Phaedra

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 54

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Study Guide

Before You Read Beta

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Lines 1-357

Lines 358-823

Lines 824-1280

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

How does Hippolytus’s opening monologue set the tone for the rest of the play? Why did Seneca choose to open the play this way?

Discuss the relationship between Phaedra and the Nurse. Why does the Nurse decide to help Phaedra? What ethical values does each character hold? How do the moralities of Phaedra and the Nurse contrast with one another?

Are Hippolytus’s reasons for remaining a virgin presented as virtuous? Why or why not?