Hypsipyle and Medea

Although there are various parts of Chaucer's The Legend of Good Women that serve as points of contention, part IV, "The Legend of Hypsipyle and Medea," seems to me to be the most questionable. The first peculiarity is that Chaucer does not seem to fault Hercules at all, though he was just as wicked and deceitful (if not moreso!) than Jason in fooling Hyipsipyle. Even more strangely, however, is that Chaucer calls Hypsipyle a "trew" (line 1576) and "chast" (line 1577) wife whose custom it was "to give pleasure to all," "motivated by true generosity and courtesy" (footnote to lines 1476-8) in light of how she reacts to Jason's departing. True, what he did was terrible indeed, but it seems harsh to wish that all other women "that suffreth him his wille" should be fated to slay their own children (lines 1574-5), and certainly evidence contrary to her wishing "to give pleasure to all."

The character of Medea, however, is even more debatable. Although Chaucer decides to leave these parts out of his retelling of the story of Jason and Medea, in truth she actually committed some wicked deeds herself. To Jason's new bride she sends a robe as a wedding gift, but when she puts it on, it engulfs her in flames and she dies. This robe also kills the girl's father, Creon, the king. Obviously it was wrong for Jason to take a new wife, but I doubt that the bride had much say in the matter, and probably could have been spared. Also, perhaps because of Hypsipyle's curse, Medea also slays her own children as a way of avenging what Jason did to her-- which seems both cruel, unnecessary, un-motherly, and transgressive. True, she suffered greatly due to Jason's immorality, but I would hardly call her a good woman, as the title of the poem implies.