NURSE (motherly and somewhat sententious) I wish! I wish that famous ship the Argo had never flown its hull through the clashing rocks to Colchis. I wish the trees which were cut down for the oars of that ship still stood as a forest. Then the sailors whose hands rowed those oars would never hav e gone after the golden fleece of Pelias. Because then, my mistress, my lady, Medea would never have sailed away from her home in Colchis, simply because she lost her heart to Jason. Because then she would never have persuaded Pelias' daug hters to kill their own father; never moved here to Corinth with her new husband and children. She's even gotten along with the locals of her new home here. She's done everything for Jason. That's the greatest salvation there is, you know, for a woman to stand by her man.

But now it's all turned hideous. What's most important to her survival makes her sick. Because he has betrayed his own children and my mistress. Jason has wormed his way into a royal marriage, marrying the daughter of Creon, who manages this terri tory.

But my Medea is a wreck, humiliated. She screams out their wedding vows. She resurrects the promise he made when he held her. She calls on the gods to bear witness that she suffers for Jason's change of heart. And she lies there. No food. She surrende rs her body to the pain. The whole time she melts into tears, since she learned of her husband's crime. She never lifts her eyes, never frees her body from the ground. She's as deaf as a rock or the ocean waves when her friends offer advice. If she's eve r not twisting her pale neck away, she is screeching out to her dear father and to her home country, which she betrayed and abandoned, for her husband, who now just abuses her. The poor thing, she's learning from her current problems the value of not runn ing away from home.

 She hates the children and even seeing them brings her no relief. I'm afraid of what odd plot she might devise. Her heart is stone, now, and she won't stand for being battered. I know her, and I'm scared she'll a stick a blade to their hearts, sneak into the house where the bed stands or kill the king and the new groom, and so just make it all worse for herself. She is wickedly captivating and no one who happens to cross her will enjoy a victory easily.

(the children enter, followed by the elderly tutor)
Here're the children. They've stopped playing and are coming back. They're not thinking about their mother's troubles. Young minds don't tend to think about pain.

 TUTOR

(formal, polite, but worried)
Old treasure of my mistress's household, why are you standing alone at the entryway here, lamenting your troubles to yourself? How could Medea agree to be left without you?

 NURSE
Venerable attendant of Jason's children, for good slaves, when the master's luck goes bad, it tears at the heart. So I've walked out here, feeling just such pain, and let the desire overtake me to come here and tell the earth and sky my lady's misfortunes.

 TUTOR
Hasn't the poor thing stopped weeping?
 

NURSE
Ha! I wish I could think like you! She's not half way through her pain.

 TUTOR
The fool! -If it's possible to call the mistress that, as she knows nothing of her latest problems.

 NURSE
What is it, old man? Don't hold out on this.

 TUTOR
Nothing. I'm sorry I even said what I did.

 NURSE
No, I beg you, don't hide this. We're both slaves! I'll keep silent about it, if that's what it takes.

 TUTOR
I overheard someone talking, though I didn't let on that I could hear, where the old men sit and play dice, down by the holy fountain, that the children are going to be run out of town, along with their mother. That's what Creon in his palace plans for t hem. So that's the word. Whether it's exactly right, I do not know. I should hope it is not.

 NURSE
Jason won't put up with this treatment of the children, even if he has differences with their mother.

 TUTOR
Old ties that bind are abandoned for new ones. That man is not part of this house anymore.

 NURSE
We're doomed! We'll drown before we can bail out of these new troubles!

 TUTOR
You, listen: it is not the time for Medea to know about this. Stay quiet and don't say a word.

 NURSE

(turns to the children)
Children, do you hear what sort of father you have? I hope he dies!...no...he's still my master, but he's a convicted enemy in this house now.

 TUTOR
Isn't that the human race? Haven't you figured out by now that everyone loves themselves more than anyone else? Some have good reason, but mostly it is for profit. It's because of his new bride that he no longer cares for the children.

 NURSE

(addressing the children again)
Go! It's for the best. Go in the house.
(to the tutor)
Keep them to themselves as much as possible and don't let them near their mother when she's upset. I've already seen her eyes blazing at them like a bull's, as if she's about to do something. She won't back off her anger, I know that much, until she ven ts her storm at someone...
(the tutor goes in but the children are not yet in the house when Medea's voice is heard)
I hope she'll do something to her enemy, not her family.

 MEDEA offstage

(she screams)
I am so pathetic and wretched! It HURTS!
(she screams again)
Can I just DIE?!?!

 NURSE

(in a nervous patter)
That's it, my children.
Your mother's heart is rumbling.
Her anger is rumbling.
Hurry, run inside the house.
Don't let her see you.
Stay away from her.
Protect yourself
against the wildness and hatred
in her free will.
Go NOW -fast - inside -
It's clear from the gathering cloud
of groans that she'll turn soon to
lightning passion. Just what will she do?
Unstoppable, a deep-pitted soul under wicked pressure.

 MEDEA (still inside)

(she screeches)
I feel it! It hurts! I feel
gigantic slashes of agony! It hurts!
I hope you damned children die for your mother's hate!
Along with your father! May this whole house collapse!

 NURSE
Oh no! Oh no! Oh, the way she feels EVERYthing!

(nervous but back to regular speech)
Why do your children suffer for their father's sin? Why do you hate them?
(to the children)
It pains me to think what might happen to you. The ways of those new to the elite are powerfully strange. Somehow having so few rules and so much power causes them to have devastating changes of temper. Being used to living with your equals is better. For me, I just hope I can grow old having less but being more secure. Just talking about moderation is a prize. Actually doing it is best. Extremes don't gain anyone anything. Extremes inflict greater blindness and destruction when the gods grow angry and visit a house.