First Prize Winner at the City Dionysia in 428 BCE
SUMMARY
If you are familiar with the framing device of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the protagonist of this story, Hippolytus, is the son of Theseus, King of Athens, and Amazon Queen Hippolyta. At the beginning of the play, Aphrodite is annoyed that “everyone” is worshiping Artemis and takes revenge on Theseus’ family. She curses his wife, Phaedra, to fall in love with his son, Hippolytus. After a failed attempt at restoring her sanity by her nurse, Phaedra hangs herself, leaving behind a note which Theseus finds. After reading the note, he believes that Hippolytus raped Phaedra. Hippolytus denies raping his stepmother and claims he is a virgin. Theseus exiles Hippolytus. On his way to exile, Hippolytus is killed by his own horses. Artemis arrives to tell Theseus about Aphrodite’s plot. Theseus makes amends with his dying son.
THEMES
Gods, adultery, lovesickness, suicide, jealously, revenge, curses, impulsive behavior, parenting, women, blended families
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS PLAY
Hippolytus almost reads like a parody of a tragedy:
- Aphrodite is petty and doesn’t care that Phaedra will die as collateral damage in her revenge plot.
- The deaths in the play are a direct result of Aphrodite’s jealousy and not fate.
- Hippolytus is exceptionally “jolly” when he first enters the play. He is singing a song and telling Artemis that she is more beautiful than Aphrodite.
- The nurse takes it upon herself to “move the story along” and betray Phaedra’s confidence. She is also conveniently absent when everything falls apart, and Artemis has to explain what happened.
- Hippolytus gives a long contradictory speech about everything wrong with women.
- Artemis also conveniently leaves out that the nurse told Hippolytus about Phaedra’s lust.
- Hippolytus suggests his own punishment to Theseus.
- Hippolytus returns almost dead to have a conversation with Theseus (much like an opera) before dying.
- Theseus is left with the information that Poseidon is actually his father when his cursing of Hippolytus actually works.
- Throughout the play the Chorus has a constant attitude of “huh?” in response to the goings-on.
MEMORABLE LINES
After the Nurse tells Phaedra that she can help Phaedra “end her trouble” with a love charm, Phaedra tries to get more information:
PHAEDRA: This charm: is it an ointment or a drink?
NURSE: “I don’t know. Don’t be overanxious, child, to find out what it is. Accept its benefits.”
Hippolytus’ view on women:
HIPPOLYTUS: It ought to be that servants have no access to women; wild beasts should live with them, who bite, not talk, so that they could not speak to anyone, nor be answered back by them…Rest assured, woman, that it is my piety alone which saves you.
Translation by E.P. Coleridge, Mary Jane Rein, and Gregory Nagy, University of Houston
Picture Credit: Artur Pawlak, “Bull,” 2021