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Hippolytus Summary Hippolytus is a mortal prince who prefers chastity and hunting to the pursuits under Aphrodite’s purview. He therefore worships Artemis, goddess of the hunt and virginity, to the exclusion of Aphrodite, goddess of love. Furious at this slight, Aphrodite avenges her honor by causing Hippolytus’ stepmother, Phaedra, to fall in love with him. When the horrified Hippolytus rejects Phaedra, she hangs herself out of shame, but not before writing a letter accusing her stepson of raping her. Upon reading the note, Hippolytus’ father, Theseus, curses his son, which leads to Hippolytus’ death. In the last scene, Artemis appears to reveal the truth to Theseus and comfort her dying protégé. Before she vanishes, Artemis promises to avenge Hippolytus’ death by inflicting a comparable punishment on Aphrodite’s next mortal favorite.

Hippolytus Character List Theseus

Theseus is the king of Athens. He is in Troezen with his wife Phaedra serving a year of voluntary exile for murdering the Pallantids, who are nobles of Attica, the region around Athens. His illegitimate son Hippolytus also lives in Troezen. At the beginning of the play, Theseus is absent, having gone to Delphi to visit the oracle. When he returns to Troezen, he finds that his wife has committed suicide and has implicated Hippolytus. He curses his son, who dies as a result. Theseus plays an important role throughout Greek mythology. Most myths tell that he has two fathers, Poseidon (the god of the sea) and Aigeus (a mortal), both of whom slept with his mother, Aethra. Theseus therefore has both divine and mortal characteristics, much like other Greek heroes. As an adult, he unified the Attica region under the throne of Athens. Like Heracles, he performed a number of heroic feats, as related in several primary sources, including Apollodorus’ Bibliotheke. He is particularly famous today for killing the Minotaur in the labyrinth in Crete. He also plays a role in Sophocles’ work Oedipus at Colonus, one of the plays in the Theban trilogy.

Hippolytus

Hippolytus is the illegitimate son of Theseus and the Amazon Antiope (alternately Hippolyte). As a child, he was sent to Troezen to be raised by his great-grandfather Pittheus. Theseus hoped that when Pittheus died, Hippolytus would inherit the rule of Troezen while his legitimate children would rule over Athens. Hippolytus worships Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, to the exclusion of the other gods. He is committed to remaining chaste, which angers Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Angry at his refusal to honor her, Aphrodite plots against him, causing his stepmother, Phaedra, to fall in love with him. When he rejects Phaedra’s desire, she commits suicide and accuses him of raping her. When Theseus discovers Phaedra’s accusations, he curses Hippolytus, who dies because of the curse.

Phaedra Phaedra is the wife of Theseus and therefore Queen of Athens. She is the daughter of Minos, king of Crete, and came to Athens after Theseus killed the Minotaur. After marrying Theseus, she falls in love with his illegitimate son Hippolytus. Aphrodite causes Phaedra’s desire in order to further her plot to destroy Hippolytus. Phaedra tells her nurse about her passion for her stepson, who then reveals this to Hippolytus. In order to preserve her honor,

Phaedra commits suicide by hanging herself, but not before writing a letter accusing Hippolytus of raping her. Most critics (including Aristophanes) agree that Phaedra and not Hippolytus is the principal character in this play.

The Chorus of Palace Women The chorus is composed of women who live in Troezen. As is typical in Greek drama, the chorus provides context, continuity, and commentary for those viewing the play. They also provide a more universal perspective on the action.

The Nurse The nurse is Phaedra’s confidante, but she reveals her mistress’ illicit desire to Hippolytus, causing Phaedra’s suicide.

The Goddess Aphrodite Aphrodite is the goddess of love. In contrast with the typical portrayal of a sensual and benign goddess, Euripides depicts Aphrodite as a terrifying and vengeful goddess with immense power. Though she appears only in the prologue, she is essentially the mastermind of the entire narrative. Infuriated over Hippolytus’ refusal to worship her, she concocts a plot of revenge. Aphrodite

causes Phaedra to fall in love with Hippolytus, which ultimately causes his downfall. In the play, Aphrodite also goes by the name “Cypris,” a name that refers to her birthplace on the island of Cyprus. (Different myths, however, posit other locations for her birthplace.)

