Also, note that Rachel Cusk's style often features:
In ancient Greek theatre, the chorus offers moral commentary or community consensus. Cusk repurposes the chorus into a group of contemporary suburban mothers.
The of the Almeida Theatre production.
They are drawn to Medea’s transgressive, unyielding anger.
For I was Medea, and I would not be defeated."
This novel similarly explored the destructive power of male privilege and artistic frustration.
She refuses to speak in polite, socially acceptable euphemisms.
Rachel Cusk’s Medea is not a straightforward translation or a traditional verse adaptation of Euripides’ classical tragedy. Commissioned as part of the “Faber & Faber ‘Myths’ series” (alongside works by authors like Margaret Atwood and Ali Smith), Cusk’s play is a radical, minimalist, and psychologically brutal reimagining. Written in stark, contemporary prose rather than poetic meter, it strips the myth to its emotional and philosophical core: the experience of a woman betrayed, exiled, and driven to a horrific act of vengeance. The play premiered at the Almeida Theatre in London in 2015, directed by Rupert Goold, starring Kate Fleetwood as Medea. It was widely praised for its intellectual ferocity and unflinching look at motherhood, marriage, and female rage.