Hippolytus

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 =1.) Plot=

A.) The Plot, A Brief Synopsis B.) The Plot, Short Notes C.) The Plot, A Comic



A.) The Plot, A Brief Synopsis
The play, Hippolytus, takes place in Troezen, a costal town near to Athens. Theseus is spending his time in Troezen as a voluntary exile to atone for his killings. His stepwife, Phaedra, and his illegitimate son Hippolytus both join him in this story. Hippolytus, being Theseus’ illegitimate son, has been raised and trained in Troezen since childhood.

At the beginning of the play Aphrodite, a goddess (particularly the one associated with love) appears and mentions how Hippolytus, having sworn chastity, honours Artemis instead, and how she plans to punish Hippolytus for scorning women and, thus, her as well. This plan, incidentally, revolves around Pheadra, Hippolytus’ stepmother, of which Aphrodite has charmed into falling in love with Hippolytus. This charming proves to be the pivotal issue which drives the play’s plot.

Hippolytus, following Aphrodites’ explanation of her revenge, appears in a temple showing reverence to a statue of Artemis, who happens to also represent chastity. He is then approached by a servant who warns him not to displease Aphrodite, but the servant is ignored. This first scene reveals that Hippolytus is not at all interested in women and is quite ignorant of his impending fate. Also, his seeming disdain for Aphrodites hints, though does not justify, that Aphrodites’ revenge is reasonable.

The chorus, a common tool for greek playwrights, consists of the married women of Troezen. They enter the play following the temple scene, describing how Phaedra does not seem to be eating or sleeping. Phaedra’s nurse manages to wrangle from her the fact that she has fallen in love for Hippolytus, and Phaedra explains that that is the cause for her fasting as she desires to die with honor. The nurse, believing that the issue can be resolved, lies to Phaedra and tells her she can be cured with some unknown medicine. She then proceeds to tell Hippolytus about Phaedra and her love for him. After telling Hippolytus she makes him swear to tell no one no matter what about what she has said. Hippolytus then remarks angrily about his disdain for the nature of women, partially revealing why he has chosen a life of chastity, and further revealing why Aphrodites wants to exact revenge upon him. Phaedra, understanding that Hippolytus now knows, believes herself to be doomed to ridicule and such and so she commits suicide. Before she does so, she makes the Chorus swear secrecy regarding her death. Thus, she dooms Hippolytus, though he is unaware.

In the next scene, Theseus returns only to find his wife dead with a letter on her body explaining that she had committed suicide because Hippolytus raped her. The chorus, being bound by their pact with Phaedra, cannot tell him the truth. Hippolytus appears, and though he seems quite innocent in his demeanor Theseus immediately questions him about the alleged crime. Hippolytus, being true to his word, holds his tongue and does not tell Theseus what he knows, only that he is innocent. Theseus, believing the letter to be the truth, curses Hippolytus using one of the three curses which his father Poseidon (the god of water, ocean, sea) has promised him and then exiles him. After the chorus sing a lament to Hippolytus’ fate, a messenger enters the scene and tells Theseus that Hippolytus is dying due to a accident wherein a bull scared the horses of his chariot which ended up dragging him about. The messenger, pitying Hippolytus, tries to sue pardon for him saying that he is innocent, but Theseus refuses to believe and is quite happy with the turn of events.

Suddenly, Artemis appears before Theseus and tells him the truth of the situation. She lays partial blame on Theseus for cursing his son, but understands that the main faults lays with Aphrodite. She promises justice by saying she will kill one of Aphrodites’ favorite humans. Hippolytus is then carried in to a remorseful Theseus, and though Hippolytus was obviously wronged he forgives Theseus and does not lay the blame of his death upon him. Thus, the play of Hippolytus ends.

B.) The Plot, Short Notes 1.) The Plot Table of Contents Back to Main Page



B.) The Plot, Short Notes
-Story revolves around Aphrodites' plan for revenge via Phaedra, Hippolytus' mother. Aphrodite desires vengance on Hippolytus for scorning women, and thus her.

-Phaedra is charmed into loving Hippolytus two years before the play's settings

-Story begins with Phaedra explaining that she has fallen in love with Hippolytus, her step son, and plans to commit suicide so she can die with honor

-Phaedra's nurse explains the situation to Hippolytus, which causes Phaedra to panic when she discovers he knows. Phaedra proceeds to hatch a plan to insure she retains honor.

-Theseus returns to the scene and finds his wife dead. He also finds a letter on her body written by her which explains that she has committed suicide because Hippolytus raped her.

-The chorus and Hippolytus are bound by an oath not to speak of Phaedra's love, and thus cannot tell Theseus what has occurred.