The Goddess Artemis Artemis is the virginal goddess of the hunt, chastity, and childbirth. She is often depicted as a hunter, carrying a bow and arrow. In the play, she is the patron of Hippolytus, who prefers to remain chaste and enjoys hunting. After Aphrodite destroys her favorite, Artemis vows to avenge his death. She appears only in the epilogue to reveal the truth of what has happened over the course of the play.

Hippolytus Glossary Affability (n.) 1. the characteristic of being pleasant and at ease in talking to others; 2. the characteristic of being friendly

Antistrophe (n.)

a returning movement in Greek choral dance exactly answering to a previous strophe

Beguile (v.) to lead by deception, hoodwink

Coronal (n.) a circlet for the head usually implying rank or dignity

Dalliance (n.) the act of playing, especially amorous play

Eddying (adj.) to move in an current of water or air running contrary to the main current, especially a circular current

Expound (v.) to explain by setting forth in careful and often elaborate detail

Extremity (n.) the farthest or most remote part, section, or point

Goad (n.) 1. something that pains as if by pricking; 2. something that urges or stimulates into action

Inviolate (adj.) not violated or profaned, pure

Marrow (n.) the inmost, best, or essential part

Obstinate (adj.) 1. perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion; 2. not easily subdued, remedied, or removed

Ply (v.) to use or wield diligently; to practice or perform diligently

Rave (v.) 1. to talk irrationally in or as if in delirium; 2. to speak out wildly

Scourge (n.) a cause of wide or great affliction

Sovran (adj.) sovereign; one possessing or held to posses sovereignty; one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere

Strophe (n.) the movement of the classical Greek chorus while turning from one side to the other of the orchestra

Suppliant (adj.) humbling imploring, entreating

Suppliant (n.) who makes a humble entreaty, especially to pray to God

Taint (n.) a contaminating mark or influence

Tempered (adj.) qualified, lessened, or diluted; moderated

Tempestuous (adj.) of, relating to, or resembling a tempest; turbulent, stormy

Thwart (adv.) to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle

Travail (n.) work especially of a painful or laborious nature; toil

Wrack (v.) to cause to suffer torture, pain, anguish, or ruin

Hippolytus Themes Lust and Continence Framing the action of Hippolytus is a prologue and an epilogue, each spoken by a goddess. Within the play, these goddesses are Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Artemis, goddess of chastity. We can allegorize the representations of these goddesses and read the drama as a conflict between lust and continence, played out by Phaedra (lust) and Hippolytus (continence). Euripides refuses, however, to turn this conflict into a moral commentary, condemning either lust or continence, which we, as a modern audience, might expect. Rather, he depicts both Phaedra’s illicit desire and Hippolytus’ chastity as monstrous. Although we cannot know whether Greece in the fifth century would have considered such a sexual relationship between stepmother and stepson incestuous, such a union would be an obvious violation of the father’s trust. Similarly, the audience would have seen Hippolytus’ insistence on chastity as a gross perversion at the time of the play’s first

performance. Instead of a moral commentary, the two conflicting elements simply reveal the power that passion holds over humans.

Betrayal At the heart of the conflict in Hippolytus is the theme of betrayal, which threatens nearly every human relationship in the play. Phaedra’s desire for her stepson, for example, violates her marriage vows with Theseus and betrays his trust. While she struggles to overcome her lust, she explains her troubles to the nurse, from whom she exacts a promise never to reveal the cause of her suffering. Hoping that it will alleviate Phaedra’s pain, the nurse breaks her vow and informs Hippolytus of Phaedra’s desire, which not only leads to Phaedra’s suicide but the destruction of Hippolytus as well. In death, Phaedra betrays her stepson, leaving behind a letter that falsely accuses him of raping her. Upon returning home, Theseus discovers the letter and assumes his son has betrayed him. In his outrage, he curses his son in a violation of the bond between father and son, which duly leads to Hippolytus’ death. It is interesting to note that Hippolytus is the only character who manages to avoid the act of betrayal. By not acting on his stepmother’s desire, he remains faithful to his father, and further, he upholds his oath to the nurse, even when being accused of treachery by his father. To an extent, this loyalty redeems his

perverse insistence on chastity, which is the cause of the play’s conflict.

