When it becomes obvious how easily Phaedra gets jealous regarding Hippolytus’ love for Aricia, the reader can’t help but experience a feeling of terror. She has already lied and as a result, Hippolytus is disowned by his own father. What will she do next? The reader is fearful of what may cross her mind, whether she will be overcome enough by guilt to finally confess her wrongdoings, or will the guilt just feed some fuel to her fire? Maybe now she’ll believe that there’s absolutely no turning back, and she has no way out except commit more sins, conspire a few more lies, or resort to something as serious as killing to keep her name clean. Maybe jealousy will even drive her to kill Aricia? The reader develops a fear of such a psychologically unstable character. Another example of such a character is Oedipus. Oedipus is abandoned by his parents, and left on a mountain to die. A stranger discovers this baby; both feet bolted into the ground, and decides to save him. When Oedipus grows up, he is told by a

Phaedra, he believes that he captured the necessary characteristics and events. In his introduction, Racine states that his play “possesses all of those qualities which Aristotle required in a hero of a tragedy, and which are capable of exciting pity and terro

Some topics in this essay:
Jean Racine, Oedipus Oedipus, Theseus Neptune, Jean Racine’s, Phaedra Oenone, Unfortunately Theseus, love aricia, reader can’t help, love stepson, hippolytus’ love aricia, incestuous love, reader can’t, example character, can’t help, aricia reader, 42 theseus, phaedra oenone, feel bad,