Academic Scientific JournalsThe defence of Medea: The subversion of the femme fatale trope in William Morris’s 'The Life and Death of Jason'
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26881/bp.2023.2.06Keywords:
William Morris, femme fatale, Victorian Hellenism, C19, Medea, literary revisionismAbstract
William Morris (1834-1896) was one of the Victorian artists whose work extended beyond the totality of art that was cherished by nineteenth-century critics. Particularly in his early oeuvre, Morris engages with the political and cultural discussion on women’s emancipation and utopian society through the use of Arthurian and Hellenic traditions. The following article provides a detailed reading of William Morris’s portrayal of Medea in The Life and Death of Jason (1867). Contrary to the established association of Medea as a femme fatale, Morris’s depiction of the Colchian princess escapes the vision of femininity characterised by devouring sexuality, manipulation, and the urge to destroy men. Similarly to The Defence of Guinevere (published in 1858), The Life and Death of Jason refrains from a direct condemnation of Medea, who attempts to navigate her experience of betrayal and dishonour. Thus, the article attempts to examine how Morris reused Hellenic tropes to discuss the complexity of the female experience that transgresses the boundaries of time and place.
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