Later in years, Theseus remarries to Princess Ariadne’s sister Phaedra. During these years, Phaedra gives birth to two sons. But tragic machinations begin when Theseus son, Hippolytus, from his previous marriage to the Amazonian Antiope, visits the kingdom. Hippolytus, in the service of Artemis, has made a vow to chastity, which angers Aphrodite. Seeking to punish the man, Aphrodite bewitches Phaedra to fall in love with her step son. When Hippolytus refuses the queen’s lustful advances, either from heartbreak, shame, or fear of Theseus’, Phaedra commits suicide; but not before leaving a note accusing Hippolytus of rape. Theseus, believing his dead wife’s allegation, curses his son and prays to his father Poseidon for revenge. Poor Hippolytus, fleeing the kingdom in his chariot, is beset by Poseidon’s giant bull erupting from the sea. The horses spook, the chariot overturns, and Hippolytus is dragged to his death.
The version of the tale I recount here, where Aphrodite seeks to punish the chaste hero, (similar to her role in Atalanta’s myth) is based on Euripides’ play, “Hippolytus” (428 B.C.E.) In the play, the final scene has Artemis appearing before Theseus to inform him of Phaedra’s deception, and Hippolytus, dying, forgives his father, leaving the king to process the tragic turn of events.
Certainly Greek myths contains many instances of male gods and heroes abducting and raping helpless female victims. But here we have the rare ancient literary example of the flip side of the token; an innocent man suffering the consequences of a false rape allegation. There are other tales which share this motif. An ancient Egyptian tale of two brothers and a lustful wife, ends with the younger accused brother decapitating his own penis in renunciation of the allegation. In the Iliad, Homer tells of the hero Bellerophon, and the assassination attempt on his life by the king Proteus, after refusing the queen Anteia’s advances.
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