Phaedra
Phaedra is a play written by the Greek playwright
Euripides. It is concerned with dike,
justice, but also with sophrosyne, or control: how do people
control themselves? When should they control themselves? Is control
always good? In this way, the play confronts Greek ideas about nomos
and physis.
The play takes place in the later part of the life of Theseus
of Athens, after he gets back from fighting the Minotaur
and becomes king. If we
were to try to place it in history, it would be about 1300 BC.
Since he got back from Crete,
Theseus has had a son with Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. The
son is named Hippolytus, but Hippolyta has died. (Their names mean
Horsey ones, people who have something to do with horses).
Theseus has also gone back to Crete again and married Ariadne's little
sister, Phaedra (no more is ever heard from Ariadne). Phaedra (FEE-drah)
is a good deal younger than Theseus, and Hippolytus is now a young
man, so they are not very different in age.
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(a project)
In the play, Hippolytus, Phaedra, and Theseus are all living together in Troizen, near Athens. Hippolytus is a very pure young man who spends most of his time hunting and sacrifices to Artemis, the virgin goddess. He is not at all interested in girls, and he is proud of being always in control of his emotions and his body.
Phaedra, on the other hand, is not at all in control of her emotions or her body. She falls in love with her step-son Hippolytus, and, even though she knows this is wrong, she does not succeed in controlling herself. She sends her slave to tell Hippolytus how she feels. (The Greeks thought of women as having less self-control than men).
Phaedra tells her slave about Hippolytus (from Pompeii)
Hippolytus is outraged, and very upset, when he finds out how Phaedra feels about him. He runs away into the forest. The slave comes back to tell Phaedra that Hippolytus is shocked by her love.
The Chorus sings a song saying that while Phaedra ought to have more self-control, Hippolytus needs to have less: he needs to let himself go sometimes, learn to listen to his body and his emotions. People are made of both body and brain, and reason should not always control everything, but there is a place for love as well.
More about Phaedra (page two)
Theseus
Artemis
Poseidon
Euripides
Medea
Main Greek Literature page
Main Ancient Greece page
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