A scholium to line 264 of the play suggests that Medea's children were traditionally killed by the Corinthians after her escape so Euripides' apparent invention of the filicide might have offended, as his first treatment of the Hippolytus myth did.

While Medea is considered one of the great plays of the Western canon, Euripides' place in the competition suggests that his first audience might not have responded so favorably. Euphorion won, and Euripides placed last. In 431 the competition was among Euphorion (the son of famed playwright Aeschylus), Sophocles (Euripides' main rival) and Euripides. Here every year, three tragedians competed against each other, each writing a tetralogy of three tragedies and a satyr play (alongside Medea were Philoctetes, Dictys and the satyr play Theristai). Medea was first performed in 431 BC at the City Dionysia festival. The play holds the American Theatre Wing's Tony Award record for most wins for the same female lead character, with Judith Anderson winning in 1948, Zoe Caldwell in 1982, and Diana Rigg in 1994. It experienced renewed interest in the feminist movement of the late 20th century, being interpreted as a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of Medea's struggle to take charge of her own life in a male-dominated world. The play was rediscovered with Rome's Augustan drama again in the 16th-century then remained part of the tragedic repertoire, becoming a classic of the Western canon, and the most frequently performed Greek tragedy in the 20th century. Some believe that this indicates a poor reception, but 'the competition that year was extraordinarily keen' Sophocles, often winning first prize, came second.

Medea, with three others, earned Euripides third prize in the City Dionysia. Medea takes vengeance on Jason by murdering Jason's new wife as well as her own children (two sons), after which she escapes to Athens to start a new life.Įuripides' play has been explored and interpreted by playwrights across the centuries and the world in a variety of ways, offering political, psychoanalytical, feminist, among many other original readings of Medea, Jason and the core themes of the play. The plot centers on the actions of Medea, a former princess of the 'barbarian' kingdom of Colchis, and the wife of Jason she finds her position in the Greek world threatened as Jason leaves her for a Greek princess of Corinth. Medea (Ancient Greek:, Mdeia) is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC.

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