From Greek mythology to contemporary cinema, Medusa is one of folklore’s most recognizable figures. Whether heroine, villain, victim, or monster, this icon has captivated audiences for centuries. As our premiere of Dua: The Monster’s Story approaches, illuminating another version of this Grecian Gorgon, we’re taking a retrospective look at her three most iconic portrayals on screen in the past century. While there seems to be a definite drought in portrayals of Medusa that are accurate to the original story, comparing them against the Greek art and literature that they draw from illuminates where her story has gotten lost in the shuffle, and how adaptations like Dua flip the script on the male-centered narrative that has dominated pop culture.
Medusa Against the Son of Hercules (1963)
Alberto Martino’s 1963 Spanish-Italian peplum film depicts a loose retelling of the Perseus/Medusa myth, where Perseus, son of Hercules, has to defend Seriphos from the evil King Galinor of Argus. Straying heavily from the mythology itself, the film portrays Medusa as a sort of Loch Ness Monster – she is a one-eyed extraterrestrial who haunts the lake in the city. This is quite a departure from the original myth in which Medusa is the only mortal sister of three gorgons. As detailed in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, she was raped by Poseidon in a temple of Athena; furious that her temple had been disgraced, Athena turned Medusa into a monster capable of turning anyone who looks upon her face to stone. This film follows a common trend of recalibrating her story around her death at the hands of Perseus, one that is still persistent in pop culture.
Clash of the Titans (1981)
This film by Desmond David and Beverley Cross also uses the Perseus myth as its central narrative, with Medusa’s death reduced to one of many trials that Perseus must complete to protect and marry Andromeda. In the original myth, Perseus kills Medusa by using the reflection of his bronze shield to ensure he does not gaze upon her. Pegasus, the winged stallion-god, was born from her neck as she was beheaded. In this film, Perseus tames Pegasus before killing Medusa, which removes vital context from Medusa’s story: the beauty and divinity of Pegasus is often seen as representing the pure and powerful soul of the women wronged by the Gods. This male-centric storyline that erases her history is ultimately how Medusa came to be synonymous with monsters, especially through the late 20th century.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
In this adaptation of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson YA books, Medusa is portrayed as owning a garden center in New Jersey – each of the statues in the building people that she has turned to stone. Played by Uma Thurman, this Medusa is given more screentime than the previous two Medusas and is perhaps slightly more humanized, but her story still revolves around the Perseus myth. In a post-credits scene, her decapitated head is used to turn the protagonist’s abusive stepfather to stone, an act of vengeance that serves the male protagonist but might still be (optimistically) considered progress toward mythologically accurate portrayals of the character.
Though Medusa is such an iconic figure, she rarely gets time to shine in a myth of her own. We’re so excited for our upcoming reading of Dua: The Monster’s Story to zoom out on the origins of this complex figure and the rich mythology that has been so long overshadowed.
Abigail Chase (she/her) is an actor, dramaturg, and writer based in DC. She is a student at American University majoring in Terrorism/Security Studies and minoring in Psychology and International Affairs. She also serves as the Artistic Director of her university’s classical theatre troupe and as a screenwriting fellow with Cadence Theatre Company in Virginia.
This staged reading was made possible with support from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of Social Impact’s Local Theatre Festival 2023
Want to hear from the playwright on how Dua: The Monster’s Story came to be? Click here!