Asexuality in Euripides' Hippolytus

Asexuality in Euripides’ Hippolytus is treated as a sin in Troezen society, it is not just Hippolytus who suffers, but his family instead. This is due to Hippolytus’ asexuality representing a rejection of erotic love and therefore Aphrodite, fuelling her vengeance and possible queerphobic nature. Consequently, this illustrates the queerphobic nature of Ancient Greek society and Ormand Kirk notes “Greek tragedies seem to reflect the city of Athens itself in the fifth century” (238). Therefore, I think Troezen society’s queerphobic nature results in Hippolytus’ death, not just because he refused to acknowledge and worship Aphrodite.

Hippolytus’ asexuality is symbolised by his devotion to Artemis, goddess of chastity among other qualities, but Troezen society’s queerphobic nature results in a lack of acceptance and punishment of death. Hippolytus’ devotion to Artemis signifies a rejection of Aphrodite, goddess of erotic love, and therefore a refusal of sexuality. This complete rejection and acknowledgement of Aphrodite results in this queerphobic society to punish not just Hippolytus but Theseus and Phaedra. If Kirk is correct in his statement, then fifth century Athens evidently excluded and disapproved of asexuality[ES1] . This is further symbolised by the context surrounding Ancient Greek festivals which celebrated the god Dionysus, god of many attributes including sex. Therefore, Hippolytus’ asexuality represents a denial to both Euripides’ depiction of Aphrodite and a denial to Dionysus’s celebrations.

Additionally, Hippolytus’ asexuality seems to partly stem from his hatred towards women and this is illustrated by his misogynistic behaviour towards women. For example, after the Nurse tells Hippolytus the cause of Phaedra’s desires Hippolytus launches into a speech condemning woman with words such as “It is clear that a woman is a great evil…” (56). Hippolytus is concerned with the “pollution” caused and this is delineated by his desire for cleansing “wash my ears clean and wipe away the pollution of your words with water.” This reference of water and its relationship to purging oneself creates foreshadowing as Hippolytus is killed by a “surging mountain of water” that “sent forth a bull” (57). Moreover, James Morwood notes C. Collard’s Euripides Oxford, 1981 where Collard indicates the bull evokes a Freudian reading as it denotes “rampant male fertility” which indicates “Hippolytus is being destroyed by the very forces which he has so determinedly repressed” (191n1214). Therefore, Hippolytus’ sexist and misogynistic behaviour is a consequence of his asexuality due to his detestation of women.

Furthermore, Hippolytus’ asexuality puts him in opposition to women, including Aphrodite, Phaedra and the Nurse. This opposition is especially significant when Hippolytus comments “I shall never have my fill of hating women” (57), as ultimately he is implicated by the Nurse and Phaedra in Phaedra’s suicide and killed by Aphrodite for his rejection of her and therefore women.

Phaedra’s incestual infatuation with Hippolytus is part of Hippolytus’ punishment for identifying as asexual. This is best exemplified by Phaedra’s first presence on stage illustrating recognition of the situation with the tricolon “I have gone mad, a god possessed me and I fell.” (46) This tricolon emphases the unfairness of Phaedra’s fate and this is epitomized by the connotations of “I fell” (46), indicating a fall in society and her imminent fate. Therefore, Hippolytus’ asexuality causes an imbalance in society which appears to punish Phaedra more than Hippolytus, at first.

Moreover, Phaedra’s desire for her stepson is characterised as a form of pollution and sickness. This sickness would have been especially clear to the audience watching the performance as Phaedra demands for the headdress she wears to be taken off so “my hair hang loose on my shoulders” (45). This imagery denotes an untamed, delirious woman in an unfit state of mind and this is exemplified by Phaedra’s desire for her hair to be loose. This delirious characterisation of Phaedra is further illustrated by Phaedra’s acknowledgement “My hands are pure, but a pollution stains my mind” (48). Both Phaedra and Hippolytus characterise Phaedra’s incestuous desire as “pollution” (48) but both characters differ in blaming each other. Hippolytus blames Phaedra for her malicious feminine ways as previously stated, whilst Phaedra notes her “hands are pure” (48) illustrating her lack of fault in the matter. Therefore, Phaedra’s sickness and incestuous desire creates a motif of polar opposites, responsibility and innocence, cleanliness and pollution. These opposites mirror the polar opposite goddesses of Aphrodite symbolising erotic love and Artemis, chastity.

