Senecas tragedy phaedra, also called hippolytus, is based on the play hippolytus by euripides. Phaedra, is a play by philosopher and dramatist lucius annaeus seneca, which tells the story of phaedra, wife of king theseus of athens, and her consuming lust for her stepson, hippolytus. The confrontation between the prig hippolytus and his possessed stepmother phaedra is astounding. The story of hippolytus and phaedra as recounted by euripides, seneca and racine.
If hippolytus were only a shadowy figure, phaedra s love would be incomprehensible, and the tragic dimensions of a great passion would be reduced to mere wantonness. The story of hippolytus and phaedra as recounted by. Metaphors drawn from our experience as embodied beings in the world with a particular physiology, a particular physical orientation, beings who are at home in particular natural and social environments are fundamental in making things that might. Nov 08, 2016 created using powtoon free sign up at create animated videos and animated presentations for free. Phaedra 1962 jules dassin directs his wife, melina mercouri, and rising star, anthony perkins, in margarita lymberakis adaptation of euripides hippolytus, with a stunning film score by mikis theodorakis, in simmering black and white cinematography by jacques natteau. Whereas in euripides phaedra is the victim of loves passion and ungainly hold. This thesis will look at ways in which three source texts collectively have been reworked and reimagined in various receptiontraditions. A similarity between the two presentations is that of the hunt. Ovidius naso, the epistles of ovid, phaedra to hippolytus.
Describe one way that racines phaedra is different from euripides s hippolytus. Aphrodite 1 mighty and of high renown, among mortals and in heaven alike, i am called the goddess aphrodite. Click download or read online button to get euripides hippolytus and seneca s phaedra book now. Adapted from hippolytus by euripides, it tells the story of phaedra and her taboo love for her stepson, hippolytus, although with a much more. It seems likely that it was meant instead purely for recitation, as would befit its emphasis on long speeches, its small cast of characters, and its relative brevity when. Phaedra with attendant, probably her nurse, a fresco from pompeii circa 6020 bc.
This close reading of senecas most influential tragedy explores the question of how. I reread seneca s phaedra for the first time in almost forty years. In euripides hippolytus, phaedra is a sympathetic character cursed by aphrodite because of hippolytus refusal to worship aphrodite while in seneca s phaedra the tragedy results from phaedra s extreme emotions and destructive actions. Phaedra sometimes known as hippolytus is a tragedy by the roman playwright seneca the younger, written around 50 ce. Based on greek mythology and the tragedy hippolytus by greek playwright euripides, seneca s phaedra is one of several artistic explorations of this tragic. Hippolytus euripides ancient greece classical literature.
Phaedra seneca phaedra is a roman tragedy with greek subject of c. Phaedra sometimes known as hippolytus, a play by seneca the younger based on the phaedra myth and on euripides play hippolytus. His surviving work includes ten tragedy plays, nine of which are based on mythological themes. A useful introduction to the themes and content of seneca s play. In the play, hippolytus, phaedra, and theseus are all living together in troizen, near athens.
The epistles of ovid, translated into english prose, as near the original as the different idioms of the latin and english languages will allow. Seneca s phaedra is actually remarkably similar to euripides hippolytus, although he concludes his tragedy far more viciously, and with more obvious violence. The character of phaidra in hippolytus from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. It is the tale of phaedra, wife of king theseus of athens, and her forbidden obsession with her stepson hippolytus. I can easily understand seneca s enormous influence on subsequent drama. In his absence, queen phaedra fights a guilty passion for her stepson, hippolytus, and he nurses a secret love for aricia, a princess of athenian enemy blood, to whom. Phaedra and hippolytus download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. The text of the actual play, which is called hippolytus in greek. Seneca s tragedy phaedra, also called hippolytus, is based on the play hippolytus by euripides. Dramatic necessity dictates that in spite of the extraordinary intensity of her emotions, phaedra does not dominate the stage entirely. It is believed that euripides first treated the myth in a play called hippolytos kalyptomenos hippolytus veiled, now lost, in which he portrayed a shamelessly lustful phaedra who directly propositioned hippolytus on stage, much to the displeasure of the athenian audience. The story of hippolytus and phaedra as recounted by euripides. Each multiform has a few distinct differences that impacts the meaning of the myth as whole. Phedre, a dramatic tragedy by jean racine first performed in 1677.
