Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean Conversations: Get In the Dragon Wagon, We’re Going Shopping, Women in Euripides w/ Dr. Alecto Hardwick
Mar 13, 2026
Dr. Alecto Hardwick, a scholar of Greek literature who focuses on women and marginalized identities, dives into Euripides’ portrayals of Medea and other women. They trace Medea’s transformation from divine to human, explore foreignness, rhetoric, and grief, and map how myths like Medusa and Ion were reused over time. The conversation also touches on canon formation and creative collaborations.
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Euripides Turned Medea From Goddess To Human
- Euripides humanizes pre-existing divine Medea by making her mortal and vulnerable on stage.
- Alecto Hardwick notes Pindar's older poems present Medea as divine, while Euripides emphasizes fragility and decision-making.
Medea's Final Exit Reverses Her Humanity
- Euripides alternates Medea between human vulnerability and sudden divine removal via the dragon chariot.
- Hardwick highlights the final mechanē exit returns Medea to a quasi-divine status, subverting the play's human probing.
Medea Uses Athenian Ethics To Justify Filicide
- Medea frames her murderous logic through Athenian ethics: 'help friends, harm enemies'.
- Hardwick argues this forces Athenian audiences to question whether their own values could justify filicide.