-Theseus curses and exiles Hippolytus. Hippolytus then falls to the curse in an accident with his horses.

-Artemis appears and explains what has happened to Theseus. Hippolytus absolves Theseus of blame with his dying breaths.

C.) The Comic 1.) The Plot Table of Contents Back to Main Page



C.) The Plot, A Comic


2.) Major Themes 1.) The Plot Table of Contents Back to Main Page

 =2.) Analysis of Major Themes=

A.) Man’s attempt to repress sexuality/natural desires B.) The uncertainties of life C.) Honor



A.)Man’s attempt to repress sexuality/natural desires
This theme appears through Hippolytus’ desire to avoid women in the story. He reveres Artemis, the god of hunt and chastity. His vow of chastity ends up leaving him with the wrath of Aphrodites, who decides to meddle in his affairs for the worse.

Hippolytus, when finding out that Phaedra has fallen in love with him begins to remark on women, calling them poisonous. His reaction reveals to the full extent on why he seems to avoid them.

Hippolytus’ chastity, though seeming good in nature, ends up causing him grief. This end result in the story may be a sign that repressing natural desires convolutes into bad effects. Certainly, it would not be the first time Euripides has dealt with the issue of repressed sexuality in his plays.

B.) The uncertainties of life 2.) Major Themes Table of Contents Back to Main Page



B.) The uncertainties of life
This play deals much in the theme of the uncertainties of life. These uncertainties, in this case, mostly appear due to the action of the Gods. However, the play can still take these uncertainties without the interference of the gods as being quite possible (Though Phaedra fell in love due to Aphrodites meddling, she could have just as easily fell in love without).

In fact, when looking at the play in a godless sense, this theme resounds quite clear. Events match up so perfectly as to show how even the puritanical and pure youth Hippolytus could suddenly be thrown into a series of events wherein he dies. The gods, in this play, simply serve as an explaining force in order to rationalize the actions and results of human interactions.

This theme of uncertainty also appears in Theseus’ rash decision to curse and exile Hippolytus. He does not have concrete proof that Hippolytus is guilty of any crime, but still decides to punish him for it. In turn, he is proven wrong and is remorseful for his actions. Thus, uncertainty displays itself in the play

C.) Honor 2.) Major Themes Table of Contents Back to Main Page



C.) Honor
Honor also plays a major part in the play. Due to honor, both Phaedra and Hippolytus are lead to their deaths. This theme appears both to be a virtue and a type of human weakness.

Phaedra, quite obviously, worries about her honor as she reveals that she has fallen in love with her stepson. When she realizes that this might be revealed to her ridicule, she devises a plan to make sure she retains her honor. She commits suicide and lays the blame on Hippolytus, so that he might die with her. This would assure that she retains her honor, as Hippolytus would be quite dead and unable to reveal her love for him. In this, ironically, she assumes that Hippolytus will remain honorable to his oath to not speak of her love.

Hippolytus, having been framed, is left with two decisions: remain honorable to the oath to not tell of Phaedra’s love, or face the wrath of Theseus. He decides to remain honorable. This decision ends up with his death.

Thus, though the characters strive to be virtuous with their honor, it also leads them to their eventual doom. Thus, the theme of honor pervades the play of Hippolytus.

3.) Characters 2.) Major Themes Table of Contents Back to Main Page

 =3.) Character List and Analysis=

A.) Aphrodites B.) Artemis C.) Hippolytus D.) Nurse E.) Phaedra F.) Theseus



A.) Aphrodites
Aphrodites plays a major role in this play, though behind the scenes. She directly influences Phaedra into falling in love with Hippolytus in order to punish him for his chastity and scorn of women. She ends up succeeding in her desires to punish Hippolytus, but she ends up incurring the anger of Artemis, who vows to kill one of her favorite humans in return for Aphrodites’ meddling.

Aphrodites is best known as the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. She is the mother of Cupid, a god who can make humans fall in love with each other via his arrows

B.) Artemis 3.) Characters Table of Contents Back to Main Page



B.) Artemis
Artemis plays a relatively small role in the play, revealing herself at the very end to conclude the play. She reveals Aphrodites’ intervention and promises Theseus vengeance. She is the favored god of Hippolytus.

Artemis is best known as the Greek god of hunting and chastity.

C.) Hippolytus 3.) Characters Table of Contents Back to Main Page



C.) Hippolytus
One of the main characters of the play, which is obvious as the play is named after this character. Hippolytus, through a strange turn of events, ends up dying due to his stepmother’s actions. He remains chaste and honorable throughout the novel, though these actions end in his demise instead of benefiting him.

