CHORUS If ever there were a character due to be knocked off a pedestal, this is he. I say naught of stepmothers; they are no whit more merciful than the beasts. 62. i.e. THESEUS Then cities were not surrounded with massive walls, set with many towers; no soldier applied his fierce hand to arms, nor did hurling engines burst through closed gates with heavy stones. What? In this, Racine’s ending is superior to Euripides’. The first “act” ends when Phaedra decides to take Oenone’s advice to win over Hippolytus for the purpose of joining forces against Aricia. A website that provides background to the myths behind Euripides' Hippolytus and to general themes in the play: Robin Mitchell-Boyask A website detailing some of the common tropes in popular culture that can be found in Euripides' Hippolytus: TV Tropes The text of Seneca's Phaedra >>; A useful introduction to the themes and content of Seneca's play: Gradesaver Study Guide Some women have sinned with safety, but none with peace of soul. These fires the race of winged creatures feel. Venus, detesting the offspring of the hated Sun, is avenging through us the chains that bound her to her loved Mars, and loads the whole race of Phoebus with shame unspeakable. The play was first produced for the City Dionysia of Athens in 428 BC and won first prize as part of a trilogy. 51. Phaedra wrote to him, confessing her love and suggesting he pay homage to Aphrodite with her. if Theseus has escaped Pluto, Hippolytus has gone to fill his place. With my couch, by such crime as this, was it thy pleasure to make first test of manhood? 60. [741] Let fame compare with thee30 all ancient beauty, fame, admirer of the olden time; as much fairer does thy beauty shine as gleams more brightly the full-orbed moon when with meeting horns she has joined her fires, when at the full with speeding chariot blushing Phoebe shows her face and the lesser stars fade out of sight. Here, here I’ll hasten by the shortest way. It is possible that in the first play Euripides focused on the real consequences of Hippolytus’ blindness, which may not have been well received by his cult-worshipping contemporaries. Let Hippolytus see the bright day no more, and in youth pass to the ghosts that are wrathful with his sire. When Theseus threatens the nurse to find out the truth of what has happened, she shows him the sword that Hippolytus had left. At such a time swart India holds striped tigers in especial fear; at such a time the boar whets his death-dealing tusks and his jaws are covered all with foam; African lions toss their manes and by their roarings give token of their engendered passion. First, Hippolytus is introduced as feeling restless and confined, wanting to go look for his missing father, and unwilling to admit that he’s in love with his father’s enemy Aricia. With no light sweep the flood rolls forward; some strange thing in its burdened womb the heavy wave is carrying. [608] Entrust thy troubles to my ears, mother. Scenes from Greek Drama. PHAEDRA Nonetheless, Seneca’s tragedies were taken quite seriously as drama by subsequent generations of playwrights, most notably the Elizabethans in England but also not inconsiderably the Italians and the French. His fault? he has rushed headlong forth and, dazed, in panic flight, has left his sword. Instead, Seneca names his work Phaedra, signaling that it is in this character that his Stoic lesson is to be found. THE SCENE is laid throughout the court in front of the royal palace at Athens, and the action is confined to the space of one day. [585] Her fainting body has fallen suddenly to earth and death-like pallor has overspread her face. [Exuent.]. No slave is he of kings, nor in quest of kingship does he chase empty honours or elusive wealth, free alike from hope and fear; him venomous spite assails not with the bite of base-born tooth; those criems that spawn midst the city’s teeming throngs he does not know, nor in guilty consciousness does he quake at every sound, or frame lying words. Neptune. Today, it is one of Seneca’s most widely-read plays, a work of high passion reined in by carefully constructed language. Then, truly, the plunging horses, driven by mad fear, broke form control, struggled to wrench their necks from the yoke, and, rearing up, hurled their burden to the ground. Nay, Phoebus, himself, who guides with sure aim his arrows from the bowstring, a boy of more sure aim pierces with his flying shaft, and flits about, baneful alike to heaven and to earth.