MEDEA
Outside Medea’s office in Corinth
Medea screams and yells and breaks things inside. Her Secretary leaves the office and quickly shuts the door behind him.
SECRETARY: If only they had never gone! If the Argo’s hull
Never had winged out through the grey-blue jaws of rock
And on towards Colchis! If that pine on Pelion’s slopes
Had never felt the axe, and fallen, to put oars
Into those heroes’ hands, who went at Pelias’ bidding
To fetch the Golden Fleece! Then neither would Medea,
My mistress, ever have set sail for the walled town
Of Iolcus, mad with love for Jason; nor would she,
When Pelias’ daughters, at her insistence, killed their father,
Have come with Jason and her children to live and work here
In Corinth; where, coming as an exile, she has earned
welcome; while to Jason she is all
Obedience
Waiting for lift
But now her world has turned to enmity, and wounds her
Where her affection’s deepest. Jason has betrayed
His own sons, and my mistress, for a royal bed,
For alliance with the king of Cornith. He has married
Glauce, Creon’s daughter.
In lift
Poor Medea! Scorned and shamed,
She raves, invoking every vow and solemn pledge
That Jason made her, and calls the gods as witnesses
What thanks she has received for her fidelity.
Outside building. Fumbling for a cigarette
She will not eat; she lies collapsed in agony,
Dissolving the long hours in tears. Since first she heard
Of Jason’s wickedness, she has not raised her eyes,
Or moved her cheek from the hard ground; and when her friends
Reason with her, she might be a rock or a wave of the sea,
For all she hears – unless, maybe, she turns away
Her lovely head, speaks to herself alone, and wails
Aloud for her dead father, her own land and home,
Which she betrayed and left, to come here with this man
Who now spurns and insults her. Poor Medea! Now
Uprooted from their native land. She hates her sons:
To see them is no pleasure to her.
Dropping cigarette and grinding it into the ground
I am afraid some dreadful purpose s forming in her mind. She is
A frightening woman; no one who makes an enemy
Of her will carry off an easy victory.
Tutor approaches from behind carrying suitcase.
TUTOR: Servant of my mistress’s house, tell me,
What are you doing, standing out here by the door,
All alone, talking to yourself, harping on trouble?
Eh? What does Medea say to being left alone?
The tutor walks inside and down the corridor setting a brisk pace, the secretary follows.
SECRETARY: Old friend, tutor of Jason’s sons, an honest slave
Suffers in his own heart the blow that strikes her mistress.
It was too much, I couldn’t bear it; I had to come
Out and tell my mistress’s wrongs to earth and heaven.
TUTOR: Poor woman! Has she not stopped crying yet?
SECRETARY: Stopped crying?
I envy you. Her grief’s just born – not yet half-grown.
TUTOR: Poor fool – though she’s my mistress and I shouldn’t
Say it –
She had better save her tears. She has not heard the worst.
The Secretary stops him.
SECRETARY: The worst? What now? Don’t keep it from me. What has happened?
Continuing walking
TUTOR: Why, why nothing’s happened. I’m sorry I said anything.
Stopping him again. Turning him to face him.
SECRETARY: Look – we’re both slaves together: don’t keep me in
The dark.
Is it so great a secret? I can hold my tongue.
TUTOR: (pulling him aside) I’d gone along to the benches where the old men play
At dice, next to the holy fountain of Peirene;
They thought I was not listening; and I heard one say
That Creon king of Corinth means to send her boys
Away from here – to banish them, and their mother too.
Whether the story’s true I don’t know. I hope not
SECRETARY: But surely Jason won’t stand by and see his sons
Banished, even if he has a quarrel with their mother?
TUTOR: Old love is ousted by new love. Jason’s no friend to this house.
SECRETARY: Then we’re lost, if we must add new trouble to old, before we’re rid of what we had already.
TUTOR: But listen: it’s no time to tell Medea this.
Keep quiet, say nothing about it.
Tutor walks off. Secretary follows.
Approaching Medea’s office
SECRETARY: What sort of father is Jason? My curse
On – No! No curse; he is my master. All the same,
He is guilty: he has betrayed those near and dear to him.
TUTOR: What man’s not guilty? It’s taken you a long time to learn
That everybody loves himself more than his neighbour.
Just outside Medea’s door.
SECRETARY: Keep your eye on the children. As long
As she’s in a dark mood; don’t let them go near her.
I’ve watched her watching them, her eye like a wild bull’s.
There’s something that she means to do; and I know this:
She’ll not relax her rage till it has found its victim.
God grant she strike her enemies and not her friends!
They enter the office