Hippolytus euripides translated by david kovacs aphrodite hippolytus servant chorus nurse phaedra theseus messenger artemis aphrodite enters above the skene. Hippolytus wakes her, then asks why she is so ill at ease. Written by euripides, the play hippolytus won a performance contest as part of a trilogy in athens in 428 bce. Hippolytos is a tragedy by the ancient greek playwright euripides, first produced at the athens city dionysia in 428 bce, where it won first prize as part of a trilogy.
Both the roman playwright, seneca, and his greek counterpart, euripides have interpreted the tale of hippolytus and phaedra and the curses that were bestowed upon them. Doc mind, metaphor, and emotion in euripides hippolytus. Click download or read online button to get phaedra and hippolytus book now. Most critics including aristophanes agree that phaedra and not hippolytus is the principal character in this play. Adapted from hippolytus by euripides, it tells the story of phaedra and her taboo love for her stepson, hippolytus, although with a much more sensual and shameless phaedra than in euripides. Some scholars argue that it is unfair to measure seneca exclusively by a standard of dramatic literature since he was foremost a philosopher and rhetorician. For other englishlanguage translations of this work, see phaedra seneca. Phaedra feedrah is a good deal younger than theseus. Phaedra has been the subject of many notable works in art, literature, music and film. Phaedra married king theseus of athens and gave him two sons. Click download or read online button to euripides hippolytus and seneca s phaedra book pdf for free now. Euripides hippolytus and seneca s phaedra download euripides hippolytus and seneca s phaedra ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Phaedra seneca wikisource, the free online library.
Seneca the younger, phaedra theoi classical texts library. Pdf download phaedra and hippolytus free ebooks pdf. The french playwright racine was inspired by this play to write phaedra. Phaedra seneca the younger ancient rome classical literature. In support of my thesis i examine three interrelated phenomena. Dating from perhaps earlier on in the chronology of seneca s tragedies, the phaedra combines two storytelling motifs. The play was first produced for the city dionysia of athens in 428 bc and won first prize as part of a trilogy. When phaedras passion was revealed to him, he reacted with such revulsion that she killed herself, leaving a note accusing hippolytus of having tried to rape her. When confronted by phaedras desire, euripides hippolytus retreats to a. Theseus has also gone back to crete again and married ariadnes little sister, phaedra no more is ever heard from ariadne. Seneca the younger was a latin playwright and philosopher who flourished in rome in the late c1st a. For this paper, i have chosen to discuss the myth as retold by ovid, seneca, and euripides. Phaedra is a fabula crepidata, or a roman tragedy about greek subjects, told in verse by roman dramatist lucius annaeus seneca.
Please listen to me from hippolytus and phaedra by ernie. In the view of greek mythology and the tragedy hippolytus by greek dramatist euripides, seneca s phaedra is one of several aesthetic explorations of this adverse story. Adapted from hippolytus by euripides, it tells the story of phaedra and her taboo love for her stepson, hippolytus, although with a much more sensual and shameless phaedra than in euripides greek original. Since he refused her, and her passion for him became known, she hanged herself, leaving a letter in which she charged her stepson of having assaulted her. Apr 10, 2017 hippolytus, translated by john studley in seneca, his tenne tragedies, translated into engly. Hippolytus by euripides the whole tragedy in a music for words. Hippolytus and the related sense of guilt, concerned as she is with the good reputation issue. Senecas phaedra was modeled on euripides hippolytus, which told roughly the same story. Seneca s portrays the action more directly than euripides, relying less. Perhaps, too, you may meet with some things in it that will be agreeable. Sophocles, euripides, ovid, seneca, racine, ritsos. There is a lot of setpiece rhetorical declamation, but the actual dramatic dialog is amazing. An excellent novelization of the story of phaedra, for teenagers. Robin mitchellboyask a website detailing some of the common tropes in popular culture that can be found in euripides hippolytus.
