Phaedra: Analysis of Major Characters
"Phaedra," a classic tragedy, explores the complex emotional landscapes of its major characters, particularly focusing on Phèdre, the titular character. Phèdre is the second wife of Thésée and confronts an overwhelming and forbidden love for her stepson, Hippolyte, stemming from a familial legacy of unnatural desires. Her struggle against her passion drives her to take drastic measures, including attempting to banish Hippolyte and ultimately leading to tragic consequences.
Thésée, her husband, is characterized by his conflicting loyalties, torn between his love for Phèdre and his duty as a father, which leads to disastrous misjudgments. Hippolyte, depicted as chaste and honor-bound, rejects Phèdre's love, which intensifies the tragic tension in the narrative. Aricie, a potential bride for Hippolyte, represents political intrigue as Thésée restricts her freedom to prevent competition for his rule.
Supporting characters, such as Oenone, Phèdre’s loyal nurse, and Théramène, Hippolyte’s tutor, add depth to the story by reflecting different moral and emotional responses to the central conflict. The interplay of love, honor, guilt, and tragedy culminates in a poignant exploration of human desires and the consequences of forbidden passions. This rich character analysis invites readers to delve deeper into the themes of fate and emotional turmoil that define this timeless work.
Phaedra: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Jean Racine
First published: 1677 (English translation, 1701)
Genre: Play
Locale: Troezen, in ancient Greece
Plot: Tragedy
Time: Remote antiquity
Phèdre (FEE-druh), the second wife of Thésée (Theseus) and daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, the king and queen of Crete. Phèdre is descended from a line of women of unnatural passions. When she realizes that she has fallen in love with her stepson Hippolyte, she fights the double contagion of heredity and passion with courage and in silence until, unable to resist her love, she arranges to have Hippolyte banished from Athens. She bears Thésée's children, sets up a temple to Venus, and makes sacrifices to appease the wrath of the goddess. When Thésée leaves her in Troezon with Hippolyte, Phèdre's passion feeds on her until, willing to die, she becomes exhausted and ill from her battle to suppress her illicit love. Word is brought of Thésée's death shortly after her nurse, Oenone, has forced Phèdre to confess her love aloud for the first time. In an unguarded moment, while asking Hippolyte to keep her own son safe now that Hippolyte may be heir to the Athenian throne, Phèdre rather hopefully reveals her passion to him and witnesses his contempt for her. Angry and ashamed, when Phèdre hears to her joy and to her dismay that Thésée has returned alive from his travels, she allows her nurse to accuse Hippolyte of attempted rape, mainly, Phèdre believes, to keep the stigma of her family history and its unnatural passions from falling even more heavily on her own children. Distraught because of her guilt, her love, her fear, and her fury, she confesses to Thésée that she has lied to him when it is too late to save Hippolyte and after she herself has taken poison.
Thésée (tay-ZAY), the son of Aegeus, king of Athens, traditionally faithless to women but faithful to his wives. Thésée so loves his young wife and his own honor that he believes Phèdre on slender evidence instead of trusting what he knows to be the character of his son. Thésée, in a fury, prays to Neptune to grant him the death of Hippolyte. Too autocratic to curb himself when rebuked for his cruel and misinformed curse on his son, he nevertheless begins to suspect that Hippolyte has not lied to him. As the evidence against Phèdre begins to accumulate—she is too distraught to prevent it from doing so—Thésée recovers from his jealous rage too late to save the life of his son.
Hippolyte (ee-poh-LEET), a hunter and a woodsman, the son of Thésée and Antiope, the queen of the Amazons. Like everyone about him, Hippolyte goes to extremes. Unpolished, chaste, and pure, he spurns women until he falls in love with Aricie, for whose sake he is willing to turn over Athens, which he is to inherit from his father, to Aricie, his father's enemy. Because Hippolyte is harsh in his judgment of Phèdre and uncharitable, she reacts violently against the proud boy. Thésée is also harsh in his judgment, no less an extremist than his son. Hippolyte's sense of honor prevents him from telling his father about Phèdre's indiscreet confession of her passion for her stepson, and Thésée's own outraged sense of honor makes him violent in judging Hippolyte.
Aricie (ah-ree-SEE), a princess of an older royal dynasty of Athens, held captive by Thésée. Until Hippolyte confesses his love for her, Aricie is content with her lot. Thésée has forbidden her to marry for fear that she may give birth to sons able to contest Thésée's right to rule Athens. She graciously accepts sovereignty of Athens, if Hippolyte can obtain it for her, and his offer of marriage.
Oenone (uh-NOHN), Phèdre's nurse and friend since childhood. Loyal to her mistress and determined that Phèdre shall not die from stifled passion, she is even willing to further Phèdre's love for Hippolyte. Later, after Hippolyte has spurned Phèdre, Oenone becomes the agent of his destruction.
Théramène (tay-rah-MEHN), the tutor of Hippolyte. Because of his slightly lecherous approach to life and to history, Théramène highlights the purity and aloofness of Hippolyte's views. Hippolyte, who would like to strike the love element from historical narratives, is ironically unaware that love will be the chief element in his own history.