Third Episode (663-823)

Aigeus, king of Athens, enters with royal entourage.

Medea, hello. For no one knows a better way

than this to address friends and wish them well.

Oh, hello to you too, Aigeus, son of Pandion 665

the wise. What brings you to this country?

I have just come from the time-honored oracle of Phoebus Apollo.

Medea

And why did you visit the oracular navel of the world?¹¹

Aigeus

To ask how I might have a child.

Good gods, are you still childless at your time of life? 670

Yes, we are childless, through an affliction sent by some deity.

Do you have a wife or do you keep a celibate bed?

I share my bed with my wife.

What then did Phoebus tell you about children?

Words wiser than a man can understand. 675

Is it allowed for me to know the god’s oracle?

Oh yes, since it needs a wise mind.

What then did the oracle respond? Tell me if I am allowed to hear.

Not to loose the projecting foot of my wine sack...

Until after you do what? Or reach what country? 680

Until I come again to my own home.

Why then are you journeying to this land?

There is a man named Pittheus, king of Trozen...

The son, they say, of Pelops, a most god-fearing man.

I want to communicate the god’s oracle to him. 685

Yes, for he is a wise man and skilled in such things.

And he is, besides, the most friendly of my allies.

May you fare well, and gain your heart’s desire.

But why do I see your face and complexion so wasted?

Aigeus, my husband is the world’s most wicked man. 690

What are you saying? Tell me clearly of your despondency.

Jason wrongs me though I have done nothing to him.

What has he done? Tell me everything.

He has taken a new wife, to be mistress of his house instead of me.

He would not have dared such a disgraceful act. 695

You may be sure he did. And we who were loved before are now rejected.

Did he fall in love, or grow weary of his marriage to you?

Yes, a great love. He is disloyal to his family.

Let it go then, if, as you say, he is wicked.

He has fallen in love with making a marriage to the royal family. 700

Who is father of the bride? Finish the story.

Creon, who rules this country of Corinth.

It is understandable if you are upset, my lady.

I am ruined. And besides that I am driven into exile.

By whom? This is another new disaster you add. 705

Creon is sending me into exile from Corinth.

And Jason permits it? I don’t approve of that.

He says he does not, but he is willing to put up with it.

But I beg you by your beard

and I fall suppliant at your knees, 710

pity me, pity me in my despair

and do not let me be driven out destitute,

but take me in to share your home and country.

And then with the gods’ help I pray your desire for children

will bear fruit and you yourself die happy. 715

You do not know what a lucky find you have made in me.

I will put an end to your childlessness and cause you

to become a father. Such potions I can make.

For many reasons I am eager to grant you

this favor, my lady, first for the gods 720

and then for the children whose birth you predict.

For I am in utter despair over it.

This is how it is with me. If you come to my land

I will do my best as an honest man to receive you as my guest.

So much I promise you, Medea: 725

I am not willing to give you escort from this land,

but if on your own you come to my home,

you will remain there under protection and I will not deliver you up to anyone.

But you must make your way from this country

for I want to be free from blame in the eyes of my hosts here. 730

That will be done. But if there is a pledge to me

of these things, I will have everything I need from you.

Don’t you trust me? Or what is troubling you?

I trust you. But the house of Pelias is my enemy

and Creon. Bound by an oath you would not hand me over 735

to them if they try to take me from your country.

yield to their heralds.12  For I am in straitened circumstances

and they have wealth and the royal house. 740

I see you are taking every precaution.

If you think best, I will not refuse to do as you ask.

This way things will be safer for me too:

I will have a pretext to show to your enemies

and you will be more secure. Bring on the gods. 745

Swear by the plain of Earth, and Helios the Sun, father

of my father, and add the whole race of gods.

To do and avoid doing what? Put it into words.

Never, yourself to cast me out of your country

nor if anyone else of my enemies desires 750

to take me away, ever to give me up of your own free will.

I swear by Earth and the bright light of Helios

and all the gods to abide by your words.

What happens to all impious mortals.¹¹ 755

Farewell on your journey. All is well;

I will come to your city as soon as possible,

when I have done what I intend to do and achieved what I want.

May Lord Hermes, son of Maia, the kindly escort,

guide you to your home, and may you accomplish 760

what you desire, since,

Aigeus, you have proven yourself

to me to be a noble man.

Oh Zeus and Justice, daughter of Zeus, and light of the Sun,

Now I shall be victorious over my enemies, my friends, 765

and I have set out upon my journey.

Now I have hope that my enemies will pay the price.

For where I was most in trouble, this man

has appeared as a safe haven of my plans:

To him I shall attach a cable to guide me there, 770

going to the city and fortress of Pallas Athena.

And now I shall tell you all my plans.

Hear my words though there is no pleasure in them.

I will send one of my servants to Jason,

asking him to come into my sight. 775

And when he comes I will speak to him ingratiating words:

that I agree with him in these things and everything is fine --

this royal marriage he has, after betraying me.

And I will say that it is advantageous and well thought out.

But I will beg for my children to stay here, 780

not that I would leave my children in hostile territory

for my enemies to abuse,

but so that with deceit I may kill the king’s daughter.

For I shall send my children with gifts in their hands,

bringing them to the bride, asking for reprieve from exile, 785

a finely woven dress and a tiara of beaten gold.

And if she takes them in her hands and puts them on her flesh,

she and anyone who touches her will die a miserable death,

such poisons I will smear on the gifts.

After this it is a new story. 790

I weep over the deed I must do

after this. For I shall kill my children.

There is no one who will rescue them.

And after confounding Jason’s whole house

I shall leave the country, in flight from the murder 795

of the children love after daring a most unholy deed.

For it is not bearable to be laughed at by my enemies, friends.

Let it pass. What good is life to me? I have no homeland

I have no home as a refuge from evils.

I made my mistake when I abandoned 800

my father’s house, won over by the words

of a Greek man, who will, with god’s help pay for this.

He will never see the children born from me

living, for the rest of his life, nor from the newly-wedded

bride will he father a child, since the wretch must die 805

wretchedly through my poisons.

Let no one think that I am mean or weak

nor peaceful, but of the other kind,

a weight upon my enemies and to my friends most kind.

For to such people belongs the heroic way of life. 810

Chorus

Since you have shared with us this story,

in my desire to help you and in keeping

with the customs of humanity, I tell you not to do this.

I will not change my mind. But it is understandable that

you would say this, not suffering abuse as I do. 815

But will you dare to kill your own offspring, Medea?

Yes, in this way my husband will feel the most pain.

But you would be the sorriest of women.

Let it go. Any other words are in vain.

Go and bring Jason here. 820

For we rely on you in all confidential matters.

Tell him nothing of my decisions,

if you care for the well-being of your masters and are a real woman.

11. The oracle of Apollo at Delphi, considered the Navel (omphalos) of the earth. Votive omphaloi (of monumental size) are found a Delphi. This was one of the most important of the oracles. The god Apollo spoke to humans through his priestess, the Pythia, often in riddles. In classical times the sounds of the Pythia were interpreted by priests. Return to Medea.

12. A herald was sent with al ultimatum as a precursor to a declaration of war. Return to Medea.

13. What happens to oath-breakers is that their line is wiped out. Return to Medea.