Nov 24, 2019 we notice that racines phaedra, like euripides, displays high moral dignity because she considers her passion for hippolytus to be abominable. Both plays tell the story of phaedra, the wife of king theseus and her passion for her stepson hippolytus. Married to theseus, who had kidnapped her after abandoning her sister ariadne ariadne had fallen in love with theseus and therefore helped him survive the minotaur by providing him a sword, phaedra fell in love with hippolytus, theseuss son by another woman born to either hippolyta, queen of the amazons, or antiope, her sister. Phaedras love, a modern adaptation of senecas phaedra by british playwright sarah kane first performed in 1996. Created using powtoon free sign up at create animated videos and animated presentations for free. While readers of euripides hippolytus have long regarded phaedra s deltos as a mechanism of punitive revenge, i argue here that the tablet models itself on a judicial curse defixio and that its main function is to ensure victory for phaedra in the. Specters of medea the rhetoric of stepmotherhood and. Euripides oxford readings in classical studies, by judith mossman 2003. Medea, hippolytus, heracles, bacchae, written by legendary author euripides, is widely considered to be among the greatest classic texts of all time. Aphrodite hippolytus servant chorus nurse phaedra theseus messenger artemis aphrodite enters above the skene. Though it follows much the same plot as euripides original it is more sympathetic to phaedra, shifting the blame for the accusation of hippolytus more on to the nurse and allowing her a chance to explain herself to theseus. Based on greek mythology and the tragedy hippolytus by greek playwright euripides, seneca s phaedra is one of several artistic explorations of this tragic story. Of shame and guilt in drama, page 20, why did seneca decide to postpone his own phaedras suicide until after hippolytus death.
Euripides hippolytus and seneca s phaedra download ebook. Racines phaedra is a neoclassical french play from the 17th century 1677. Theseus, refusing to believe hippolytus protestations of innocence, banished him and called. Phd thesis open research online the open university. The son is named hippolytus, but hippolyta has died. Dec 11, 2015 phaedra, is a play by roman philosopher lucius annaeus seneca, which recounts the tale of of phaedra, the queen of athens, wife of theseus, and her overwhelming lust for her stepson, hippolytus.
Finally, in both euripides and kane it is the queen. The chief difference between the two texts is phaedra, who herself is spared by seneca until after hippolytus death, thus allowing her revelation of his innocence to be all the more. The central theme of her story revolves around her infatuation with hippolytus. Pdf fragments from phaedras diary a creative translation of.
Euripides phaedra cannot live with her feeling for. It is based on the myth of hippolytus, son of theseus, and how a series of misunderstandings and the meddling of the gods result in his death and that of his stepmother, phaedra. Phaedra or hippolytus by seneca the younger is a latin adaptation of euripides hippolytus. Now, hippolytus, 710 thou dost fulfil the fondest wish of mine. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of phaedra by seneca. Click download or read online button to get seneca phaedra book now.
In the view of greek mythology and the tragedy hippolytus by greek dramatist euripides, senecas phaedra is one of several aesthetic explorations of this adverse story. In the view of greek mythology and the tragedy hippolytus by greek dramatist euripides, seneca s phaedra is one of several aesthetic explorations of. Seneca s portrays the action more directly than euripides, relying less on intermediaries and letters at key plot points. This thesis is a study of thematic clusters in the performance reception of the hippolytus and phaedra tradition the body of reception material based on euripides hippolytus, senecas phaedra, andor racines phedre.
Furthermore, it asks serious and disturbing questions about the influence of divinity on human lives. The play was first produced for the city dionysia of athens in 428 bc and won first prize as part of a trilogy euripides first treated the myth in a previous play, hippolytos kalyptomenos. Hippolytus study guide contains a biography of euripides, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Click here to read about euripides surviving play entitled hippolytus garlanded. Phaedra, is a play by roman philosopher lucius annaeus seneca, which recounts the tale of of phaedra, the queen of athens, wife of theseus, and her overwhelming lust for her stepson, hippolytus. Receptionhereisnotalinearact,norachainthatbuildslinkby. Only senecas thyestes lacks an extant precedent with which to compare it, although it was a favorite subject of greek and.
Seneca, however, did not choose to follow the tamer and more famous version of the myth underlying euripides revised second hippolytus but, for whatever reason, reverted to the plot line followed in euripides other first hippolytus in which the lustful. Medea, the heroine who is the subject of another euripides play, is her ancestor. The internet classics archive hippolytus by euripides. In purely dramatic terms, senecas phaedra has nothing close to the resonance of euripides hippolytus. Theseus queen, phaedra, fell in love with hippolytus. While readers of euripides hippolytus have long regarded phaedra s deltos as a mechanism of punitive revenge, i argue here that the tablet models itself on a judicial curse defixio and that its main function is to ensure victory for phaedra in the upcoming trial over her reputation. It is also possible that phaedra did not even propose to hippolytus explicitly. Download pdf euripides hippolytus and seneca s phaedra. Deserted by her lord, the hapless phaedra has conceived a hopeless passion for hippolytus.
