“Phaedra” as a Tragedy of Unrequited Love

Answer

Consider “Phaedra” as a tragedy of unrequited love. 

Love that is not normal is called exceptional and unrequited love. Seneca (4 BC-AD 65), in his tragedy “Phaedra” (290 AD), has shown that love is fundamental, but the illicit and wrong desirable love cannot be accepted. The play’s central theme lies in Phaedra’s forbidden passion for her stepson, Hippolytus. It illustrates unrequited love leads to despair, deceit, and destruction. The play masterfully captures “Phaedra” as a tragedy of unrequited love.

Phaedra’s Destructive Passion: Phaedra’s love for Hippolytus is intense and uncontrollable. It is a curse passed down from her mother, Pasiphae, who fell in love with a bull. Phaedra herself admits,

 A malady feeds and grows within my heart, and it burns there hot as the stream that wells from Aetna’s caverns.

Hippolytus does not return her passion, which makes her love tragic. Phaedra’s unfulfilled desire becomes a source of inner torment that drives her to desperation and despair.

Hippolytus’s Rejection: Hippolytus is known for his hatred of women and preference for the wilderness. When Phaedra confesses her feelings to  Hippolytus, he reacts with disgust and anger and rejects her. He exclaims,

 Look thou! Am I fitted for adulteries? For such crime did I alone seem to thee an easy instrument?. 

His harsh rejection deepens Phaedra’s agony, as her love is not only unreciprocated but is also met with scorn. This unreturned love intensifies the tragedy as Phaedra realizes her feelings are both hopeless and shameful.

The Role of Fate and the Gods: Phaedra views her unrequited love as a curse. The gods Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and victory, impose it. She seeks revenge on Phaedra’s family because Apollo (an ancestor of Phaedra) exposed her affair with Mars. The chorus reflects the gods are not immune to the power of love. It is noted that,

If the goddess of chastity can fall victim to Cupid’s arrows, then anyone can.

This sense