Hipólito (428 AC)
de Euripides - Grécia (480AC- 406AC)

Vénus, deusa do amor, invejosa do culto prestado a Ártemis pelo casto Hipólito, enfeitiça Fedra para que esta se apaixone pelo enteado. Rejeitada por Hipólito, Fedra suicida-se depois de escrever um papel onde acusa o enteado de a ter violado. Teseu expulsa o filho e apela a Neptuno que o castigue. Ao passar perto do mar, uma onda gigante, de onde sai um touro, assusta os cavalos de Hipólito e este é trucidado.


(Peter Paul Rubens - The Death of Hippolytus)


Texto comum às peças Hipólito de Euripides, Fedra de Seneca e Fedra de Racine:

Se há obras que dão reviravoltas na nossa vida de leitores, na minha, Metamorfoses de Ovídio foi uma delas. Desde que o li fiquei tomada de desmedida paixão por Mitologia e nunca me canso de ler sobre este mundo de deuses e mortais.
Em Ovídio li, pela primeira vez, sobre o amor fatal, e não correspondido, de Fedra pelo enteado Hipólito. Agora, li de seguida as versões de Euripides, Seneca, Jean Racine e Sarah Kane.
As cinco versões, com ligeiras diferenças, têm todas a mesma base.
Uma história onde todos são simultaneamente culpados e inocentes, vítimas e carrascos; excepto Hipólito pois o seu coração não se deixa tocar pelos desejos e paixões humanas. No final todos são destroçados porque sucumbiram ao amor, o sentimento mais nobre e mais feroz que domina e gera outros: o ciúme, o orgulho, a injustiça, a raiva, a vingança...

Pequeno resumo para enquadramento das personagens, comuns às quatro peças:
Teseu é filho de Egeu, rei de Atenas, e enteado de Medeia (a mulher de Jasão que matou os filhos). Teve um romance com Hipólita, uma rainha das Amazonas, de quem tem um filho: Hipólito.
Em Creta reina Minos, filho de Zeus, casado com Pasífae de quem tem vários filhos, entre os quais Ariadne e Fedra. Tem também um enteado, filho duma paixoneta de Pasífae por um touro. Este mocinho, que dá pelo nome de Minotauro, vive preso no labirinto criado por Dédalo, e é morto por Teseu com a ajuda de Ariadne (a do fio). Teseu abandona a ajudante na ilha de Naxos, a qual acaba a casar com o fofinho Baco.
Teseu regressa a Creta e casa com Fedra. Tudo podia acabar bem se a tonta da Fedra não se embeiça-se pelo Hipólito. É a história da paixão trágica de Fedra que inspirou as peças de Euripides, Seneca, Racine e Kane.

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.”

n  "Many a time in night's long empty spaces
I have pondered on the causes of a life's shipwreck.
I think that our lives are worse than the mind's quality
would warrant. There are many who know good sense.
But look. We know the good, we see it clear.
But we can't bring it to achievement."n

Hippolytus tells the story of Theseus' wife Phaedra, who is put under a love-spell by the vengeful Aphrodite after the latter is spurned by Phaedra's stepson Hyppolytus. Sick with love for her stepson, Phaedra is at her wits' end and finally shares her shameful secret with her nurse, who proceeds to tell Hyppolytus about it, albeit under oath. Phaedra, devastated by this turn of events, proceeds to take her own life, leaving a suicide note that accuses Hyppolytus of having raped her. Theseus, coming home to all this and refusing to believe Hyppolytus over his dead wife, curses Hyppolytus with (it turns out) one of the three wishes granted to him by Poseidon. He banishes Hyppolytus, but alas, having been cursed, he quickly dies. Artemis, another god whom Hyppolytus favored over Aphrodite, finally reveals the twisted machinations of Aphrodite to Theseus while Hyppolytus lies dying.

'Voli Artemidu više od mene,' pita se Afrodita. 'Platiće mi to!' Baca magiju na Fedru (maćehu), da se zaljubi u Hipolita. Fedra mu to otkriva, a ovaj čistunac je zgranut! Ovo je sam početak, otprilike se na tom početku i spojluje cela tragedija, ali ne moram i ja to da radim ovde. Očekivano (grčka tragedija, šta ćemo) dolazi do niza tragičnih događaja, na kraju je svima kao žao Hipolita, ali zapravo i ne. Niko ga ne voli.

