The nurse is fearful.

Medea has been deserted by Jason
and her old nurse is fearful.

"I fear my mistress.
I fear the violence in her soul
I fear the workings of her mind."

She fears that her mistress is capable of murder.

She reminds us of the history of Jason and Medea:
Jason won the Golden Fleece
Medea helped him win it
but now Jason deserts his wife and children
taking to bed a younger bride.

She shares her worries with the children's tutor.

The tutor has heard a rumour.

Kreon the King intends to banish Medea.

She will be sent into exile
with her children.

And it doesn't surprise him that Jason will let it happen:

"Jason cares nothing for those he once loved.
The promises of men who seek power
are easily made
and easily broken."

Like the nurse
the tutor is fearful of what is to come.

Medea is heard howling in agony - the agony of betrayal.

But when she arrives
she is utterly calm.

She explains the situation to the women of Corinth
and asks for their silence as she works her revenge.

"I have no-one
I am no-one –
a refugee
thought of as nothing by my husband –
a prize won in a foreign land.
No mother, no brother, no relation
no refuge in this sea of woe."

Driven by an uncompromising vision of righteousness
she relently pursues her course of revenge.

The women of Corinth agree to remain silent.

They will allow Medea to wreak her revenge.

They agree that Jason's behaviour is intolerable
and that he deserves to die.

However
when Medea resolves to kill her children
the women can no longer agree.

"Both for your sake Medea
and to keep the world from running mad
I tell you not to do this thing.

O shining light of day
lend your light to illumine
the dark soul of this woman
before she hack her flesh and blood."

King Kreon fears Medea.

"You’re a clever woman
well versed in the evil arts.
You’re angry at having lost
your husband’s love.
I have heard of your threats
to my daughter
to Jason
to me."

So he has decided to exile Medea
along with her children.

But Medea appeals to him as a father
and he grants her one day
to prepare herself.

One day is all Medea needs
to carry out her revenge.

Jason is frustrated by being on the margins of power.

And he will do anything to cross the threshold.

Including abandoning his wife and children
and marrying the daughter of the King.
And he will use his powers of persuasion
to try to justify his actions.

"I grabbed at the chance
of a brighter future for our children

and hoped that by producing sons of royal stock
to be brothers to yours
to draw the two families together
in one happy unit
to the benefit of us all.

Now this seems to me
an entirely sensible plan."

He never understands why Medea doesn't share his vision.

Aigeus is the consumate politician.

Medea needs a refuge to escape to
once she has taken her revenge.

Aigues is the ruler of Athens
and could provide protection.

He is very interested in her promise
that she will help him produce children
because he lacks an heir.

But he can't risk war with Corinth
by being seen to help her.

"If you arrive in Athens an exile
I can welcome you in with no blame attached
but I cannot myself be seen to carry you there.
Make the journey yourself
for I cannot afford
to stir ill-will against me."

The messenger has witnessed a true horror.

He describes how Medea's sons
brought a golden robe and crown
for Jason's new bride.

How the princess dressed herself in the robe and crown.

How she danced with joy.

But then how joy turned to agony
because the robe and the crown
were laced with poison
"and the poison was eating her skin."

"It was attacking from two places at once:
the wreath of gold around her head
hissed a stream of all-devouring fire
while the dress of gold your children gave
fastened firmly to the girl’s young flesh."

Medea's gifts killed the girl and her father
and watching them die
left the messenger traumatised.