Jealousy and Revenge In order to appreciate the impact that jealousy and revenge have on the action of the play, we must first understand the prologue and Aphrodite’s anger at Hippolytus. Hippolytus is the particular devotee of Artemis, which we are to realize means that he worships this goddess to the exclusion of the other gods. Aphrodite takes particular offense to this slight since Hippolytus’ vow of chastity is in direct conflict with her purview of erotic love. Jealous of his exclusive worship of Artemis, Aphrodite concocts a plot to avenge Hippolytus’ wrongs against her. Revenge is thus the root of the play’s action. These themes also characterize interactions between the play’s mortal characters. Hurt by Hippolytus’ reaction to the nurse’s revelation, Phaedra commits suicide to preserve her honor but not before composing a letter that accusing Hippolytus of raping her. Although the text indicates that Phaedra writes the letter to avoid the shame that public knowledge of her desire would bring, we can also read this as an act of revenge against the man who so cruelly rejects her. When Theseus discovers Phaedra’s letter, he assumes

she is telling the truth, and he too exacts revenge against Hippolytus, both cursing him and exiling him from the kingdom. The play concludes with a final promise of revenge from Artemis. Infuriated by Aphrodite’s destruction of her favorite, Artemis pledges to avenge Hippolytus’ death by punishing the next mortal favored by her rival goddess.

The Relationship between Man and the Gods The central conflict of the play, specifically Aphrodite’s desire for revenge, derives from confusion over the proper relationship between man and the gods. It may not be readily obvious to readers today, but fifth-century Greek audiences would have recognized that Hippolytus’ refusal to worship Aphrodite was a violation of the proper reverence due a goddess of her stature. People customarily worshiped all of the gods rather than choose whom they wanted to obey. A patron god or goddess would have been acceptable; indeed, heroes with specific patrons populate many Greek myths. However, insulting a god by refusing to worship him would have been suicide, which the play so aptly demonstrates.

The Relationship between the Gods Euripides’ nuanced portrayal of the gods is a defining characteristic of his tragedies, and his depiction of Aphrodite and Artemis in Hippolytus is no exception. Unlike the voluptuous goddess of love in visual representations, Euripides’ Aphrodite is vindictive and vengeful. Wrath similarly defines Euripides’ interpretation of Artemis, though this is hardly original ground. One of the more famous myths about Artemis features the goddess punishing a mortal man, Actaeon, who sees her bathing. Due to the similarities between the goddesses, we can read them as foils for each other: one sexualized and the other virginal. This reading can help us understand how the two goddesses relate to each other and, more generally, about the relationships between the Olympian gods. Euripides depicts Aphrodite and Artemis in competition, and although Artemis could not interfere directly in Aphrodite’s affairs, her vow at the end of the play emphasizes the deadliness of their rivalry. Their interaction typifies the relationships between the gods, which range in disposition from tolerant to hostile. Susceptible to human emotions such as jealousy and

anger, the gods seem little different than the mortals who worship them.

The Role of Women in Society In many of his plays, Euripides explores the role of women in Greek society. He seems particularly interested in perverse or monstrous women (perhaps most memorably depicted in Medea’s slaughter of her children), and in Hippolytus, Phaedra’s incestuous desire represents a perversion of her wifely obligations. Whether or not a fifth-century Greek audience would have considered a sexual relationship between mother and stepson incest, we can easily understand that Phaedra’s lust for Hippolytus is a gross violation of her husband’s trust. Yet Phaedra’s impropriety extends beyond her illicit desire. During this period, a wife’s principal duties involved managing the household and raising the children, and Phaedra’s mania prevents her from performing these tasks. Even her appearance betrays her impropriety. When she emerges from the palace in the second scene, she leaves her hair loose and uncovered, which, as we can interpret from the nurse’s reaction, would have been immodest in fifth-century Greece.

Honor Just as it is throughout the corpus of Greek mythology, honor (timê) is a primary concern of Euripides’ characters. When Phaedra falls in love with Hippolytus, she resolves to conceal her passion so as not to bring shame and the community’s censure upon herself. Upon the revelation of her lust, Phaedra’s immediate fear is for her reputation. Worried that Hippolytus will dishonor her by sharing her story, she commits suicide and leaves the letter accusing Hippolytus of rape to ensure that Troezen remembers her virtue and honor. The alleged rape of his wife naturally offends Theseus’ honor, and he consequently punishes his son for causing this shame. Of course, the action of the entire play hinges on Aphrodite’s scheme to destroy Hippolytus, whose refusal to worship the goddess of love dishonors her.

