Medea is among the most notorious women in the canon of Greek tragedy: a woman scorned who sacrifices her own children to her jealous rage. In her gripping new novel, Christa Wolf expands this myth, revealing a fiercely independent woman ensnared in a brutal political battle. Medea, driven by her conscience to leave her corrupt homeland, arrives in Corinth with her husband, the hero Jason. He is welcomed, but she is branded the outsider—and then she discovers the appalling secret behind the king's claim to power. Unwilling to ignore the horrifying truth about the state, she becomes a threat to the king and his ruthless advisors. Then abandoned by Jason and made a public scapegoat, she is reviled as a witch and a murderess. Long a sharp-eyed political observer, Christa Wolf transforms this ancient tale into a startlingly relevant commentary on our times. Possessed of the enduring truths so treasured in the classics, and yet with a thoroughly contemporary spin, her Medea is a stunningly perceptive and probingly honest work of fiction.

While the ending of the Golden Fleece myth, Medea's killing of her beloved children, is well known, her story and her reasoning are not. She can be understood through her deeds and words, though she may not be forgiven for her act. Jason, the hero of the Argo who wrested the Golden Fleece from a tyrant at the end of world, in this work is revealed as a man with flaws. Jason and Medea fully explores the ancient Greek tragedy, following the story line and philosophical trails. The gaps in the ancient telling are filled with imaginative invention without the aid of supernatural forces. Every baby boomer has seen the 60's movie Jason and the Argonauts with the animated harpies, skeleton warriors and bronze giant. Few know the details of the complete adventure. The telling of this tale relies upon the visualization prowess of the modern reader to examine the human condition. This tale has something more than mere adventure to hold the reader's attention. Great events propel the action. Men commit murder, steal, embark on paths of war, and whisper deceits. A woman acts both selflessly for love and sacrifices everything for it. Through language and dialogue, violence is revealed as monstrous and that love may be too. The voices of women articulate great sentiments and truths. Memory and loyalty are exposed as weak foundations for trust. At the beginning and then finally, the gods, the Fates and human responsibility all take center stage in Jason and Medea.

From the dawn of European literature, the figure of Medea--best known as the helpmate of Jason and murderer of her own children--has inspired artists in all fields throughout all centuries. Euripides, Seneca, Corneille, Delacroix, Anouilh, Pasolini, Maria Callas, Martha Graham, Samuel Barber, and Diana Rigg are among the many who have given Medea life on stage, film, and canvas, through music and dance, from ancient Greek drama to Broadway. In seeking to understand the powerful hold Medea has had on our imaginations for nearly three millennia, a group of renowned scholars here examines the major representations of Medea in myth, art, and ancient and contemporary literature, as well as the philosophical, psychological, and cultural questions these portrayals raise. The result is a comprehensive and nuanced look at one of the most captivating mythic figures of all time. Unlike most mythic figures, whose attributes remain constant throughout mythology, Medea is continually changing in the wide variety of stories that circulated during antiquity. She appears as enchantress, helper-maiden, infanticide, fratricide, kidnapper, founder of cities, and foreigner. Not only does Medea's checkered career illuminate the opposing concepts of self and other, it also suggests the disturbing possibility of otherness within self. In addition to the editors, the contributors include Fritz Graf, Nita Krevans, Jan Bremmer, Dolores M. O'Higgins, Deborah Boedeker, Carole E. Newlands, John M. Dillon, Martha C. Nussbaum, Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood, and Marianne McDonald.

In graphic novel format, retells the classic myth where Jason, in order to gain a kingship rightfully his, must voyage and return with the Golden Fleece.