Honor And Hubris In Hippolytus

Throughout Greek mythology and tragedy, there is a strong overall theme of honor and hubris. This appears both to be a virtue and a type of human weakness. Hubris is defined as excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis. It is widespread among the gods and high-ranking mortals in Greek society. Characters are presented with the option to follow their own will, keep their honor intact and face the consequences, or listen to the gods and higher powers, give up their dignity and honor in hopes of a greater outcome for their life. In the text, we can observe both approaches and how the outcomes varied. Specifically in the text of Hippolytus, characters attempt to overcome obstacles and dilemmas with solutions of hubris and morals or taking heed of advice given by higher powers; however, these solutions do not always resolve the problem and the mortals fate is often unavoidable due to the strong influence of the gods.

In Hippolytus, the first example of hubris occurs when Hippolytus angers Aphrodite through his devotion to only the goddess Artemis. He takes a vow of chastity and refuses to partake in any sexual acts. Aphrodite sees this as an act of self-righteousness and considers it blasphemy, stating, “He will none of the bed of love nor marriage” (Hippolytus 14). This anger Hippolytus has caused Aphrodite leads her to seek revenge on him, aiming to challenge Hippolytus’ hubris and devotion to his values and his worship of Artemis. Hippolytus, having been framed, is left with two decisions: remain honorable to the oath to not tell of Phaedra’s love, or face the wrath of Theseus. He decides to remain honorable which ultimately is a decision that kills him (Hippolytus 983-1035). This shows how much H...

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...vice of gods and other powerful individuals. In some instances, the advice given by the higher power is not always the best option or right thing to do, as in the case with Philocteses. Other times, characters such as Medea, Phaedra, Theseus, and Hippolytus, are given advice that could potentially help them, but choose to maintain their honor, regardless of the consequences. Though the characters strive to be virtuous with their honor, it also leads them to their eventual doom. There does not seem to be a clear, effective solution for the problems that these characters face, promoting the importance and power of the influence of the gods. The mortals are often bent against their free will and are powerless against the gods, rendering them an unavoidable fate. One has to wonder how or if the characters fate would change had they listened to the advice given to them.