Phaedra's Love

About this book

Phaedra's Love is about sex and violence. Hippolytus is a prince and he celebrates his birthday. He sits and watches videos all day. He masturbates permanently and had sex with others in his spare time. Phraedra, his stepmother, expresses her love to him by having oral sex with him. As a birthday present for him she committed suicide and blame Hippolytus of raping her. Now he feels the love she had for him and takes the blame of raping her. Hippolytus is killed by a mob at the end of the play. He is the only direct person in the play. His black humour is excellent and the priest scene is a comedy by itself. Hippolytus won't confess as a last minute repentance of his deed. The end of the play is very bloodthirsty and Hippolytus feels the pleasure of life in his death because he had no moments like this.This short play is Kane's curious one. It is a mixture of humour and hypocrisy. Theseus and the mob lynched Hippolytus and Strophe. As Theseus saw that he killed his own daughter he felt the pain and the hypocrisy in his deed. Sarah Kane puts a lot of comedy and humour in it which makes the play a modern version of an antique drama.