Sarah Kane, Phaedra's Love

Aleks Sierz (Independent Scholar - Europe); Julie Waddington

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1996

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

Kane's version of the Phaedra story is not a translation of the original Greek tragedy, but a completely new play. Set in modern times, this one-act play in eight scenes reimagines the royal family at the centre of the story by making Hippolytus a depressed narcissist. In the words of his stepmother Phaedra, he is “Moody, cynical, bitter, fat, decadent, spoilt.” On his birthday, Phaedra, who is in the grip of irrational desire, performs fellatio on him. He rejects her, telling her that he's had sex with her daughter Strophe, and that he suffers from gonorrhoea. In the next scene, Strophe informs Hippolytus that Phaedra has hung herself, leaving a note accusing Hippolytus of rape, and that a vengeful mob is rioting in the streets. …

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1783 words

Citation: Sierz, Aleks, Julie Waddington. "Phaedra's Love". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 June 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15072, accessed 26 November 2024.]

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