynes draws out her psychological depth, the play’s feminist undertones, and its resonance for ancient and modern audiences alike.

For a fuller exploration, check out Natalie Haynes’ novel No Friend to this House, and related documentaries on History Hit.