A i teško ga je voleti, nije nimalo simpatičan. Potpuno je anti-erotičan. I anti-poetičan. Sve što radi je nekako bezveze. Dosadan je čak i dok jede. Mrzi žene, ali ne zato što je imao loše iskustvo s njima - zapravo i nije imao nikakvo iskustvo. Zevsu se žali:

"Što, Zeuse, zlo podmuklo - žensku čovjeku
ti stvori i na svijetlo svijeta iznese?
[...] u svom domu mogo je
bez žene smrtnik mirno živjet slobodan.
Al 'vako nam je pod krov vodit bijedu tu,
a doma svoga srećom mi to plaćamo.
Bjelodano je, žena da je silno zlo."

Ovo je tragedija o erotskoj ljubavi, ali i o jednoj od vrlina koju su Grci najviše hvalili: umerenosti. A umerenost kao takva je zapravo dosta problematična. Praktično je nevidljiva, nema je - umeren si kad nešto NE uradiš. Kako znaš da je neko umeren? Trebalo bi da ima neki poriv, strast, koja je izražena, pa se onda svom snagom bori protiv tih sila. Onda na osnovu toga možemo da kažemo, evo stvarno se potrudio... umeren je.

Festival grčke tragedije
1. Car Edip (Sofokle)
2. Iphigenia in Aulis (Euripid)
3. Agamemnon (Eshil)
4. Antigona (Sofokle)
5. Eumenides (Eshil)
6. Bahantkinje (Euripid)
7. Hippolytus the Bacchae (Euripid)
8. The Libation Bearers (Pokajnice - Eshil)
9. Pribjegarke (Eshil)
10. Ifigenija na Tauridi (Euripid)
11. Oedipus at Colonus (Sofokle)

Hipolitas buvo žiauriai nubaustas dievų už tai, kad buvo pernelyg… doras ir skaistus. Ir koks turėtų būti tokios pjesės moralas? Gal, kad net dorybės reikalauja saiko, ir jeigu esi labai perspaustai teisuoliškas, gali tuo užrūstinti dievus? Arba gal, kad dievai ne visada yra teisingi, ir todėl žmonės gali gauti visai ne tai, ko nusipelno? Nežinau, bet toks pagrindinės minties neaiškumas įgalina įvairias interpretacijas, o man tai yra vienas iš gero kūrinio požymių.

Review of Michael R. Halleran's translation of Euripides' Hippolytus (Focus Classical Library, 2001.) - Halleran's translation is very readable, and he provides brief, but good and helpful notes. This is a revised version of his 1995 translation (Aris and Philips), which also included the Greek text. This newer edition is directed to a wider readership and features a very useful Introduction where Euripides' earlier, now lost, version of Hippolytus (sometimes called 'Hippolytus Veiled') is also discussed - a topic that is (partly) picked up in his very interesting interpretative essay that concludes this book. The Introduction focuses on the play in the time and context it was written and first performed; the original staging of tragedy in general, as well as Hippolytus in myth and cult. The well-written concluding essay deals more in-depth with plot and structure, including major themes like speech, silence and deception; reputation, shame and honour; sōphrosynē; passion, reason and ignorance. – The combination of the translation, introduction and final essay in this edition makes it a very good choice both for the general reader as well as for those with some prior knowledge of Greek tragedy.



n  n
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“Dizem que nesta vida os exageros de uma virtude integra, imutável, causam mais decepções do que prazeres e impedem uma existência sadia.
Por isso sempre achei mais sábia a máxima “nada em excesso” que “nunca é demais”.
E me dará razão quem for sensato.”

Hipólito filho de Teseu se distinguia por sua beleza e virtude. Ele irritou a deusa Afrodite por seu excesso de pureza e por desdenhar do amor e da deusa (ele era devoto de Artemis a deusa da caça e da castidade)
Afrodite decidida a destruir Hipólito, fez a esposa de seu pai Fedra se apaixonar perdidamente pelo enteado, a ama de Fedra conta sobre os sentimentos dela a Hipólito que a rejeita. Fedra se enforca mas deixa um bilhete acusando Hipólito de atentar contra sua honra, Teseu amaldiçoa o filho que também morre. Artemis revela a trama de Afrodite.

