Phaedra
Phaedra Alternative Title: Hippolytus
Author: Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Date Written: AD 25–65
First English Translation: 1566
Genre: Latin trag. in 5 acts; verse
Setting: The palace of Theseus in Athens, in the mythical past
Cast: 3m, 2f, chorus (m), extras
While Theseus, King of Athens, is away on an adventure, his wife confesses to her Nurse that she lusts after her stepson, the chaste hunter Hippolytus. Despite the warnings of the Nurse, Phaedra seeks to end her life if she cannot have Hippolytus. He firmly repels the advances of Phaedra, declaring that he hates all women. He is on the point of killing Phaedra with his sword, when he relents, deciding she will suffer more if she lives on. The Nurse plots revenge, and, when Theseus returns, the Nurse and Phaedra accuse Hippolytus...
[The entire page is 345 words long]
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