This was the model for nicola pisanos work on the pisa baptistery in the midthirteenth century. These great classics will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. The character of phaidra in hippolytus from litcharts. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Indeed, much can be understood about the evolution of drama through a comparative study of euripides hippolytus, seneca s phaedra and racines phedre. It is not clear whether phaedra was ever performed on stage in senecas time. Euripides hippolytus, senecas phaedra, andorracines phedre providesaunique mechanism within which to explore such questions. Nowhere but in greek tragedy does the notion of family ties continually ring with so much foreboding. However, senecas phaedra denounces hippolytus on stage and in person seneca, phaedra 881903. Phaedra is a roman tragedy with greek subject of c.
Phaedra, is a fabula crepidata roman tragedy with greek subject of c. Hippolytus roundly rejects the idea, proclaiming that nature is where man is at his most free and innocent and that womankind is the cause of much evil. Phaedra observes the supposed rules of classical drama, but is only loosely modelled on plays by euripides and seneca. He is not at all interested in girls, and he is proud of. Phaedra, modeled after the original greek tale and euripides version of it titled hippolytus, is no exception, and the title characters confession of her love to hippolytus betrays an impossible desire to do away with family ties. A website that provides background to the myths behind euripides hippolytus and to general themes in the play. The play tells the story of theseus wife phaedra and her lust for her stepson, hippolytus. To the legend as treated by euripides, racine added the love of hippolytus for aricia, and thus supplied a motive for phaedra s jealousy, and at the same time he made the nurse instead of phaedra the calumniator of his son to theseus. The play is part of a larger commentary and myth sequence based on hippolytus, and many stories focusing on phaedra herself. The first canonical rereading of euripides tragedy was phaedra by the imperial roman tragedian seneca ca. Second century roman sarcophagus of beatrice of lorraine in the camposanto in pisa.
Euripides hippolytus study guide department of greek. You may wish to read tony klines translation of this play into english hereand senecas phaedra translated by f. Their names mean horsey ones, people who have something to do with horses. The story of phaedra and hippolytus is told, in somewhat different versions, by euripides play hippolytus and seneca the youngers play phaedra. Before the play begins, a sexual desire for hippolytus has taken hold of her, inspired by aphrodite.
In a sense phaedra is the commander in ovids poem and hippolytus the victim. The mythical phaedra lusts for her stepson hippolytus in violation of both her. Pdf staging in the central scene of the hippolytus authors is mu phedre,phaedra seneca pdf,racine phedre english translation pdf,phaedra act 3,phaedra monologue,seneca phaedra full text,critical analysis of phaedra,phedre racine resume, phaedra mythology,phedre jean racine,phaedra seneca,phaedra,phaedra film,phaedra the movie,phaedra imdb,phaedraparks instagram, phaedra then swears the. It seems that both depict yet another story in which an innocent woman is cursed for a mans betrayal of a god. However, hippolytus despises women and wishes to remain pure, preferring to hunt and live in the woods. Specters of medea the rhetoric of stepmotherhood and motherhood in seneca s phaedra.
Seneca uses no deus ex machina, unless the appearance of hercules at the end of. Seneca phaedra download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. In seneca s play, phaedra confesses her love to hippolytus, while in euripides s version, the nurse tells him. Euripides phaedra prays to artemis and longs to join the hunt and away to the mountain take me. Seneca, euripides, ovid the story of hippolytus, a man wronged and killed by his own stepmother is a myth retold by many different writers. At that moment, phaedra appears, and swiftly collapses in a swoon. The original myth, on which all subsequent works are based, tells the story of hippolytus, the bastard. Alternatively, dionysus sent a wild bull that terrified hippolytus horses, causing them to drag hippolytus to his death. Versions by seneca the younger phaedra, ovid metamorphoses and heroides, and the much later jean racine phedre all contribute to our understanding of. Phaedra is a tragic play by roman playwright seneca. Hippolytus is generally acknowledged to be one of euripides finest tragedies, for the construction of its plot, its use of language and its memorable characterisations of phaedra and hippolytus.
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