For those unfamiliar with the myth of Medea, it is a story that has been retold and reinterpreted countless times throughout history. In the original myth, Medea is a powerful sorceress who helps Jason, her lover, obtain the Golden Fleece. However, when Jason abandons Medea for a younger woman, she seeks revenge by killing her own children and poisoning Jason's new bride.

Originally commissioned for London’s Almeida Theatre, Cusk’s version moves the action to a chic, modern household. : Re-cast as a successful, sharp-tongued writer. Jason : Portrayed as a smug, somewhat mediocre actor.

Explores "maternal ambivalence"—the complex, sometimes dark feelings mothers have toward their children.

to the original Greek myth, let me know! I can also help you find critical reviews from major newspapers if you're writing an essay. [PDF] Medea by Euripides | 9781350266018, 9781783198887

Medea is the ultimate outsider—a "barbarian" in a civilized land. Cusk uses this to explore the experience of the exile. Medea is intelligent and insightful, yet she is dismissed by the women of Corinth because she does not conform to their social rules. This resonates with modern themes of alienation and the "unlikable woman" in fiction.

One of the most striking aspects of Cusk's "Medea" is the power and intensity of the female voice. Medea's narrative is a tour-de-force of language, a searing indictment of the ways in which women are marginalized and oppressed.

To give you a sense of the text without the file, here is a sample of Cusk’s prose in Medea :