A beautiful play with a simple plot but too many meanings & intertwined themes! It is a play about human emotions & feelings (e.g. jealousy, passion, anger, shame) and characteristics (e.g. impulsiveness), as well as it is a play about the human condition (subject to the will of deity). Moreover, it is about relationships, the relationship between people, between man and gods, and the relationships between the gods themselves. Human are subject to gods’ rules, decisions, and orders, and cannot escape their own dictated fates. Euripides shows that there gods share emotions similar to humans; for instance Aphrodite feels jealous of Artemis, who was devotedly worshiped by Hippolytus who choose to remain virgin. Moreover, these two goddesses may represent both erotic love (Aphrodite) and continence and chastity or virginal love (Artemis), and the conflict between these two types of love. On the other hand, although the reactions of the characters’ can be excused somehow as they were a kind of victims to the goddesses’ wills, but they show some flaw that also contributed to their tragic ending; for instance, Theseus’ reaction to Phaedra’s letter, coupled with his anger and impulsiveness led him to bring curses on his son, who died as a result; he did not even want to hear his son’s defense (blinded by his anger). One important issue is the breaking of trust and betrayal, which can be seen between Phaedra and her husband, and Phaedra toward Hippolytus (the letter), the nurse and Phaedra (she broke her promise of confidentiality). I feel that this play can bring more and more meanings after many readings and can be read more than once in order to reach its different meanings.

One of Euripides' best tragedies, and I am so glad I read it.

Hippolytus is the son of Theseus and he has devoted himself to a chaste life in service of Artemis. Aphrodite doesn't like that Hippolytus' chastity and devotion to that other goddess has caused him to turn a blind eye to her. So, she causes Phedra, who is Theseus' wife and Hippolytus' step-mother, since his biological mother was an Amazonian woman, to lust after Hippolytus. Phedra is conflicted and disgusted with herself, but her nurse ends up revealing the lust to Hippolytus. Obviously, he rebuffs Phedra, who then kills herself -- but not before alleging in a written note that Hippolytus raped her. Theseus blames Hippolytus -- wrongly -- for her death. He casts out his son -- and uses one of the three curses that Poseidon promised to him to kill Hippolytus, who is eventually struck down. Theseus ultimately learns what he's done and has some brief time to apologize to Hippolytus, before the latter finally dies.

Euripides' decision to make Theseus the victim and the most sorrowful is the best, most striking part of this play. Phedra and Hippolytus suffer in their own way, too, of course, and so does Artemis by losing her favorite devotee. But for Theseus to move from the one who has struck down to his son wrongly to a wretched and despairing victim makes this so powerful.

this was sooo good it's probably my favourite euripides play (apart from the bacchae ofc)

Oh, Euripides. You're so good at making totally crazy characters. For this story though, it's the Nurse. Her advice is not advisable...poor Hipploytus. I enjoyed this tragedy probably moreso because of reading Medea. I keep noticing things that feel similar like the rebuking of women's lust, the self-harming acts of spite, the roles of family being corrrupted (mother's relationship to their children), and the way that love can destroy people. Medea follows Jason and leaves everything because she's afflicted with a love for him and destroys her family, and here Phaedra is also afflicted to the point of ruining her family. I find it interesting that in this play the main character's don't seem as calculating in their bad decisions. Jason and Medea have all sorts of justifications and explanations for their evils, but the nurse and Theseus seem to have just acted rashly. My reaction to the end of this play was definitely more one of regret than horror and anger, which is what I felt reading Medea.

I really want to read more of Euripides. I can understand why the Athenians were horrified by his plays but still asked him to keep writing them. He has this way of making you feel like you're looking at a terrible car crash that should never have happened, but it's hard to look away. I think more than anything else in my career in Classics up to this point, I really just want to read Euripides in the original Greek and analyze it. I bet it's mind-blowing.

4 Stars