The Bucket List Book Adventure: Euripides’ Hippolytus – Pride, Piety, and the Price of Purity
The Bucket List Book Adventure: Book 13 – Hippolytus
by a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads – Art & Other Odd Facts
Dear Henry,
Book 13 of the Bucket List Book Adventure is complete, Euripides’ Hippolytus. Let me tell you all about it.
Euripides, born around 480 BC, was one of Athens’ three great tragedians alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles. He wrote over 90 plays, though only about 20 survive today. While his early work struggled to find recognition at the Festival of Dionysus, Hippolytus, first performed in 428 BC, finally earned him a victory.
The story itself centers on Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and the Amazon queen Antiope. A devout follower of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, Hippolytus refuses to honor Aphrodite, the goddess of love. His devotion to chastity and indifference to desire earn Aphrodite’s wrath, and she is not a deity one should ignore.
“One must, child, engage in the honors due the gods.”
— Euripides, Hippolytus
Years after Antiope’s death, Theseus marries Phaedra, the daughter of King Minos. Aphrodite, seeking revenge, curses Phaedra with a forbidden passion for her stepson. Desperate to preserve her honor, Phaedra tries to die nobly, but her nurse betrays her secret to Hippolytus, who rejects her with outrage.
Overcome with shame, Phaedra writes a note accusing Hippolytus of assault before taking her own life. Theseus, reading the note, calls upon Poseidon to punish his son. The god answers with a monstrous bull that frightens Hippolytus’ horses, dragging him to his death. Only afterward does Artemis reveal the truth — too late to undo the devastation.
“All life is painful for mortals, and there is no cease from toils.”
— Euripides, Hippolytus
I found Hippolytus darker than expected — a story about devotion, pride, and divine cruelty. The Greek gods, for all their grandeur, are fickle and self-absorbed, more human in their flaws than divine in their wisdom. Aphrodite’s vengeance destroys an entire family, Artemis’ justice comes too late, and Poseidon grants a curse without question.
It’s difficult to admire any of them.
And yet, Euripides reminds us that mortals are trapped in this divine cycle — striving for purity, caught in passion, punished for both. It’s a sobering look at how easily virtue can become arrogance and how little mercy the gods (and perhaps life) seem willing to give.
This wasn’t my favorite of Euripides’ plays. Hippolytus is distant and restrained, and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Still, its questions linger: What happens when devotion turns rigid? When righteousness blinds compassion? And what gods, if any, are worth honoring?
Next up: The Bacchae, another Euripidean tragedy, and an even deeper dive into divine madness and faith.
xoxo, a.d. elliott
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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.
In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com
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