Hippolytus Quotes and Analysis “I would hold in my hand a spear with a steel point.”

Phaedra, Line 221

At this point in the play, Phaedra is raving manically about her desire to escape to the mountains are partake in masculine pursuits such as hunting. Phaedra’s wildness here reflects her inner struggle to overcome her desire for Hippolytus although she refuses to explain the cause of her mania. Her words, however, betray her passion. The spear is blatantly phallic, and her invocation of a weapon used in the hunt alludes to Hippolytus, whose favorite pastime is hunting. This expressed longing to hold in her hand the “spear” so clearly linked with Hippolytus is a graphic illustration of Phaedra’s lust for her stepson.

“Love distills desire upon the eyes, love brings bewitching grace into the heart of those he would destroy. I pray that love may never come to me with murderous intent [...]”

The Chorus, Lines 525-9

Here the chorus provides commentary on the terrifying power of erotic love. Phaedra has just revealed her desire for Hippolytus, and the nurse and chorus have concluded that Phaedra’s perverse

passion is a curse from Aphrodite. The chorus’ expressed fear of love and its potential for malevolence emphasizes Euripides’ depiction of erotic love as a consuming and destructive force. The viciousness of love plays out in the rest of the drama as Aphrodite destroys the lives of Phaedra, Hippolytus, and, by extension, Theseus.

“That husband has the easiest life whose wife is a mere nothingness, a simple fool, uselessly sitting by the fireside. I hate a clever woman—God forbid that I should ever have a wife at home with more than woman’s wits! Lust breeds mischief in the clever ones. The limits of their minds deny the stupid lecherous delights.”

Hippolytus, Lines 737-44

Hippolytus’ description of the ideal woman appears in the midst of his misogynistic tirade, but Athenian audiences would have seen the flaws in his preference for a foolish wife. Women had to raise children as well as manage the household, which included the family stores and capital. A stupid wife would be incapable of

adequately managing the household. Furthermore, husbands and wives had to work together for the benefit of the family: the man in outdoor or public pursuits and the wife in the home.

“I’ll hate you women [...]. Some say that I talk of this eternally, yes, but eternal, too, is woman’s wickedness. Either let someone teach them to be chaste, or suffer me to trample on them forever.”

Hippolytus, Lines 664-8

Hippolytus’ misogyny is a problem in the play, complicating interpretations of his character. One of the most confusing elements of his misogyny is the fact that his “patron” goddess Artemis is technically a woman. Her divinity and chastity exempt her from Hippolytus’ hate. However, while her patronage of the traditionally male sport of hunting gives her certain masculine characteristics, she is also the goddess of virgins and childbirth. It seems, therefore, that Euripides challenges his audience to reconcile Hippolytus’ misogynistic attitude with his devotion to Artemis.

“The shame of her cruel fate has conquered. She has chosen good name rather than life: she is easing her heart of its bitter load of love.”

The Chorus, Lines 773-5

Honor is a central theme of Euripides’ tragedy, and this quotation illustrates the importance of honor over life. Worried that Hippolytus will make public her desire, Phaedra commits suicide rather than face dishonor. Fear of shame motivates characters throughout Hippolytus. Hippolytus chooses his father’s pain and his own exile rather than proclaiming his innocence and thereby breaking his oath to the nurse. His honorable decision results in his death.

“You are the veritable holy man! You walked with Gods in chastity immaculate! I’ll not believe your boasts of God’s companionship [...]”

Theseus, Lines 948-50

Theseus’ words accuse Hippolytus of hypocrisy. Convinced of his son’s guilt by Phaedra’s suicide note, Theseus assumes that his

son’s protestations of chastity and love for the goddess Artemis are false. Unlike the impassioned speech of Phaedra, Theseus’ accusations are mechanical as if this were a rhetorical exercise. Euripides gives no sense of Theseus’ interiority or personal outrage at his son’s betrayal. Theseus instead relies on Hippolytus’ two defining characteristics, virginity and love of Artemis, which in light of Phaedra’s rape prove his son false. This speech illustrates the problem Euripides faced after killing Phaedra halfway through the play. Although he must resolve Hippolytus’ storyline, his interest in doing so is purely academic, and the writing loses its spark.

“[Y]ou will tell me that this frantic folly is inb...