In Greek mythology, Phaedra is the daughter of Minos, wife of Theseus and the mother of Demophon and Acamas.
Though married to Theseus, Phaedra fell in love with Hippolytus, Theseus' son born by either Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, or Antiope, her sister. According to some sources, Hippolytus had spurned Aphrodite to become a devotee of Artemis and Aphrodite made Phaedra fall in love with him as a punishment. He rejected her. Alternatively, Phaedra's nurse told Hippolytus of her love, and he swore he would not reveal her as a source of information. In revenge, Phaedra wrote Theseus a letter that claimed Hippolytus raped her. Theseus believed her and cursed Hippolytus with one of the three curses he had received from Poseidon. As a result, Hippolytus' horses were frightened by a sea monster and dragged their rider to his death. Alternatively, after Phaedra told Theseus that Hippolytus had raped her, Theseus killed his son and Phaedra committed suicide out of guilt for she had not intended for Hippolytus to die. Artemis later told Theseus the truth. In a third version, Phaedra simply told Theseus this and did not kill herself; Dionysus sent a wild bull which terrified Hippolytus' horses.
Phaedra in literature
Phaedra's story appears in several major works of literature, including:
- Euripides, Hippolytus, a Greek play
- Phaedra, 1962 film based on Euripides' play
- Seneca the Younger, Phaedra, a Latin play
- Jean Racine, Phèdre (1677), a French play.
- Miguel de Unamuno, Fedra (1911), a Spanish play
- Tony Harrison, Phaedra Britannica (1975), an English verse play.
- Per Olov Enquist, Till Fedra (1980), a Swedish play
- Matthew Maguire, Phaedra (1995), an English play
- Sarah Kane, Phaedra's Love (1996), an English play
- Robinson Jeffers, Cawdor (1928), an English long poem
- Algernon Charles Swinburne, Phaedra, an English lyrical drama
- Mary Renault, The Bull from the Sea, an English novel
- Frank McGuinness, Phaedra (Donmar Warehouse, 2006)
- Susan Yankowitz, Phaedra in Delirium (1998)
- Marguerite Yourcenar, "Phaedra" a short story from Fires (1957)
Phaedra in music
Phaedra is also the subject of a number of musical works, including:
- Hippolyte et Aricie, an opera (tragédie en musique) by Jean-Philippe Rameau, 1733
- Fedra, opera by Simon Mayr, 1820
- Fedra, opera by Ildebrando Pizzetti, 1909–1912
- she appears as a character in L'abandon d'Ariane, an "Opéra-Minute" by Darius Milhaud, 1927
- "Some Velvet Morning", Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, 1967
- Phaedra, album by Tangerine Dream, 1974
- Phaedra, song cycle by Mikis Theodorakis
- Phaedra, Benjamin Britten, 1976
- "Phaedra's Meadow", song on the Blue Rodeo album Are You Ready, 2005
- Phaedra, an opera by Hans Werner Henze, 2007
References
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