“She Isn't Quiet Yet”: Music, Medea and the Modern Classroom

Abstract

This paper explores the use of contemporary music as a vehicle for helping students engage more meaningfully with ancient texts, particularly dramatic texts. Particularly, contemporary music can help students engage in meaningful conversations around the difficult topics that the figure of Medea raises, moving them beyond a simple focus on her status as a child-killer. Ultimately, this article argues for the value of Classics in encouraging thoughtful dialogue around sensitive issues in the modern day, possibly helping students think about their own world in more nuanced and complicated ways.