He worships Artemis as he wishes to live a life of the hunt, and respects chastity. His worship of Artemis and desire for chastity leads to the ire of Aphrodites, who decides to have him put in his place by causing his mother to fall in love with him, which then causes a chain of events resulting in his death.

Hippolytus, in other versions of this story, ends up falling in love with another woman other than Phaedra. When Phaedra offers her love to him he is horrified, and she becomes angry and accuses him of rape, but does not commit suicide. His lover pleads for his innocence, but he is still found guilty. He dies all the same.

D.) Nurse 3.) Characters Table of Contents Back to Main Page



D.) Nurse
A relatively small character in the story. The nurse, believing that all can be resolved in regards to Phaedra’s love, decides to tell Hippolytus of it. This ends up being a rather bad descision, as Phaedra concludes that she must now commit suicide or else risk losing her honor.

E.) Phaedra 3.) Characters Table of Contents Back to Main Page



E.) Phaedra
The stepmother of Hippolytus, Wife of Theseus.

Another of the main characters in the play. Phaedra is faced with a dire situation after being charmed into loving Hippolytus: she must risk losing her honor or she must die to preserve it. After being rejected, essentially, by Hippolytus she decides that she must commit suicide. However, having been rejected, she decides to involve Hippolytus in her death.

She plants a note on her body that is found by Theseus after she hangs herself. Inside the note she lays blame to Hippolytus, occusing him of raping her. Thus, she becomes responsible to some degree for Hippolytus’ death.

Phaedra begins as a character that compassion can be shown for in the beginning of the play, but after she drags down Hippolytus with her, this view is essentially lost. However, one must realize that she herself was manipulated by a god into her lust for her stepson.

F.) Theseus 3.) Characters Table of Contents Back to Main Page



F.) Theseus
Another major character in the play. Theseus is the father of Hippolytus and the husband of Phaedra. Theseus, having found his wife dead when returning home, ends up blaming Hippolytus as his only proof is the letter found on his wife’s corpse. In his anger he curses and exiles his stepson.

Theseus ends up being wrong in his decision, as he later finds out that his son is blameless. In the play, Theseus seems to be very much dictated by his quick wrath. He probably serves as a lesson to be reasonable and not be controlled by anger.

4.) Discussion Questions 3.) Characters Table of Contents Back to Main Page

 =4.) Discussion Quesitions=

A.) Time Period B.) Author's Purpose C.) Literary Techniques D.) Literature Characteristics



A.) Time Period
What is the time period and how does it affect the literary style?

A play written in 4th century BC Hippolytus has many newly discovered philosophical properties. As with all mythological contexts there was divine intervention which acts as a catalyst for the events that lead to tragedy.

B.) Author's Purpose 4.) Discussion Questions Table of Contents Back to Main Page



B.) Author's Purpose
What is the author's purpose in writing the selected piece?

Hippolytus portrays society’s disregard for rationality in the midst of high emotion. The audience is able to grasp that humanity symbolized by King Theseus when overcome by passion and will irrational and unforgiving.

C.) Literary Techniques 4.) Discussion Questions Table of Contents Back to Main Page



C.) Literary Techniques
What literary techniques does the author employ in achieving his or her purpose?

Euripides employs irony to get his purpose across. Hippolytus is punished because, King Theseus believed that he had raped and killed Pheadra. This is irony because, Hippolytus never harmed Pheadra. In addition to irony there are also elements of Juxtaposition which enables you to sympathize with either Theseus, Pheadra, and Hippolytus.

D.) Literature Characteristics 4.) Discussion Questions Table of Contents Back to Main Page



D.) Literature Characteristics
How is the literature characteristic of the time period?

Ancient greek mythology heavily focused on dire choices heroes had to make that would define the essence and morality of that hero. If that hero exeriences lack of misjudgment it most likely lead to the downfall of the hero resulting in a tragic hero. Divine intervention was not uncommon and was used as a justification for any course of action. In addition to this Greek literature was heavily focused on revenge and rage.

5.) Works Cited 4.) Discussion Questions Table of Contents Back to Main Page

 =5.) Works Cited=

1. "Hippolytus (play)." Hippolytus, the play. 10/9/2006. Wikipedia Donors. 11 Oct 2006 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolytus_(play])>.

2. "Hippolytus." A summary and analysis of the play by Euripides. 2002. Historical Publishing Company. 11 Oct 2006 .

3. "The Internet Classics Archive." Hippolytus, By Euripides. Web Atomics. 11 Oct 2006 .

4. "Hippolytus." Hippolytus, A synopsis of the play by Euripides. Moonstruck Drama Bookstore. 11 Oct 2006 .

5. "Euripides, (c. 480-406 B.C.)." Euripides. Moonstruck Drama Bookstore. 11 Oct 2006 .

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