Hippolytus by Euripides — Read

Based on the myth of the eponymous son of Theseus, this tragedy was first produced for the City Dionysia of Athens in 428 BC and won first prize as part of a trilogy. Euripides first used events from the myth in an earlier play, Hippolytus Veiled, which is now lost, like many of the great tragedian's works. Scholars believe this first play failed with audiences due to a scene where a shamelessly lustful Phaedra directly propositions Hippolytus, causing much scandal for the playwright. This failure prompted Euripides to revisit the myth, this time offering a much more even-handed and psychologically complex treatment of the characters than is commonly found in traditional retelling of myths.

The play is set in Troezen, a coastal town in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Theseus, the king of Athens, is serving a year's voluntary exile after having murdered a local king and his sons. His illegitimate son Hippolytus, whose mother is the Amazon Hippolyta, has been trained here since childhood by the king of Troezen, Pittheus. As the play opens, Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, explains that Hippolytus has sworn chastity and refuses to revere her. Instead, he honours the Goddess of the hunt, Artemis. This has led her to initiate a plan of vengeance on the young man. When Hippolytus went to Athens two years previously, Aphrodite inspired Phaedra, Hippolytus' stepmother, to fall in love with him, setting into action the events that will lead to the play's tragic outcome.