1. A.<br />Medea murdered her children to gain revenge for her husband’s treachery.<br />Shorty after their arrival in Corinth Jason abandons her and takes a new bride, the daughter of the king of Corinth. This is a shameful act in any circumstance but it is particularly reprehensible when you realise how much Medea had done to help her husband. <br />Medea was a powerful sorceress and she helped Jason become famous by helping him find the Golden Fleece. King Aeetes, Medea’s father, kept the Golden Fleece under guard. The traps set by the king make the Fleece impossible to get to but with Medea’s help Jason overcomes these obstacles and Medea herself kills the giant serpent that guards the fleece. Then to give them time to escape Medea kills her brother and she and Jason set sail for Greece.<br />Here she helps Jason again by persuading his cousins to kill their elderly father, who was king ever since Jason’s father died, by telling them that the king would regain his youth if he was killed, cut into pieces and put together by Medea’s magic. The kings daughters do as she asked but afterwards Medea tells them that she can’t bring him back to life. Rather than win Jason his throne, these events force Jason, Medea and their two children into exile.<br />They settle in Corinth where Jason eventually takes a new bride.<br />It is no wonder that Medea feels such anger and fury at his actions.<br />To make matters worse Creon, king of Corinth, tells Medea that she is banished. She begs for mercy and she is granted a reprieve of one day. She tells the Chorus that one day is enough to get revenge.<br />Jason comes to speak to Medea and is condescending and smug. He tells her that her exile is her own fault and they begin to argue bitterly. Medea criticises Jason for his infidelity and reminds him of all that she has done for him. She condemns him for his faithlessness. Jason rationalises all of his actions and seems to have convinced himself that he is not in the wrong. He offers her money but she refuses. It is after this confrontation that Medea includes the deaths of her children in her scheme of revenge. <br />Medea has given him everything including two sons. She has killed for him, left her family and home and made him famous and he treats her with contempt.<br />She decides that killing her sons is the surest way to destroy him.<br />B.<br />Medea appears above the palace in a chariot. She has the children’s corpses with her. She mocks Jason, telling him that he will have an embarrassing death and also refuses to give him the bodies. They argue one last time and blame the other for what happened. Medea escapes with her children’s bodies to Athens where she will be protected by king Aegeus. <br />
