Phaedra

Synopsis

Phaedra is a tragic play originally written by Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca and this alexandrine verse is written by French dramatist Jean Racine.

Phaedra narrates the unnatural desires of love and romance in the ancient Athens kingdom. King Theseus of Athens has not returned from his search to capture Persephone from the underworld. Phaedra, second wife of Theseus lives in the palace with her stepson Hippolytus. Phaedra’s ancestor Apollo was cursed by Venus for exposing his love for Mars. Phaedra’s mother gave birth to a monster, out of her lust for a bull. The absence of Theseus ignites Phaedra’s lust for her step son Hippolytus and her maid requests her to control her desires.

Against Phaedra’s wishes Hippolytus gone for boar-hunting. When he returns Phaedra’s maid persuades him to quit his life in jungles and enjoy food, wine and pleasures of women. Hippolytus decline her and angrily saying womankind is the reason for evils. His thoughts on women do not change Phaedra’s lust and she openly declares her lust to Hippolytus. Shocked and angered by her lust, he curses her of the worst woman in the earth, perhaps worse than her mother who gave birth to a bull. He pulls a sword to kill her, but drop it with plea from the maid. He goes back to forest again for hunting.

Meanwhile Theseus returns to the kingdom, and Phaedra was in a dilemma to face him, as she doubts that her lust would have been conveyed by Hippolytus to his father. Based on her maid’s plot, Phaedra fabricates a story of an attempted rape on her by Hippolytus. Theseus on anger prays his ancestors to kill his son who is in the jungles for hunting.

News arrives about the death of Hippolytus and after witnessing Hippolytus’ mangled corpse Phaedra confesses her crime and falls on the sword and dies. Theseus curses himself for his foolish decision of ordering his son’s death. As per his wish Phaedra’s body was buried deep in earth with her unholy head cursed.

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