Marose

Plot Summary 

By Michael J. Cummings...© 2006 

. Theseus, King of Athens, who has been gone from the royal court at Troezen for six months. When Hippolytus, his son, announces plans to search for his father, his tutor Theramenes discourages the young prince. After all, Theramenes himself has already traveled to nearby lands to find him, to no avail. Perhaps, Theramenes says, Theseus wishes to keep his whereabouts a secret.   

.......But Hippolytus is determined to go. Theramenes thinks one reason for his planned trip is animosity between Hippolytus and his stepmother, Queen Phaedra. However, Hippolytus says Phaedra is not the reason. He explains that his homeland has become an unhappy place because of his inability to woo Princess Aricia. He loves her, but she comes from the Pallas family, enemies of Theseus. Theseus killed her evil brothers but did no harm to gentle Aricia, for she was guiltless. Afterward, Theseus decreed that she was not to marry and not to bear children, for their veins would run with the villainous blood of her family.

Phaedra confides to Oenone a terrible secret: She does not hate Hippolytus; she loves him–her stepson! It is her incestuous desire that that sickens her, with terrible guilt. So she wished for death as the only way to end her ill-fated love.    

.......Aricia believes Hippolytus despises her because of his avoidance of her. Hippoytus does not despise her but loves her. Ismeme says she reached this conclusion observing the way Hippolytus acts around Aricia–always looking at her lovingly, unable to take his eyes off her.   

.......After Hippolytus informs Aricia of his father’s death, he releases her from the restrictions his father imposed on her. Hippolytus then discloses that he never hated her; in fact, he has always loved her.   

..............Phaedra offers Hippolytus her sympathy for the loss of his father and says she worries about the fate of her son, for Hippolytus has every right to oppose him now...