We studied Euripides’ Medea as our fifth HL Lit Text, viewing it through the lens of transformation. We looked to observe global issues and thematic nuances in the text when writing and discussing characters, motivations and intentions.

Our first task was an initial thinking piece based on Medea as a character, through the interpretation of one of the prompts given. I chose “Medea as a Victim” and wrote a passage on that. This allowed me to curate my ideas and reflect on my own intentions when reading and re-reading the play text.

The CAT we finished at the end was an essay written from a global issue, rooted in the text. I chose the power struggle in marriage, looking at Medea and Jason’s marriage and their interaction before Medea murders Jason’s new wife. I was able to clearly convey characters’ intentions (Medea is looking to enact her plan, and in doing so, can manipulate Jason, and Jason is looking to exile Medea and find happiness with his new wife, without feeling guilty that he didn’t assist their children), but (according to feedback given) need to work on refining it so that I may view the issue in a broader sense. While this is initially difficult to do, it does help me a lot when deciding on an EE subtopic – don’t do World Studies.