Character Relationship Map: Medea

Characters

• Jason (played by Udo Kier) — protagonist

  Jason is a successful warrior who is already married to Medea. Seeking the advantages of a royal alliance, he accepts the proposed marriage to Glauce, the daughter of the king of Corinth. His decision...

• Medea (played by Kirsten Olesen) — supporting

  Medea is a wise woman and Jason's wife. After Jason accepts marriage to Glauce, she is ordered to leave Corinth with her two boys. She secures protection from Aiceus, then plans revenge against Glauce...

• Kreon (played by Henning Jensen) — supporting

  Kreon is the king of Corinth, determined to secure his throne through a marriage between Jason and his daughter Glauce. Because he considers Medea a threat, he orders her and her two boys into exile,...

• Glauce (played by Ludmilla Glinska) — supporting

  Glauce is the daughter of the king of Corinth and the woman whom Jason is expected to marry. Her planned marriage to Jason is the political arrangement that displaces Medea and provokes the central co...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Medea → Kreon (Power Ruler And Exile) — Kreon's decree removes Medea from Corinth and intensifies her determination to take revenge.

  Kreon orders Medea and her children to leave Corinth, granting her only one extra day because he fears her power.

• Kreon → Glauce (Family Father And Daughter) — Kreon arranges Glauce's marriage to Jason as part of securing the future of his throne.

  The plot identifies Glauce as Kreon's daughter.

• Medea → Jason (Family Wife And Husband Turned Enemies) — Jason's decision to marry Glauce leads to Medea's exile and fuels her revenge against him.

  The plot describes Medea as Jason's wife and says their love has turned to hatred after Jason abandons her to marry Glauce.

• Jason → Glauce (Romantic Prospective Spouses) — Their planned marriage displaces Medea and makes Glauce a target of Medea's revenge.

  Jason accepts the proposed marriage to Glauce, and Kreon announces their marriage as a political arrangement.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Jason → Kreon (Alliance Political Allies) — Kreon backs Jason's rise through the planned royal marriage, while Jason accepts the advantages of the arrangement.

  At court, Jason accepts the trust and authority Kreon offers him, and Kreon announces Jason's marriage to Glauce.

• Medea → Glauce (Conflict Deceived Gift-Giver And Victim) — Medea disguises her revenge as reconciliation; Glauce accepts the crown without knowing it is dangerous.

  Medea sends Glauce a bridal crown as a wedding gift, and the plot says Glauce is poisoned by it.

Story Analysis

Jason's political marriage and Medea's exile lead to a deceptive reconciliation, devastating revenge, and a bleak final invocation.

Plot Progression

1. A Marriage That Exiles Medea — Jason accepts the proposed marriage to Glauce, and Kreon announces their political future. Kreon orders Medea and her children into exile but grants her one extra day.
2. A Refuge and a False Peace — Medea mourns her loss and seeks a way home and revenge. She secures refuge, then pretends to reconcile with Jason and arranges for the bridal crown to reach Glauce.
3. The Gift's Deadly Consequences — Glauce accepts the crown without knowing its danger. Medea's deception gives way to violence as she kills her sons, while the crown poisons Glauce and injures Kreon.
4. Jason's Lament and Medea's Invocation — Jason returns to find Medea and the children gone and learns that Glauce and Kreon have been struck down. He calls for Medea, whose final words invoke darkness and the possibility of a god's intervent...