Medea Cunning and Cleverness

Medea is symbolic of the clever woman imprisoned in a world of men. Her intelligence inspires both suspicion and cautious admiration. In the end, her cunning becomes her supreme weapon in her quest for revenge. None of her enemies stand a chance against her supreme intellect. Medea shows that, without a doubt, the greatest power lies in knowledge.

Questions About Cunning and Cleverness

1. What tactics does Medea use to manipulate those around her?
2. How does Medea's intelligence make her dangerous?
3. In what ways does Medea's superior intelligence ostracize her?
4. How does Medea put her cunning to use in the play?

Chew on This

The community's mistrust of Medea is heightened by the fact she's smarter than everybody else.

By depicting a foreigner as being smarter than all the Greek characters, Euripides defies Greek prejudice against foreigners.