How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used Paul Roche's translation.
Quote #4
Medea: O Father, my country, the land I abandoned,
Flagrantly killing my brother (26)
The violence of Medea's exit from her homeland has made her a permanent exile. This fact heightens the stakes of the entire play. Medea is backed into a corner with nowhere to turn, making her all the more dangerous.
Quote #5
Creon: Go, Medea. Remove yourself.
Get packing from this land. […]
it is reported that you threaten me […]
and of course the bride and groom. (35)
It's hard to deny that Creon has a pretty good reason for kicking Medea out of Corinth. What else is he supposed to do? She's going around saying that she's going to kill everybody.
Quote #6
Medea: Well, suppose they are dead:
will any city take me in, […]
and shield me from reprisals? (57)
Medea has to find another city-state to retreat to, after she commits the murders. This will help protect her from the inevitable retribution from Corinth, but there's more to it than that. To the ancient Greeks, their city-states were there worlds. The thought of roaming the land without a civilized place to call home was horrifying.