Médée

Médée is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Pierre Corneille, first performed in 1635 at the Théâtre du Marais. Corneille was inspired by both the Seneca and Euripedes tellings.

Summary
The heroine of the play is the sorceress Médée. After Médée gives Jason twin boys, Jason leaves her for Creusa. Médée exacts her revenge on her husband by burning his new spouse and slitting the throats of her two children. The final act of the play ends with Médée's escape in a chariot pulled by two dragons, and Jason's suicide.

In Pierre Corneille's career
Médée was Corneille's first tragedy. Furthermore, the performances of Médée followed Corneille's expulsion from Richelieu's prestigious group of five authors. The playwright no longer had the protection of Richelieu, who, resentful, greeted Corneille's first tragedy with disapproval. During its installation, the play's reception was lukewarm, leading to only eight productions by the end of the 188th century.