Phaedra 2

What are the universal struggles/motifs that make "Phaedra" timeless?


Phaedra has many motifs that make it a beloved piece of work that many people still read and respect today. The obvious two motifs would be the conflict between reason and passion, and selfishness. The reason modern people enjoy this reading is because these motifs are have been and I believe always will be as long as there is humans. Ever since she laid eyes on Hippolytus, she said she has loved him. Phaedra knows that she cannot love him or she will be either exiled from the Troezen or killed. She only tells Hippolytus because she thinks she will be able to tell him without any repercussions from Theseus. This situation was basically a "Should I follow my mind or my heart?" situations that many people, especially teenagers, face today. People today face these situations between passion, love and reason; they always want to make the right decision, but don't know which to follow. Another major motif is selfishness. All the characters seemed to promote and display selfishness. Theseus seemed to be selfish by obviously going away for so long leaving his child and wife all alone. Also in the introduction it says that Theseus was known for "...womanizing (he leaves a trail of women behind him wherever he goes)" (362). This further displays Theseus' selfishness toward his family. Phaedra is the character that shows the main display of selfishness. She had no care who her actions affected other than herself. In Act V, Scene I Phaedra blames her shortcomings and selfishness on Oenone and has her taken away. Phaedra knew what she was saying and doing to Hippolytus as she tried to convince the King he came on to her. Also, Phaedra also shows her selfishness as she tells Oenone about her jealousy over Aricia and Hippolytus. Selfishness and the conflict between reason and passion are all going to be problems humans will have to face in life. Phaedra is timeless because almost anyone can identify with these motifs.


How is Phaedra's and Theseus' relationship different than that of Orgon's and Elmire's in Tartuffe?


In Phaedra, Theseus immediately believed his wife over his son about Hippolytus coming on to Phaedra, despite his son's pleas and appeals. Theseus stood by his wife until she was on her deathbed and finally admitted she was wrong and was the one who came onto Hippolytus. Also in Phaedra, Theseus seemed to deeply care for Phaedra despite his "heroic womanizing" (362). He truly stood by her and seemed to believe almost everything she said. In Tartuffe, this was a completely different situation. Orgon didn't really trust his wife and her unwanted assumptions about Tartuffe. He thought she and his own son were lying about Tartuffe coming on to Elmire. He didn't even care when Dorine was talking about how sick Elmire was; Orton kept asking about how Tartuffe was doing. Another difference between their two relationships is that in Phaedra, Phaedra seems to be the selfish one and in Tartuffe, Orgon seems to be the selfish one when it comes to their relationship. Phaedra only wanted what was best for her and one can assume that she couldn't wait till Theseus was presumed dead, so she could tell Hippolytus how she really felt about him. Orgon, on the other hand, was very selfish to his wife and disregarded many of the things she had to say about Tartuffe and his actions. Theseus' and Phaedra's relationship was more trustful than Orgon's and Elmire's and also the roles of the selfish partner were switched.