Medea    

“Medea” Ancient Greek Tragedy Play by Euripides, For Costume Design IIIA

Since Medea's story initially begins in her native home of Colchis, now modern day Georgia and Armenia, a land of riches and of the elusive Golden Fleece,  the aim was to show her difference in appearance to a Greek society. Historically around the time of Hellenistic Greece, of which the world is set, this area would have been home to either the Assyrian Empire or the Artaxiad or Urartu Dynasty. Medea’s clothing thus pulls from both Assyrian pieces and Greek silhouettes to create a striking, venomous, and exotic look unlike any other woman in Corinth. Her final depiction also includes four wings, much like the Urartu deities like Khaldi or the Apkallu, harkening back to her ties to divinity.

For the color story of the world, the kingdom of Corinth lives in shades of blues and golds, from the royalty, to the Chorus they are dressed in bold to muted tones of these colors. In contrast, the house of Medea resides in teals and greens to yellows and oranges, similar but yet still set apart from the rest of the world they are occupying. Aegeus is the outlier of the entire affair and as the visiting King of Athens, he is decked out in a regal Tyrian Purple and natural green. 

Medea, despite her sorrows and how deep the betrayal of her husband has mangled her heart, is a strong and vengeful woman. She decks out her children in riches, trims, and jewels in order to present them as offerings as they present Jason’s new wife with Medea’s “peace offerings' '. The Robe and Diadem that are gifted to Glauce, Jasons’s new wife, to deceive and kill her are of an Ancient Assyrian make and silhouette, as they are heirloom pieces from Medea’s family. Medea’s deceit isn’t caught until Glauce adorns herself with the pieces, and only then are a court of horrified onlookers treated to the sheer power and vengeance of Medea’s poisons and gift with the mystic arts. Jason, recognizing his ex-wife’s handiwork, goes to confront her after witnessing the death of both his father-in-law and his new bride. Knowing not to treat Medea with any hesitancy, and now the sole member of the Corinthian royal family, Jason dons a bronze cuirass, his wedding himation, and the bloodied crown of his father-in-law Creon to confront her in the play’s final moments.

10x14 Bristol Paper , Skin and Base Color Values Rendered in Procreate
Clear Gesso, Gouache, Metallic Acrylic Paint, Red Acrylic Paint with Gloss Medium,
Gold, Copper and Silver Foil