After Euripides: Esotericism in Medea’s English Literary Tradition

Abstract

The Euripidean Medea remains a mystery to human understanding The esotericism of her story has allowed for dramatically different representations. In tracing her English literary history, from classical to contemporary dramatists, this paper follows Medea’s characters throughout the centuries. Drawing on Euripides, it provides a wide perspective on a long tradition, pointing out the distinctive intellectual and moral features of each historical period. In particular, it aims to show how this esoteric figure actually suits the writers’ ideology, who recurrently use Medea as a symbol to serve their different political and moral purposes, proving the malleability and esotericism of myth.