INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA

In recent decades, Classical Studies have seen a steady growth in women’s, gender, and feminist studies. Euripides’ Medea counts among plays on women which have attracted considerable attention. The Medea has an evergreen quality as it resonates with and provides insight into spousal experiences, touching on, amongst others, trust, fidelity, commitment, jealousy, divorce, loneliness, domestic violence, interests of children, and power play. This analysis of passages from the play builds upon psychological studies of Euripides’ characters that have been undertaken since the 1970s, while also drawing on more recent insights into the dynamics of intimate relationships from a social-psychological perspective.