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Hippolytus

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Son of Theseus and the Amazon Hippolyta, devoted to chaste worship of Artemis. His rejection of stepmother Phaedra's love led to her false accusation and his death by Poseidon's curse.

Detailed Definition
Hippolytus, a chaste follower of Artemis, spurned his stepmother Phaedra, who then falsely accused him of rape, leading to his death by Poseidon’s curse. His story, told by Euripides, explores purity, slander, and divine injustice. In poetry, he symbolizes innocence destroyed by passion and miscommunication.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hippolytus, devotee of Artemis, is falsely accused by Phaedra in Euripides’ tragedy; In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, his death and resurrection by Asclepius are recounted; Virgil alludes to his story in Aeneid VII as a cautionary myth; Seneca’s Phaedra dramatizes his chaste resistance; Renaissance tragedy uses Hippolytus to explore purity and slander; Modern verse examines Hippolytus as a victim of sexual politics.
Additional Notes
Hippolytus, son of Theseus, devoted to Artemis and rejected Aphrodite, leading to his death via Phaedra’s false accusation; Euripides’ tragedy examines chastity, divine jealousy, and miscommunication—ideal for poetry on purity, slander, or the destructive power of unrequited love.
Also Known As
Devotee of Artemis Chaste Prince of Troezen Hippolytos
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