3.75 stars. Hippolytus is definitely one of my favourite plays by Euripides. I love how Euripides gives a human dimension to Greek Gods. No two Gods are as different as Artemis and Aphrodite, and their friction provided a great foundation for the drama that occurred. I was not a fan of Hippolytus himself but other than that this play was excellent. I even think I wrote more notes for it than for the Bacchae, which is saying something.

Ciò che maggiormente distingue Euripide da altri autori greci è la sua forte critica e demistificazione dei valori tradizionali della sua cultura: il mito e gli dei. “Ippolito", in particolare, non si limita ad essere una tragica rappresentazione degli istinti e delle inclinazioni umane, - che possono talvolta essere positive e altre volte negative - ma propone un’umanizzazione delle divinità tradizionali, che perdono la loro unicità divina, mostrando chiaramente di possedere tratti tipici dell'umanità: odio, gelosia, rabbia e sete di vendetta. Fedra e Ippolito, pervasi dai dubbi e rappresentanti di due credi opposti: castità ed Eros, non sono altro che pedine nelle mani delle due dee Afrodite e Artemide. Mentre Artemide spinge i suoi seguaci verso la via della purezza, respingendo il desiderio carnale e l'amore di qualsiasi tipo, Afrodite è la dea della passione, dell’impeto e dell’istinto, che non tollera di essere ripudiata. L’insegnamento che Euripide vuole trasmettere al pubblico è che l’uomo è una creatura multiforme, ricca di sfumature e incline tanto all'errore quanto alla giustizia. Un essere che non può sottrarsi all’Eros, abbracciando una vita fatta solo di purezza, così come non può lasciarsi dominare completamente dalle passioni, poiché in entrambi i casi peccherebbe di hybris.

Βραβείο πιο ξιπασμένου χαρακτήρα ελληνικής τραγωδίας στον Ιππόλυτο,ο οποίος σε όλη τη διάρκεια του έργου εξυμνεί τη σοφία, την αρετή και την τελειότητά του. Έχει κι έναν εξαιρετικό μονόλογο, στον οποίο βρίζει τις γυναίκες κι εύχεται να μπορούσαν να τεκνοποιούν με διαφορετικό τρόπο οι άνδρες, ώστε να μη χρειάζονται αυτά τα φίδια μέσα στα σπίτια τους.

Με τούτα και με κείνα, στο τέλος ευχήθηκα "Στα τσακίδια και να μην μας γράφεις!",παρά την αθωώτητά του.

Και για να μη νομίζετε ότι υπερβάλλω..

Από τα σχόλια 121 και 123 (σελ. 176):

-"[...] Δεν είναι όμως αυτός ο σκοπός του Ευριπίδη. Αντίθετα θέλει να παρουσιάσει την πτώση του Ιππόλυτου ως αποτέλεσμα του ελαττώματος που είναι η αντίστροφη πλευρά της απόλυτης αγνότητάς του: η αφοσίωσή του στην αγνότητα συνδέεται με ολική απόρριψη ενός σημαντικού μέρους της ανθρώπινης φύσης και ζωής."

-"Ακόμα και ετοιμοθάνατος ο Ιππόλυτος δεν αμφισβητεί την τελειότητά του. Ο στενόμυαλος πουριτανισμός του τον ακολουθεί ως το τέλος της ζωής του. Δεν αναγνωρίζει το σφάλμα, την έλλειψη στον χαρακτήρα του και πεθαίνει θεωρώντας τον εαυτό του θύμα αδικίας και παραλογισμού."

Σε επίπεδο διαλόγων και χαρακτήρων το βρήκα κατώτερο από άλλα έργα του Ευριπίδη, γι'αυτό και 3 αστερακια.

One of my least favorite Greek plays, the characters felt completely flat and utterly without agency, just mindlessly and implausibly programmed by the gods (or one goddess, Aphrodite) who has Phaedra fall in implausible and overwrought love with her stepson Hippolytus while his love for Artemis over Aphrodite feels arbitrary and rigid. Not to mention long stretches of exposition and a contrived ending (OK, not the only Greek play with one of those).

Note: I read the Rachel Kitzinger translation in the excellent The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes

Despite the noble act of forgiveness advocated in the final moments, I found this drama to be mostly lacking energy and emotional verve. I think part of the reason was the choice to keep Theseus from entering until halfway through the drama. I realize that he must be “away” from certain events to transpire, but we are left with little development of his relationship with either Hippolytus or Phaedra. The other problem I had was the Hippolytus is actually the least interesting character in the drama. Since we know what will happen from almost the beginning, the real meat of this play is the interaction between Phaedra and the Nurse, leaving the final half of the play to be mostly anticlimactic.

این نمایش از جمله نمایش‌های اوریپید است که یک خدا مقصر بدبختی‌های تراژدیک وارده است و به این دلیل هم سخت ملامت می‌شود. تم دیگر نمایش، ضدیت جامعه با تجرد است. تجرد هیپولیتوس شاید به خاطر زن‌ستیزی او باشد؛ او نهایتا به شکل کنایه‌آمیزی قربانی مکر زنان نیز می‌شود. شاید او یکی از اولین ایسکشوال‌های تاریخ باشد؛ در واقع او از سر زهد نیست که به خدای عشق بی‌احترامی می‌کند، بلکه صرفا شکار را به تختخواب ترجیح می‌دهد.

john mulaney voice i think hippolytus is aroace

it was good, I generally like euripedes's works, but I liked medea more

11/8/2019
I'm not too sure if I will add a complete review to this one, but I didn't like the depiction of most characters.

Maybe it was the translator, maybe it’s Euripides, or maybe it was the story, but I enjoyed this play immensely, especially the split between the female dominated start and the male dominated ending.

این نمایشنامه داستان آشنای عشق ممنوع زن پدر به پسر است. مثل یوسف و زلیخا، سیاوش و سودابه.
خدایانی که هر یک نماینده ی نیرویی در طبیعت اند در وجود ایپولیتوس به تاخت و تاز و جنگ می پردازند. ایپولیتوس سرسپرده ی ارتمیس خدای شکار و حیوانات وحشی است. آفرودیت که از زن ستیزی و تقبیح عشق او خشمگین است برایش دامی گریزناپذیر پهن می کند. تقدیر نابودی ایپولیتوس و زن پدرش را می خواهد. حتی خدایان را توانایی دخالت در آن نیست.

Euripides depicts here Phaedra suffering, starving herself to death. The nurse after trying hard, gets her confession on what is the problem. Aphrodite cursed her to Love Hippolytus, her stepson.

Phaedra ends up suiciding, after her secret is revealed, Theseus arrives to see her dead body and a letter, which makes the king thinking that Hippolytus wanted to rape Phaedra.

Theseus curses Hippolytus, which then crashes on an accident and returns to the palace, about to die. Artemis told Theseus just before about the fake letter of Phaedra.

Hippolytus pardon his father for the curse, as he is very sad with Aphrodite curse on Phaedra, which made Theseus wrong Hippolytus.

It's an ok plot, showing the abscence of interference from one god to another, but a total interference on human affairs, on greek mythology.