A messenger comes onstage and reports that Creon and Creusa are both dead. The Chorus asks how they died, and the messenger responds that they died due to deceptive gifts. When the Chorus asks for more details about how they died, the messenger gives a vague answer, and then explains that the palace is on fire. Many people are afraid that the fire will spread and consume the city; it is also terrifying because the fire seems to be magical, and will not be put out, no matter what people do.

Amidst this news, the Nurse urges Medea to flee. Medea responds that these events are exactly what she wanted. She also remains unsatisfied and does not think that Jason has suffered enough. She urges herself to draw courage for still more heinous acts, and describes how she has finally attained the full height of her powers. She is on the cusp of arriving at her final plan of revenge, but she is only able to slowly admit it to herself. First, she thinks about how she wishes she had waited until Jason and Creusa had children together, so she could have made Jason suffer by hurting them—then it dawns on her that she can punish Jason by harming the children she has with him.