Phaedra Lesson Plan

Seneca's Phaedra is inspired by Greek and Roman mythology as well as the famous tragedy Hippolytus by the Greek playwright Euripides. As in Euripides's version, Seneca's play tells the tragedy of Phaedra, married to King Theseus, the hero who slayed the great minotaur of Crete. Both versions explore the forbidden desire between a stepmother, Phaedra, and her stepson, Hippolytus, and the tragedy the desire wreaks in Theseus's household. However, the plays diverge in their portrayal of guilt and responsibility: in Euripides's version, Hippolytus is implicated in the act, and Phaedra's desire is mostly assumed and articulated by her Nurse; in contrast, Seneca's version has Phaedra assuming...