Conflict in The Medea

Notice that the chorus comforts Medea by claiming that the gods are on her side. They claim that “God seeth” all that she suffers and that Jason’s sins are not on her head. While this moralistic claim suggests that Medea is righteous and that Jason will be punished by the gods, it does not address the problems Medea faces now that she is alone and facing exile. While the chorus offers righteous comfort to her conscious and emotional anguish, they do not offer aid in her social troubles.

The nurse introduces the main conflict of the play. Medea has a “fell spirit” meaning her spirit is terrible, evil, or ferociously deadly. The nurse speculates on whether or not Medea will kill herself or kill Jason and Glauce. Notice that the nurse draws attention to Medea’s children and her changing attitude towards them. The nurse worries what this change will mean for their safety and foreshadows the end of the play.