The Golden Fleece

work by Grillparzer

Also known as: “Das goldene Vlies”

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

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Franz Grillparzer's The Golden Fleece (Das Goldene Vlies) is a drama that draws from the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts. The play explores the quest for the Golden Fleece, a task set for Jason by his uncle Pelias, who had usurped his father's throne. Jason, with the help of the sorceress Medea, retrieves the fleece, but their return is fraught with further tragedy, including Medea's actions and Jason's eventual desertion of her. Grillparzer's work is noted for its pessimistic outlook, with Medea asserting that life is not worth living, and it delves into themes of conflict between action and contemplation, often leading to despair.123

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Franz Grillparzer
…trilogy Das Goldene Vlies (1821; The Golden Fleece) was interrupted by the suicide of Grillparzer’s mother and by illness. This drama, with Medea’s assertion that life is not worth living, is the most pessimistic of his works and offers humanity little hope. Once more the conflict between a life of…
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…trilogy Das Goldene Vlies (1821; The Golden Fleece) was interrupted by the suicide of Grillparzer’s mother and by illness. This drama, with Medea’s assertion that life is not worth living, is the most pessimistic of his works and offers humanity little hope. Once more the conflict between a life of…
Read More