Phaedra’s suicide is as a consequence of Troezen society’s lack of acceptance for Hippolytus’ asexuality and therefore a punishment to Hippolytus. Phaedra’s decision to commit suicide is to teach Hippolytus “not to feed his arrogance on my tragedy” and as a result they will “share together in this sickness” (59). This decision to divulge her intent to make Hippolytus suffers is reminiscent of Hippolytus’ speech of his hatred towards women who are naturally “evil” (56). Moreover, Morwood comments “Aphrodite’s statement that Phaedra will die ‘with her honour safe’ (47) is certainly problematic” (186). Therefore, Phaedra’s action to commit suicide is a consequence of her queerphobic nature impressed upon her by Troezen society, and Aphrodite’s decision to punish Hippolytus’ asexuality as a rejection of Aphrodite’s presence.

Additionally, Phaedra’s suicide tablet falsely incriminating Hippolytus as Phaedra’s rapist which further illustrates Hippolytus’ misogynistic view of women being manipulative and malicious. This false accusation also delineates that Troezen society seems to maintain that Phaedra’s false accusation of Hippolytus as a rapist is equally as damning as Hippolytus’ asexuality and therefore this delineates Troezen society’s queerphobic nature. Furthermore, Phaedra’s suicide by hanging is reminiscent of Jocasta’s method of suicide in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King of 429 BC. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King was performed the year before Euripides’ Hippolytus and therefore there is perhaps a reason to question the similarity of both Phaedra and Jocasta’s death. This similarity could be due to the manipulative nature of women that seems to be a present theme in both plays, of women being punished by higher forces such as the divine and fate. This similarity could also be due to the fact that both characters are mothers to both respective tragic heroes who are similarly fated to die.

Hippolytus’ asexuality causes an abnormality in society, as illustrated by the persistent motif of nature, which is significant to his fate and therefore death. The servant states multiple atypical events that occur such as “the earth unleashed a deep roar”, “a wave, the work of a god its solid mass towering” and the wave transformed into a bull where “all the land was filled with its bellowing” (73). These supernatural events are as a result of an inversion in society – Hippolytus’ asexuality. Although Poseidon was a cause of Hippolytus’ death, the servant’s phrase that “his own chariot destroyed him” (72) exemplifies the idea that Hippolytus brought his fate on himself due to his asexual nature. Consequently, Hippolytus’ asexuality connotes a structural idea, as the inversion created is Hippolytus’ asexuality and therefore, Hippolytus cannot exist in society, thereby further illustrating Troezen society’s queerphobic nature.

Furthermore, Theseus’ action of wanting Poseidon, his father, to murder Hippolytus demonstrates not just society’s queerphobic nature, but also Hippolytus’ own father anti-queer behaviour. Consequently, Hippolytus’ fate and death denotes a poignant tone illustrating pathos, as both society and his family reject Hippolytus, causing him to be an outcast. Therefore, Hippolytus symbolises abnormality in society, and consequently he cannot exist in society.

In conclusion, Hippolytus is punished for his asexuality as neither Troezen society or his family accept his asexual nature. Hippolytus’ sexuality symbolises his rejection of Aphrodite which further confirms his fate and his inability to exist in a queerphobic society. Troezen society’s values are best exemplified by its rejection of Hippolytus, its depiction of women being considered as “evil” (?) and its view that incest is viewed on the same disparaging level as asexuality.

Works Cited

Euripides. Hippolytus. Translated by James Morwood, OUP Oxford, 2008.

Ormand, Kirk. “Buying Babies in Euripides's Hippolytus.” Illinois Classical Studies, vol. 40, no. 2, 2015, pp. 237–261. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/illiclasstud.40.2.0237. Accessed 12 Aug. 2020.