Seneca's Phaedra: Three Themes

Seneca's Phaedra is another example of a Roman tragedy written before 54 AD. This play details Phaedra and her destructive lust for Hippolytus, her stepson. Seneca based this play on popular Greek mythology and the Greek tragedy Hippolytus by Euripides. However, Euripides' version differs slightly to Seneca's Phaedra as in Seneca's version, Phaedra is depicted as being self-aware whilst in pursuit of Hippolytus compared to Euripides' version where she is much more passive and therefore a victim of fate.

This article covers three main themes along with their respective context and analysis of the text:

1. Nature

Seneca was well-known for his plays but also for being a Stoic philosopher. As a Stoic philosopher, Seneca believed that the laws of nature should always govern human behaviour. In Seneca's play, Phaedra's action of pursuing Hippolytus can be identified as sinful as she goes against the laws of nature in terms of Seneca's stoic beliefs. The only way Phaedra's 'wrong' can be 'righted' is by her death which restores order.

Similarly, Hippolytus believes within the play that Phaedra's lust for him has tainted his character, and wishes to no longer live in a world that is not governed by morality and laws. But this isn't to say that Hippolytus encompasses stoic values, because he doesn't. In fact, Hippolytus denies human social bonds and actively isolates himself from society, making his morality unstable.

2. Animals and Hunting

In the opening scene of the play, Hippolytus prepares for the hunt with his men. This scene is significant as later in the play Hippolytus' role is reversed by becoming the prey of the hunter, and therefore Phaedra. Once this reversal occurs, Phaedra even refers to herself as the hunter and describes Hippolytus through animal imagery as a wild creature. Additionally, Diana (known for being the goddess of the hunt among other attributes) is the only deity that has an altar on stage, which seems to be important given that it is referenced various times throughout the play.

3. Stepmothers and Mothers

Seneca's play confronts the Roman stereotype of the wicked stepmother, and this illustrated by Seneca's reference to Phaedra being a stepmother at critical points in the play. In comparison with Euripides' Hippolytus, the actual 'stepmother' is never mentioned to describe Phaedra, which perhaps speaks to the differing plots of each play. Additionally, Seneca does not delineate Phaedra as the traditional caricature of the evil stepmother but chooses to depict her inner turmoil and conflict she experiences.

Within the play, Phaedra notes that her unnatural feelings towards Hippolytus can be traced back to her own mother's (Pasiphaë) transgressions. In mythology, Pasiphaë mated with a bull to create the Minotaur. Finally, by the end of the play it can be seen that Phaedra meets a similar fate to her mother, as her lust brings about the creation of the bull that dismembers Hippolytus.