Phaedra Summary

In the background information of "Phaedra," Theseus marries Antiope, also known as Hyppolyta, the queen of the Amazons. They have one son, Hippolytus. Theseus murders Antiope and marries Phaedra. During Theseus' expedition to the underworld, Phaedra becomes enamored with her stepson and tries to seduce him. In the preface, Hippolytus distributes the responsibilities of the hunt to his people, telling them where to go and invoking the relief of Diana, goddess of the hunt. In the first act, Phaedra admits to Hippolytus' nurse that she is consumed by love for Hippolytus. Hippolytus' nurse tries to dissuade Phaedra from acting on these feelings, but it is in vain for Phaedra refuses to yield to the nurse's good advice. The chorus sings about how every living thing, men, gods and animals, eventually yields to the pleasures of love.

In the second act, Phaedra's nurse complains...