{SHOW THE MEDEA Krater on p. 14 NEXUS, Antigone & the Greek World.)

"The Cleveland Medea krater illustrates a scene from Euripides famous tragedy Medea. The vase was made about 30 years after the first performance of the play in Athens. Let s begin by describing what we see. Medea has just murdered her children to get revenge on her husband, Jason, who dumped her for another woman. She rides away in triumph on a dragon-drawn chariot, surrounded by a sunburst. (The chariot is a gift from Helios, the god of the sun.) Jason watches her from the ground, helplessly holding an empty sheath.

Below her, the dead boys, dressed like their father and sprawled across a sacrificial stone, are mourned by their teacher and a nurse, weeping the tears their mother should weep. The old man on the opposite side of the vase shields his eyes from the horrible sight. The nurse cuts strands of her hair for the dead boys, an ancient Greek custom. To the left of the murder scene, two plants stand starkly against the black background. They may represent the life the young boys still had to live. Between the plant stalks, a vessel, possibly an urn, lies on its side, and a lamb leaps in the air. What might these symbolize?

Let s look for contrasts and connections in this painting, as we ve done in past issues. The aura of splendor around Medea contrasts with the sorrowful scene on the ground. How could she ride away in triumph after slaying her sons? Also, there s a contrast between Medea, dressed like a goddess, and her half-naked husband. She is above him in every way: physically, psychically and socially.

The death scene on the lower half of the vase is echoed [connection] by the doom in the sky. The winged women are Furies (Erinyes), dark goddesses of vengeance. Their job is to avenge the murder of relatives. Though they are flying, the Furies legs crouch in mid-air, as if they were preparing to pounce. But the witch Medea, with her dragons, speak and protective sunburst, look like a match even for these "daughters of Night."