Pheadra is pleading with her own conscience here while speaking with the Goddess of Love the voluptuous Aphrodite who she knows is her destroyer. It appears that Pheadra is struggling with what course of action she should take. Pheadra is asking for good advice and is at a loss of how to proceed. She also wants to punish her destroyer and Hippolytus who has spurned her improvements. She desires him to feel as she will desolate and sick and tired. Possibly she refers to the unrequited love as suffering because she understands that it is incorrect and cannot help herself.
It is significant in the manner that it implies that she is struggling with her own conscience and that as she talks to the statue of Aphrodite she understands that she's been suffering from this lust and knows that it'll demolish her. As the wife of Theseus Phaedra has an important responsibility and status within modern culture and must maintain this. It is evident that her integrity and her reputation are extremely important to her and she decides death too avoid discovery of her magic formula, yet she leaves a notice claiming to acquire been raped by Hippolytus. This is her parting present to Hippolytus however in doing this she actually is deceiving Theseus too.
This portrayal of Phaedra shows that she is in turmoil and show the exemplory case of the wicked step mother that some wish to believe she will try and withstand Hippolytus and the lust she's for him, although she does indeed promise to repay by death the person who scorned her. Phaedra is almost blaming Aphrodite as if she know that it is her doing and that she is helpless to fight the wants of the goddess.
It was common for wives to be much youthful than their husbands and to be the next wife and therefore have step children, this may be why Phaedras role was significant in the traditional times and would be more exciting to viewers because this might mirror the possibilities with real life and sensationalise the role and tradegy.
The value was also that the individuals in the myth were being manipulated for the entertainment or used as pawns for the pleasure of the gods. The torment that Phaedra is experiencing torment form her own psyche as well as perhaps ultimately we live looking forward to her to condemn herself with some action.
Question 2
Within the assignment I will discuss the declaration that the Hippolytus misconception suggests there are no limitations as to how much ancient writers and performers could alter myth. The Hippolytus myth has been discussed by at least three different writers. Furthermore there are reviews from other freelance writers concerning the old plays which have been lost, this allows us to have a brief insight into the changing factors in a few of the Hippolytus misconceptions.
The Hippolytus misconception can be perceived in a number of contexts. There is the scorned women who will take revenge on whom ever before she decides and the fact that females all seem to experience a weak personality that are persuaded to be involved in illicit affairs. Perhaps Euripides was exhibiting his own versatility of how he could manipulate the audience into pondering how he would like those to by leading those to particular conclusions by prortaying individuals in many differing ways.
The reason behind Euripides changing the misconception is to charm to the followers of where it had been performed. For example the misconception is interpreted in another way for some because of the way they view Hippolytus, this could be a generally a good strong one for others they could understand him as a fragile persona. Could the sexuality of Hippolytus be brought into consideration by Euripides and did he want to point out this? Or did he want to demonstrate the purity and chastity of Hippolytus and show how licentious women could cause such catastrophe. He may possibly also have wished to identify how women were unchaste plus they must have their comeuppance. This is illustrated in the estimate below.
An draw out from an ancient biography of Euripides: They say that when he previously married Mnesilochus' daughterChoerile and had noticed her licentiousness, he had written his firstHippolytus, where he loudly proclaims the shamelessness of women and thereafter divorced her. (Genos Euripidou, quoted in Kovacs, 1994, p. 7)
A reason behind writers to alter common myths could be because of how well the misconceptions are known in each region to describe this further in stop one it declares that
"The first question is what Hippolytus designed to the Athenians in the fifth hundred years before they sat down to watch Euripides' play. "
If this myth was not known well it could allow Euripides to improve and change the misconception to suit him or to change and re- write it showing his own abilities as a article writer. Hippolytus is thought to be local misconception known in the Troezen region.
To further this point in the dialogue there is research to claim that Hippolytus was not the one Greek Tragedy to utilize this myth. You can find indication that Sophocles wrote relating to this tragedy but known as it Phaedra although she features in Hippolytus maybe Sophocles had written this tragedy from another aspect or point of view. The intention is to highlight tensions or to copy that which was happening in real life to allow control of the residents.
Another reason I agree with the statement which allows the freelance writers and artists to improve myth is because of another quote used in Stop one.
" A brief paragraph by way of a second-century BC scholar, introducing Hippolytus II, says: This is the second Hippolytus It is apparent that it was written second. For that which was unseemly and worth condemnation has been corrected in this drama. (Hypothesis of Aristophanes of Byzantium, quoted in Halloran, 1995, p. 63)"
This provides information\e to claim that writers and artist would re write plays and tragedies predicated on myth for imaginative and scholarly reasons. The price above has highlighted that the changes that have been made are to the elements of the original that were not sufficient or even sensational enough for his or her entertainment purposes.
At festivals it was popular for dramatic productions to be performed these would then compete against each other, this would most definitely be a reason for copy writer like Euripides to alter and sensationalise their versions of myth as he does with the Hippolytus misconception when modifying parts that didn't perform or read as well as they may did before re-drafting.
Myth could be modified to mirror the happening in real life too. The Athenians left to go to Troezen because of the invasion of the Persians but it also ignores the fact that Trozens got a strained romantic relationship with Spartans and that this could have been another reason for use and manipulation of misconception to highlight the political tensions and encourage an alteration or impact people.
Taking into consideration that the Hippolytus misconception has been compiled by at least two historical writers I'll spotlight the similarities and distinctions that arise between them.
Firstly Ovids notice the piece is the myth which is informed to us through that medium there are a few limitations to how much information we can glean out of this basic form a old writing the notice from Phaedra is also at the very heart of the play, but this is where the similarities change. The notice in the misconception by Euripides is written to Theseus whilst Ovids letter is written to Hippolytus directly.
The difference of the freelance writers is evident with the omission of the nurse who in Euripides's work performs an important character concerning the way in which she stimulates Phaedra to pursue her feelings. In contrast the Phaedra in Ovids writing does not require the cajoling to pursue Hippolytus she actually is portrayed as the wanton adulteress who gladly seduce another man rather than worry about the consequences.
Some reasons for the distinctions could be that the writers were wanting to focus on the human facet of the myth in which particular case they would omit the gods. Or in contrast they may have wanted to highlight the energy and need for the gods and identify how important it was to obey and exist in a manner that would please the gods for the fear of reprisals such as those that came out in the tragedies.
Death is cared for in different ways where Hippolytus is reincarnated or brought back form the useless to reside in a life of chastity where virgin maids slice locks off their hair before they are committed to honour him. Hero cult is observed through the temples built in determination to Hippolytus who then is thought to have grown to be a demi-god or god.
When reading different types of proof for the Hippolytus misconception it is noticeable that the myth is dependant on one myth specifically but that the decision of how it is advised is from the freelance writers aspect or how they want you to think and
In realization it is noticeable to me that ancient writers did be capable of manipulate and modify myth to suit differing perspectives, moral and politics stands points as well as the geographical element of where the myth was being performed. It is noteworthy that their own views and beliefs can also be woven into the myth to gratify their own egotistical personality features and opinions. Inside the conditions of the misconception of Hippolytus it is noticeable that this myth has been performed from differing perspectives and elements of the misconception have been transformed to suit the writers flavor or for other performance reasons if they be political, physical or simply scholarly reasons. Due to the fact that not absolutely all myths were recently known then your writers weren't limited by how much of a misconception they could change.
