The two sons are considered stock characters because they are labeled merely as "sons" instead of having individual names. The two appear several times throughout the play but only speak in the one scene where their mother, Medea, murders them. Although these characters do not speak extensively, they play a vital role in the play in that they represent the only thing pure and untainted until they are finally brutally murdered. Both are very innocent to the raging actions around them although Medea sees them as a reminder of their father and his infidelity.