Medea remembers her literary past: intertextual analysis of Ovid’s "Heroides" 12 and Apollonius Rhodius’ "Argonautica"

Abstract

The sources of the Ovid´s Letter from Medea to Jason have been the subject of a thorough study, however there is a shortage of modern comparative studies that systematize its intertextual relationship with its possible sources. Therefore, this article aims to demonstrate the relevance of Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica as an intertext of Heroides 12, and for this purpose the intertextual processes between both works will be indicated and analyzed. On the one hand, the first 128 verses of the epistle will be analyzed proving that this is a narrative part that follows the chronological thread of the story recounted in chants 3 and 4 of Argonautica. On the other hand, we will study the last 54 verses, which make up a subjective monologue plagued with references to what is told in these chants of the epic. In short, this study will reveal the functions that the intertexts of the epic fulfill in the letter and will show how Medea builds his story by using the memory of his literary past.