Analysis Of Phaedra's Death In Hippolytus

1111 Words3 Pages

Alexandra Duma
Lit 230, Section 7
Professor Majeske
April 28, 2014
Phaedra's Death in Hippolytus
Euripides lived in Ancient Greece between 480 and 406 BC. In contrast to the great tragedians of his time (such as Aeschylus and Sophocles), he was considered a non-conformist and was often condemned for the way he portrayed his characters and the beliefs and values of the society he was living in. In Ancient Greece, women were expected to be submissive and their duties were limited to staying at home, away from the public eye. They were not allowed to have a social life or participate in decision-making, as men were the only ones enjoying these privileges. In tragedies, they were expected to fulfill the same role as in real life. In Hippolytus, Euripides challenges these judgments by examining and putting an emphasis on Phaedra's mental processes. He analyzes her feelings and emotional intelligence, providing us with a glimpse into her mind and her motivations for choosing death as her only option to save herself. In this paper, I will argue that Phaedra's decision to commit suicide serves as the venue to assert authority and acquire power over Hippolytus' destiny.
Phaedra feels helpless when faced with feelings of involuntary lust for Hippolytus. Her position is an impossible one: she is ashamed to confess her feelings and she is afraid that her inappropriate feelings will destroy her. She is powerless and overwhelmed by her emotions, so the only reasonable way she sees in dealing with her problem is to commit suicide. When Phaedra falls in love with her stepson, she feels "sick with shame" (p. 8). She falls physically sick and feels unable to escape the shameful, uncontrollable feelings she fosters for Hippolytus. She feels humi...

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...learn mercy there!"(p. 18). It serves as a venue to assert authority and gain power over his destiny. She lacks this power while she is alive and by renouncing her life she ensures her victory.
The reputation Phaedra is so desperately driven to preserve stands at the core of a woman's life in Ancient Greece. As it is proved by Euripides' play, there is nothing more important than maintaining one’s honor, not even life itself. In Ancient Greece, women lacked the power to make decisions and openly talk about their feelings and emotions. Phaedra’s decision to take her own life as a solution to gain power and authority over Hippolytus’ destiny is a great example of what a woman’s life looked like in Ancient Greece. Through her death, she not only saves her honor, but she also decides her stepson’s destiny. This would have been impossible while she was still alive.

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