Euripides, Medea
David Kovacs, Ed.

Enter Jason by Eisodos B.

Jason
You women who stand near the house, is Medea inside, she who has done these dreadful deeds, [1295] or has she fled? She will have to hide herself beneath the earth or soar aloft to heaven if she is not going to give satisfaction to the royal house. Does she think that having killed this land's ruling family [1300] she will escape from this house unscathed?

But it is not so much about her that I am concerned as about the children. She will be punished by those she has wronged, but I have come to save my children's life, that no harm may come to them from the next of kin, [1305] avenging on them their mother's impious crime.

Chorus-Leader
Poor Jason, you have no idea how far gone you are in misfortune. Else you would not have spoken these words.

Jason
What is it? Surely she does not mean to kill me as well?

Chorus-Leader
Your children are dead, killed by their mother's hand.

Jason
[1310] What can you mean? You have destroyed me, woman.

Chorus-Leader
You must realize that your children are no more.

Jason
Where did she kill them? In the house or outside?

Chorus-Leader
Open the gates and you will see your slaughtered sons.

Jason
Servants, remove the bar at once [1315] so that I may see a double disaster, these children's corpses <and her who did the deed, so that for these children's murder>¹ I may exact punishment.

Jason tries to open the doors of the house. Medea appears aloft in a winged chariot upon the mechane, which rises from behind the skene.

Medea
Why do you rattle these gates and try to unbar them, in search of the corpses and me who did the deed? Cease your toil. If you need anything from me, [1320] speak if you like. But your hand can never touch me: such is the chariot Helios my grandfather has given me to ward off a hostile hand.