Hippolytus is the story of the title character, who is caught up in a weird, slightly incestuous situation, as his step-mother falls violently in love with him due to interference with Aphrodite. By this point, any reader knows that mentions of incest are not too uncommon in Greek drama of any kind (if this case even technically counts as incest), but I feel that the main reason these kinds of situations show up is to present a warning against this. Perhaps in a historical sense, this was an issue, but who knows?

The plot of this story is fairly simple: Phaedra, Hippolytus' step-mother, falls in love with Hippolytus because Hippolytus would not back down from his allegiance with Artemis for Aphrodite. Out of her guilt and shame, Phaedra kills herself, but not before leaving a note saying that Hippolytus raped her (perhaps she felt the need for revenge?). Theseus, Phaedra's husband, becomes enraged and sends Hippolytus to exile. However, Hippolytus is killed in a chariot accident, as his horses becomes scared and crash him into rocks. Was this predestined by the gods?

All in all, this play is a good one that develops characters fairly well as a whole; the story is woven in a unique way that only the Greeks could have done. Surprisingly, it doesn't really seem that Hippolytus is the main catalyst of the story, but rather someone who has been caught up in a very awkward situation. I feel that he is the real tragic character mainly because he really didn't do much wrong at all, but the fate of the gods led him to the situation.

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

Quedé

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.

Maarit Kaimion suomentamassa Euripideen näytelmässä aiheena on luvaton rakkaus, jonka osapuolena ovat Ateenan kuninkaan Theseuksen puoliso Faidra ja tämän poikapuoli Hippolytos. Tässä niin kuin usein muissakin tekijän draamoissa jumalten osuus ratkaisevaa, ja sekin toteutetaan tuttuun tapaan jumala koneesta -ratkaisulla näytelmän lopussa.

Jumalat, jotka ovat tämän tragedian osapuolia, ovat Artemis ja Afrodite. Jälkimmäinen tuntee tulevansa laiminlyödyksi, kun Hippolytos on ainaisilla metsästysmatkoillaan, eikä noteraa Afroditen mahtia mitenkään. Näyttämölle asteleva jumalatar lupaa kostaa Hippolytokselle, niin että ”manalana portit avautuvat”, ja niin tuleekin käymään.

Onneton Faidra joutuu siis Afroditen kirouksen kohteeksi ja riutuu rakkaudesta Hippolytokseen. Vastakaikua ei heru, ja sitä pääsee trozenialaisten naisten kuoro valottamaan. Ennen pitkää epätoivoinen Faidra päätyykin itsemurhaan kostaessaan Theuseuksen pojalle välttääkseen häpeän ja samalla syyttää Hippolytoksen maanneen äitipuolensa.

Tästä draamallinen jännite vain kasvaa, kunnes päästään raivostuneen Theseuksen ja amatsonin pojan viimeiseen kohtaamiseen. Poseidon lunastaaa kuninkaalle antamansa kauhean lupauksen, ja vielä loppuratkaisussa selviää, miten näytelmän hahmot olivat toimineet aiemmin ja millä perustein.

Euripides ottaa siis hyvin kantaa, minkälaiset voimat tai harhaluulot ohjaavat ihmisten toimintaa, ja Artemiskin pääsee ääneen: ” – – ihmiset menevät harhaan jos jumalat niin tahtovat.”

I just can't love it more!

Es war ok. Ippolito ist ein Boss.

Nonostante tutto, non sono mai riuscita a empatizzare con Ippolito, con il suo modo di comportarsi fastidiosamente pio e retto. Mentre Fedra, innocente, subisce la punizione che Afrodite doveva riservare al solo Ippolito, rimanendo vittima della solita infantilità tipica degli dei.
Il suo essere donna la rende una perfetta candidata per divenire il soggetto delle follie dell'Amore: ancora una volta, i capricci delle divinità vengono collegati alle caratteristiche negative delle creature femminili. Ed è quindi facile mettersi nei suoi panni, nella sua scelta di porre fine alla sua vita e di farlo, in un qualche modo, tentando di mantenere quel poco di onore che tutti sembrano volerle strappare.

It'd be profoundly weird to give a lengthly negative review to Euripides, but I did not enjoy this much as a casual reader. Hippolytus doesn't work well as a sympathetic character but nor does he deserve the insane stuff that happens to him. The deception and unravelling of events at the centre of the play feels weak and its conclusion unearned, but like I said, it's Euripides, I've not studied the play, I'm reliant on one of hundreds of translations I read and I don't think my review is indicative of much beyond my own experience with one specific version, so I'm not going to assert it's rubbish.

I had to read it for my Greek Tragedies class. The character of the Nurse is pretty cool.

denial is a river in egypt

Ah! Zeus! Por que impões ao homem o flagelo
de mau caráter chamado mulher e o mostras
à luz do sol? Se desejavas propagar
a raça dos mortais, não seria às mulheres
que deverias dar os meios para isso.
Em troca de ouro ou ferro ou do pesado bronze
depositado em teus altares, deverias
ter concedido aos homens meios de comprar,
segundo as suas oferendas, o direito
de ter os próprios filhos e poder viver
livres da raça feminina em suas casas.
Eis a prova de que a mulher é um grande mal:
o pai, que lhe deu vida e a criou, concede-lhe,
para livrar-se desse mal, um dote e pode,
assim, mandá-la um dia para outro lugar.
Por sua vez, aquele que recebe em casa
essa raça fatal, esmera-se em cobrir
com adornos belos o ídolo indesejável,
mas para ornamentá-la com lindos vestidos,
aos poucos o infeliz vê os seus bens sumirem.
Não há muitas alternativas; se ele teve
a sorte de aliar-se a uma família boa,
em atenção a seus parentes é forçado
a conviver com uma mulher desagradável.
Se, para conseguir uma boa mulher,
o pretendente aceita seus sogros inúteis,
para ter o seu bem ele suporta um mal.
A sorte menos má é receber em casa
alguma nulidade que, de tão obtusa,
nem é notada. Detesto a mulher pensante
e faço votos para que em meu lar futuro,
jamais haja mulher com mais inteligência
que a meramente necessária ao próprio sexo!
O fato é que Cípris faz a perversidade
nascer principalmente na mulher pensante;
as ignorantes não chegam a ser perversas
pelas limitações de sua inteligência.
Não deveriam as criadas acercar-se
de suas donas. Teriam de restringir-se
ao convívio silente dos irracionais;
assim não falariam a nenhuma delas
nem delas jamais ouviriam a palavra.
De fato, vêem-se mulheres pervertidas
tecendo na intimidade planos pérfidos
que são levados para fora por criadas.