What would you do if suddenly everything in your life were out of your control? This is the question that Euripides poses in his ancient Greek tragedy Hippolytus. Mad at Hippolytus for renouncing everything she symbolizes and has power over, Aphrodite curses his step-mom Phaedra to fall in love with Hippolytus in order to punish him with the very thing he claims to hate: sexual desire. In doing so, Aphrodite has permanently changed the course of Phaedra’s life. Knowing that her love for Hippolytus would damage her public social status since it borders on infidelity by dishonoring her husband Theseus, Phaedra endeavors to ensure that nobody ever discovers her new feelings for Hippolytus. Although Phaedra seems driven by a need for dignity and
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When Phaedra enters the play for the first time, she immediately asks her nurse to help her control her body which “won’t obey [her],” (223) calling to attention the lack of control her feels over her body. Even more specifically Phaedra requests that the nurse help remove the “too heavy” (225) veil from her head. The veil in ancient Greek cultures refers to the modesty and fidelity of a wife thus by removing that article of clothing Phaedra symbolically has shed her loyalty to her husband. Unfortunately, because of Aphrodite’s curse, Phaedra lacks control over her “delicate arms” (224) and requires help from others around her. This shows Phaedra’s lack of agency twofold: first, she’s driven to remove the veil by the will of a goddess and, second, she cannot even remove the veil by her own actions. By describing the veil as being heavy despite the fact that it’s most likely made of a light cloth considering that it’s meant to be worn on the head, Euripides reveals how Phaedra’s role as a wife further burdens her as she desires another man against her will. Because she longs to bring another man into her marriage bed, Phaedra later notes, after she regains her senses, …show more content…
Because she had no choice in loving Hippolytus, had no ability to ever choose to be with him, and could not prevent Hippolytus from finding about her love, Phaedra decides that the only way to avoid “scandal on [her] name” (798) is by killing herself. By justifying her actions as a means to protect her reputation from “scandal,” Phaedra once again projects her obsession with public social status. However, the context through which she says this reveals how a greater desire for agency truly drives her fixation with reputation. For example, in response to hearing that her nurse had revealed her secret to Hippolytus, Phaedra orders her to “mind [her] own affairs” (784) instead of meddling with Phaedra’s, declaring that she herself “will make things right” (785). Her orders to her nurse clearly demonstrate Phaedra’s belief that other people have messed with her life while her statement that she will fix the problem reasserts her desire to solve her affliction by her own actions. She just wants to have the opportunity to decide what happens in her life and how people perceive it. In fact, the suicide note she leaves falsely
When Phaedra enters the play for the first time, she immediately asks her nurse to help her control her body which “won’t obey [her],” (223) calling to attention the lack of control her feels over her body. Even more specifically Phaedra requests that the nurse help remove the “too heavy” (225) veil from her head. The veil in ancient Greek cultures refers to the modesty and fidelity of a wife thus by removing that article of clothing Phaedra symbolically has shed her loyalty to her husband. Unfortunately, because of Aphrodite’s curse, Phaedra lacks control over her “delicate arms” (224) and requires help from others around her. This shows Phaedra’s lack of agency twofold: first, she’s driven to remove the veil by the will of a goddess and, second, she cannot even remove the veil by her own actions. By describing the veil as being heavy despite the fact that it’s most likely made of a light cloth considering that it’s meant to be worn on the head, Euripides reveals how Phaedra’s role as a wife further burdens her as she desires another man against her will. Because she longs to bring another man into her marriage bed, Phaedra later notes, after she regains her senses, …show more content…
Because she had no choice in loving Hippolytus, had no ability to ever choose to be with him, and could not prevent Hippolytus from finding about her love, Phaedra decides that the only way to avoid “scandal on [her] name” (798) is by killing herself. By justifying her actions as a means to protect her reputation from “scandal,” Phaedra once again projects her obsession with public social status. However, the context through which she says this reveals how a greater desire for agency truly drives her fixation with reputation. For example, in response to hearing that her nurse had revealed her secret to Hippolytus, Phaedra orders her to “mind [her] own affairs” (784) instead of meddling with Phaedra’s, declaring that she herself “will make things right” (785). Her orders to her nurse clearly demonstrate Phaedra’s belief that other people have messed with her life while her statement that she will fix the problem reasserts her desire to solve her affliction by her own actions. She just wants to have the opportunity to decide what happens in her life and how people perceive it. In fact, the suicide note she leaves falsely