Phaedra (mythology)

• 1. Daughter Of The Bull

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  In Greek mythology, Phaedra was a Cretan princess. Her name derives from the Greek word phaidros, which means bright. She stood as the daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphaë of Crete. This royal union produced eight children together. Three daughters emerged from this line: Acacallis, Ariadne, and Xenodice. Four sons also joined the family tree: Androgeus, Deucalion, Glaucus, and Catreus. Apollodorus records these names in his Library text. A monstrous half-brother existed within the household. The Minotaur lived as her maternal sibling through their shared mother. Several paternal half-siblings also populated the extended family circle.

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• 2. The Athenian Union

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  Theseus married Phaedra some time after he aided Heracles in stealing the belt of Hippolyta. He had killed the Minotaur before returning to Athens with her. During the journey to steal the belt from the Amazons, Theseus carried off Hippolyta or Antiope. That woman bore him a son named Hippolytus. Plutarch notes that Hippolyta fell in love with Theseus voluntarily. When Theseus and Phaedra celebrated their marriage at a feast, trouble arrived. A group of Amazons led by Hippolyta attacked the hall where the reception was held. During the ensuing fight, Theseus killed Hippolyta. Phaedra gave birth to two sons: Demophon and Acamas. Apollodorus documents this lineage in his Epitome text.

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• 3. The Nurse's Confession

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  Phaedra falls in love with her stepson Hippolytus and decides she will try to entice him into a sexual relationship. However, Hippolytus refused because he was a follower of Artemis. He had sworn to preserve his virginity. Phaedra was humiliated when he refused her advances. She lied to her husband and claimed that Hippolytus attempted to rape her. The nurse concerned about her mistress's health tells Hippolytus about how Phaedra feels. Bound by his oath of abstinence, Hippolytus rejects his stepmother. When Phaedra learns of her nurse's actions, she fears the consequences of her immoral desires. She plans to commit suicide before doing so. She writes a letter to her husband Theseus accusing Hippolytus of seducing and assaulting her. She commits suicide by hanging herself, holding the letter in her hand.

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• 4. The Goddesses Wrath

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  In this version popularized by Euripides, Phaedra has a reputation as a virtuous queen. She gets caught in the crossfire between Hippolytus and Aphrodite. Hippolytus is a devout follower of Artemis, a virgin goddess. He hails her as the greatest of all deities. In a show of devotion to honor the goddess, Hippolytus vows eternal chastity. He swears that he will never love or marry. He additionally refuses to worship Aphrodite. This offends the goddess, and to punish Hippolytus, she curses Phaedra to fall madly in love with him. Phaedra becomes depressed for several months due to her longing for Hippolytus. She lays in her bed and refuses to eat. Eventually, unable to tolerate the burden of her suffering in silence, she confides in her nurse.

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• 5. Tomb And Myrtle Tree

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  Pausanias writes that Phaedra and Hippolytus were buried close to each other near to a racetrack. Hippolytus used to practice there. A myrtle tree grew over her tomb. Pausanias intertwines her story with this species of tree. He claims that she would hide behind a myrtle while watching him practice. The Troezenians had a myrtle with all of its leaves pierced with holes. They claimed these were pierced by a pin in Phaedra's hair while she was watching. The Athenians maintained a shrine on the south slope of the Acropolis devoted to Aphrodite for Hippolytus. These shrines stood as physical markers of the tragedy.

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• 6. Plays And Poems

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  The story of Phaedra is told in Euripides's play Hippolytus. Seneca the Younger wrote a play named Phaedra. Ovid composed Heroides IV, an epistolary poem about her. Sophocles also wrote a play called Phaedra, though it has been lost. Euripides created another work known as Hippolytus Veiled, which no longer exists. Jean Racine produced a French play titled Phèdre in 1677. Algernon Charles Swinburne published Phaedra in 1866 as English lyrical drama. Herman Bang released Fædra in 1883 as a Danish novel. Gabriele D'Annunzio wrote Fedra in 1909 as an Italian play. Miguel de Unamuno authored Fedra in 1911 as a Spanish play. Eugene O'Neill presented Desire Under the Elms in 1924 as an American play. Sarah Kane wrote Phaedra's Love in 1996 as an English play.

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• 7. Music And Art

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  Phaedra appears on a second century Roman Sarcophagus of Beatrice of Lorraine in the Camposanto in Pisa. This was the model for Nicola Pisano's work on the Pisa Baptistery in the mid-thirteenth century. Alexandre Cabanel painted Phaedra in 1880. Jean-Philippe Rameau composed Hippolyte et Aricie, an opera tragédie en musique in 1733. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne created Phédre, an opera in 1786. Giovanni Paisiello wrote Fedra, another opera in 1788. Simon Mayr produced Fedra in 1820. Jules Massenet wrote Phèdre overture in 1873. He also made her a protagonist in his 1907 opera Ariane. Ildebrando Pizzetti composed Fedra in 1915 based on D'Annunzio's play. Benjamin Britten wrote Phaedra Cantata in 1975. Hans Werner Henze created Phaedra, an opera in 2007. Julia Holter released Tragedy, an avant-pop album in 2011.

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