The present article is an attempt to understand Grillparzer’s »Medea« in the light of Hannah Arendt’s essay »We Refugees«. Written 1943 in english, Arendt’s article is often quoted as a paradigm for the understanding of the condition of refugees. Grillparzer’s character is
considered in this regard as a literary representation of the human, social and political condition of refugees as well. The tragedy deals with the consequences of a society that refuses to recognize the identity of the stranger and to enter into a dialog with him. Medea’s departure
to the temple of Delphi in the end of the drama is a symbol of the humanity and of the syncretism
between greeks and barbarians showing the hope for a dialog between cultures and
transforming the protagonist into a messenger of interculturality ante litteram
