What you'll learn

• 1 (00:41) **Medea Takes Center Stage** - Introduction to the episode's focus: Books 3 and 4 of Apollonius' *Jason and the Argonauts*, dominated by the sorceress Medea, who becomes the epic's true hero.
• 2 (05:41) **The Main Idea: Medea as a Unique Literary Creation** - Medea is unlike any female character in ancient literature, combining a dark priestess and a virginal maiden, a killer and a damsel in distress.
• 3 (07:47) **The Divine Conspiracy Begins** - Goddesses Athena and Hera plot to help Jason by enlisting Aphrodite's son Eros to make Medea fall in love with him.
• 4 (11:17) **Jason's Diplomatic Mission and First Sight of Medea** - Jason and a few Argonauts enter the city of Aeëtes, passing a gruesome field of corpses, and meet the royal family, where Jason and Medea first lay eyes on each other.
• 5 (15:48) **The Impossible Task** - King Aeëtes sets Jason a deadly challenge: plow a field with fire-breathing brass-footed oxen, sow dragon's teeth, and fight the armed warriors that spring up.
• 6 (20:24) **Recruiting the Sorceress** - Argus, Medea's nephew and a new Argonaut, proposes enlisting Medea's magical help, and despite some misogynistic grumbling, the crew agrees.
• 7 (22:57) **Medea's Internal Struggle** - Medea agonizes over her love for Jason, torn between her passion and the betrayal of her family and kingdom, ultimately deciding to help him.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app