A Study In Medea:The Evolvement Of Medea Myth During Ancient Greek And Roman Times

Among numerous mythological figures, Medea is known for the strength of character and the vagaries of her image. In thousands years of spreading and handing down, the evolution of her myths and legends reflects changes of social attitudes in antiquity in terms of theology, gender relationship, the morality, laws, identity and so forth. This thesis attempts to track the evolution of Medea’s image based on collecting and analyzing historical documents and relic materials, and then studies the hidden significance of changes under its historical background.This thesis is composed of four parts, namely the Introduction, Body, Conclusion and Appendix. In the first part, it briefly summarizes the plot of Medea’s myth, reviews related historical materials and previous overseas and domestic studies, and clarifies the purport and methods of this thesis. And then in the Body part, it deeply explores Medea’s myth from the text, historical materials, and its evolving connotation. It summarizes the main points in the Conclusion part, lists relevant materials and historical relic, and attaches certain specific nouns in the Appendix.