English & Literature

Who is Phaedra from Sarah Kane: Complete Plays and what is their importance?

Asked by
Last updated by Cat
1 Answers
Log in to answer

In "Phaedra's Love", Phaedra is the wife of the king Theseus. As the play begins, Phaedra is desperately in love with the prince Hippolytus, who is caught in some sort of rut. Phaedra consults a doctor and her daughter Strophe about Hippolytus, and both warn her to care for him as a mother, not a lover. Phaedra visits Hippolytus on his birthday and declares her love to him. She also says she has a surprise present for him. Hippolytus refuses to love her, but he accepts fellatio. Afterward, he says he does not love her, informs her that he has gonorrhea, and reveals that he has also slept with Strophe. Phaedra hangs herself immediately after. Her birthday surprise for Hippolytus is that she publicly accuses him of raping her in her suicide note.