e Strife For a Straight Life: The Examination of Mortal and Divine Relations

The Strife For a Straight Life: The Examination of Mortal and Divine Relations

"A straight and perfect life is not for man." - the Nurse in Hippolytus

The idea that fate is rooted from the interconnection of divine beings

whose will is played-out by mortals, is a highly enriched belief that

is capitalized on by many Greek tragedians. Among those who suggest

that there is an endless cycle of good will, revenge, uncertainty, and

punishment is the Greek dramatist, Euripides. His work, Hippolytus, is

an excellent example of a well-written Greek tragedy that informs

readers of the intermingling of divine power and a mortal's free will.

Hippolytus, however, would not be able to serve this primary function

without the elements which compose Greek tragedy in its entirety.

Therefore, a detailed investigation into the characters of Hippolytus,

and their divine counterparts, is necessary to better understand how

Euripides evokes the need for divine intervention and also, why the

divine is inspired to transpire revenge.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sensuality, who delivers a long

monologue about the forthcoming events, sets the play. This is quit

common in Greek tragedy. This technique builds suspense because the

audience wants to see if the plot she reveals is actually going to

happen. The plot she presents is that of her own; she seeks revenge of

the mortal prince Hippolytus. It is apparent that she has been

insulted by him and does not go out of the her way to say: " For this

prince of Theseus' seed Hippolytus, child of that dead Amazon, And

reared by Saintly Pitheus in his own Straight ways, hath dared, alone

of Trozen, to hold me least of spirits and most mean, And spurns my

spell and sees no woman's kiss." (Euripides, 3) Hence, Aphrodite

builds her case of revenge on this petty act of transgression and

states, "That vengeance that shall make all well with me." (Euripides,

5) In other words, she will feel better once Hippolytus' transgression

has been "justified" by her. Furthermore, she reveals her character as

sort of selfish when she contends, "For there is, even in a great God's

mind, that hungered for the praise of human kind." (Euripides, 2) Here,

Aphrodite expresses the need to be praised and worshiped. Therefore,

it is safe to conclude that she feels neglected, and even jealous of

Artemis. This jealousy builds rage in Aphrodite and justifies her need

to seek revenge on not only Hippolytus, but also Phaedra and Theseus.

Hippolytus, on the other hand, is a man of virtue and chastity. He

practices resistance to the temptation life has to offer.