9This edition of the classic Greek play Medea by Euripides is translated by well-regarded scholar and intellectual Gilbert Murray, allowing the reader a vivid and accurate interpretation of the play.

Written as compliment to the myth of Jason and Medea, we see here Medea imperiled as her husband plans to leave her for another woman. Angry at having been abandoned for a Corinthian princess, Medea enacts a terrible vengeance befitting her status as a barbarian queen - she slays her former husband's new wife and their children, before absconding to Athens where she begins a new life.

Ever since its publication over 2,400 years ago, Medea has been considered a shocking work of fiction, primarily for its violent and malevolent scenes. Despite these horrific events however, it was Euripides portrayal of Medea as a sympathetic antihero frustrated by a world of male dominance which won over audiences.

Owing to this nuanced depiction, Medea the play and Medea the character has become well-regarded by feminists. It remains the most popular and performed play by Euripides in the modern day.