When it came to the creative research for the script of Medea, and with the earliest ideas for the project being set during the plays origin, I began by searching for various items and images, within the local areas of Rochester and Margate, that could influence the designs for the piece of text.
After finding a description of the style of housing construction that existed in that period, I decided to photograph a section of the old Rochester city wall as it seemed to possess similar qualities.
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| 01. Remnants of Rochester city wall |
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| 02. Images of Rochester city wall |
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| 03. Photo of tree, Hartsdown Park |
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| 04. Pillars of the Droit House, Margate Harbour |
Similar to the style of construction from that period, I decided to find a woodland and trees in a local park to collect some reference images as the play mentions a section of the story featuring a wooded area. When searching for trees to photograph, I decided that they should possess features similar to those of classical columns so that they may be designed for the production with a dual purpose.
As well as these, I also decided to collect some images of architectural pillars, as quite often, these are designed with many similarities to their Classical Greece counterparts and influences. These pillars (image 04) were photographed at the Droit House located along the harbour arm in Margate.
Infanticide
With Euripides' Medea featuring the title character murdering her children as revenge against her former love Jason, it made sense to look at several more modern cases of infanticide to gain some sort of understanding of the circumstances or motive behind such an act. This is why several images of newspaper articles have been included as they could be used as a source of inspiration for the design of the piece.
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| 05. Newspaper article about a case of infanticide in Berlin |
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| 06. Several articles about contemporary cases of infanticide |
The article in image 05 would suggest that a certain degree of thought had been put into hiding the bodies, by the perpetrator, burying several remains over a period of 16 years, however, there is no indication of a possible motive for these actions. This raises the question as to whether the deaths were deliberate or accidental.
The articles in these images, with the exception of articles A and C (image 06), are of different contemporary cases of infanticide. The case present in articles A and C clearly indicate that the actions leading to the death of the infant were unintentional and caused by neglect. Article B, however, is a collection of various cases of infanticide in St Louis, U.S.A, spanning over 5 years.
Nowadays, with a greater understanding of psychology, many cases of infanticide are looked upon through sympathetic 'eyes' toward the perpetrator, usually the mother.
Charles & Diana
Euripides' play, Medea, is based on the events after the mythical tale of Jason and the Argonauts and their search for the Golden Fleece. The story mainly follows the title character, Medea, who is left with two sons and in no position of power after Jason leaves her for another woman. It can be said that this story of love and power has a similar sort of dynamic to the real-world scenario that occurred between Prince Charles and Diana. These sort of similarities are clear when observing the portrayal of their relationship, and the eventual breakdown of their marriage, through the various newspaper and press headlines and articles.
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| 07. Newspaper article about Charles & Diana |
This article clearly indicates at the popularity of Diana and the hopes of, not just the royals, but for the people's wish for a royal union for Prince Charles.
The headline 'Heartache of the prince...' is undeniably portraying the situation as one-sided affair, from the perspective of the prince, almost creating a negative attitude toward Diana, suggesting it to be her doing.
This article is a precursor to the gradual turbulent relationship that would develop between Diana, the Royal family and the press.
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| 08. Front page of the Daily Mirror (1982) |
Seen as 'A princess of the people', and a possible view into the privacy of the Royals, the press were always trying to find the best stories and images from possible sources of information about what was happening, even from behind closed doors.
This put great pressures on both the Royal household and the press, especially when photographs of intimate moments of privacy are placed on the front pages of newspapers.
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| 09. Front page of the Daily Mail (1996) |
The press intrusion was to a great extent, even during the eventual divorce of Charles and Diana, providing the general populous with great details of the occurrences taking place throughout.
The rather turbulent separation of the couple, with a single empowered authority on one side, shows great resemblance to that which occurs within Euripides' play, with Jason (Charles) being supported by the royal house of Kreon (the Royal family), opposed to Medea (Diana).
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| 10. Newspaper article about Diana's first interview (1997) |
The final article is told from a different perspective to the previous examples, from the view of a member of the press who interviewed Diana.
The article was released after the Princess of Wales' death, and with the highlighted phrase in the middle of the article, feels like it was told from Diana's perspective, baring a similar resemblance to the perspective told within the script of Medea.