Hippolytus Characters

Theseus is the son of the god Poseidon, the mythical founder-king of Athens, and also king of the city of Troizen. The myths about him abound. Most famously, he outsmarted and defeated the Minotaur of… read analysis of Theseus

Hippolytus is the son of Theseus by another woman, an Amazonian named Hippolyte. As a bastard child, he is unlikely to ascend to political power in Troizen. Instead, he prefers hunting and riding his horses… read analysis of Hippolytus

Phaidra is Theseus’ wife and Hippolytus’ stepmother. Medea, the heroine who is the subject of another Euripides play, is her ancestor. Before the play begins, a sexual desire for Hippolytus has taken hold of her… read analysis of Phaidra

The nurse has the difficult job of looking after Phaidra after she has gone sick with desire. She is both deeply sympathetic with Phaidra’s suffering, but also willing and pragmatic enough to follow her own… read analysis of Nurse

Artemis is the goddess of hunting, and she also represents chastity. Hippolytus has devoted his life to worshipping her, manifest in the crowns of flowers that he makes to adorn her statue onstage. When she… read analysis of Artemis

Every Greek tragedy has a chorus, a group of singers whose role is to watch as the action unfolds and offer reactions in the form of odes that were probably sung. They represent an audience-within-the-play… read analysis of Chorus

Again, in every Greek tragedy, one member of the chorus speaks as a character in dialogue, and the name Koryphaios translates as “speaker of the chorus”. Another Troizenian maiden, she regularly expresses surprise and grief… read analysis of Koryphaios

The messenger belongs to Hippolytus’ group of friends, and he is present in the crowd that escorts Hippolytus to his exile. He witnesses the earthquake, wave, and divine bull that kill Hippolytus on the shore… read analysis of Messenger