Greek Plays Phaedra\" and \"Hippolytus\":

Greek Plays

Phaedra" and "Hippolytus": A tragedy of desire or disrespect for the gods?

Compare and Contrast Euripides' "Hippolytus" and Racine's "Phaedra"

Although Racine's "Phaedra" takes the myth behind Euripides "Hippolytus" as its inspiration, the 17th century French play does not adopt the theme of the ancient Greek tragedy into its own dramatic construction or in the characters of its main protagonists. Euripides "Hippolytus" counsels the impossibility of serving only one of the gods, rather than all of gods. It focuses on the royal house of Theseus, Phaedra, and Phaedra's stepson. The characters are static and less complex than in the later version -- Hippolytus worships Artemis alone, Phaedra Aphrodite and Hippolytus is a chaste young man, preferring the hunt to women, and Phaedra is a lustful woman, willing to destroy the man she loves but cannot have according to his own will and according to her marital status.

In contrast, Racine focuses on the sexual conflicts within the heart of the title protagonist alone. This reflects the shifting focus of modern drama. Rather than focus on the public conflicts between humanity and the gods, and how to create a more just society, now dramatists such as Racine were more interested in human introspection and how humans dealt with personal conflicts, such as a reconstructed family. Also, all of the characters in Racine are torn apart by desire. Hippolyte in Racine also feels love, although not for Phaedra, his stepmother.

The thematic difference between the two versions of the ancient myth is evident, as Euripides' tragedy begins, not with the inner reflections of either Phaedra or her stepson Hippolytus, but with a monologue by Aphrodite. Aphrodite was the Olympian goddess of love. Phaedra honors Aphrodite alone, and spurned the chaste goddess Artemis. In contrast, Phaedra's stepson Hippolytus loves to worship Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt and unmarried. To Aphrodite's great anger, this beautiful young man spurns love, desire, and worst of all Aphrodite's beloved follower Phaedra. "But for his sins against me, I will this very day take vengeance on Hippolytus; for long ago I cleared the ground of many obstacles, so it needs but trifling toil," the goddess says. Clearly, the story is framed not simply as a familial conflict, but a cosmological conflict. Hippolytus has shown, time and time again, hubris and arrogance towards Aphrodite, believing he can pick and chose what gods and goddesses he may honor. The play ends as it begins, with a deux ex machina, or a god descending from the heavens to sort out human affairs. (Euripides, "Hippolytus," MIT Classics Archive)

Because Hippolytus has also shown arrogance to Phaedra, Aphrodite's favorite, Aphrodite expresses sympathy for her: "then began the wretched wife to pine away in silence, moaning 'neath love's cruel scourge, and none of her servants knows what disease afflicts her." Aphrodite predicts to the audience what will happen over the course of the play, showing how the gods know how humanity's fates will unfold. Thus "will the father slay his child, my bitter foe, by curses, for the lord Poseidon granted this boon to Theseus; three wishes of the god to ask, nor ever ask in vain. So Phaedra is to die, an honored death 'tis true, but still to die; for I will not let her suffering outweigh the payment of such forfeit by my foes as shall satisfy my honor." This attitude makes it seem as though humans, rather than possessing free will, not only in their emotional life of love, but also in their actions and destinies, have no control over what happens on earth. Phaedra is a pawn in her desire, used by Aphrodite to wreck vengeance against Hippolytus' hubris. (Euripides, "Hippolytus," MIT Classics Archive)

In contrast, the 1677 French tragedy "Phaedra" by Racine begins with Hippolyte talking to his trusted advisor Theramenes, without any concrete presence by the gods. This places the conflicts of the play squarely in the realm of the human and the kingdom on earth, rather than in terms of the relationships of the gods. In fact, the gods do not have a physical, palpable presence in most of the drama at all, other than in rhetoric. Humans have free will in the sense that Hippolyte can debate what to do about his dilemmas. Also, because the earthly world is more of a concern, he can debate internally if he fulfills Phaedra's lust, he will dishonor his father in Racine. Like in Euripides, Hippolyte does not desire Phaedra, but he is capable of desire, and like all of Racine's characters, even though love can feel like an uncontrollable force, humans are not merely manipulated by the gods -- they must bear the consequences of their actions as souls in this Christian understanding of the myth. Phaedra's language, although the play is set in ancient times, is explicitly Christian, as she speaks of her desire "To banish the enemy who made me an idolater," in her efforts to banish Hippolyte. ("Phaedra," translated by Tony Kline, line 294)

In terms of fatherly betrayal, while it is also true in Euripides that Hippolyte does not wish to dishonor his father, what is of greater concern to the young man is the honor he owes to the goddess Artemis, to whose chastity he has consecrated himself in a sacred fashion. This honor comes not from purity of thought, but in terms of making sacrifices to the gods and honoring their temples on earth. But Hippolyte loves and respects his father in Racine more than he talks of the divine: "Stop, dear Theramenes, show Theseus some respect," he shouts, even when most angry with his father. ("Phaedra," translated by Tony Kline, line 23) In contrast, Hippolytus in Euripides version, although the young man cares for his father, is much less internally tormented: He loves Artemis more than he loves any of the other characters in the play. "For thee, O mistress mine, I bring this woven wreath, culled from a virgin meadow, where nor shepherd dares to herd his flock nor ever scythe hath mown, but o'er the mead unshorn the bee doth wing its way in spring; and with the dew from rivers drawn purity that garden tends." (Euripides, "Hippolytus," MIT Classics Archive) Euripides' Phaedra in turn gives similar homage to Aphrodite.

But Phaedra in Racine works actively, internally to extinguish her love for Hippolyte rather than simply honoring or calling upon the gods. But rather than abandoning herself to passion, as she does in Euripides, Phaedra in Racine is much more controlled, initially, putting on a show of despising the boy so she may drive him away from her presence and remain faithful to her husband. "I die to evade this disastrous urge to confess," she states, again showing a strong sense of internal guilt, rather than a sense of being manipulated by fate and the gods. ("Phaedra," translated by Tony Kline, line 26) Rather than showing respect and worship for love, as personified in Aphrodite a la Euripides, Racine's Phaedra is openly tormented by sexual desires. Like Euripides' Phaedra, she is physically weakened and overcome by desire in the opening scenes, but Euripides Phaedra blames herself more than the gods, unlike her maid Oenone, stating that she must not confess her desire.