Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The Tutor and the Nurse provide context for Medea’s journey prior to the events of the play and somewhat reluctantly help her enact her plan.

• How do the Nurse and the Tutor’s conversations and actions foreshadow future events? (topic sentence)
• Use three examples from the text to support your claim.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss how the two characters build tension leading up to the climax of the play.

2. Medea begins with the Nurse regretting that the Argo ever set sail.

• What role do ships and shipwrecks play in the story? (topic sentence)
• How do characters use language of ships and shipwrecks throughout the play? Provide three examples that support your thesis.
• Finally, discuss in your concluding sentence or sentences the motif of ships and shipwrecks.

3. The Chorus is initially on Medea’s side but hesitates when she decides to kill her children.