by Jean Racine
I think beyond all else I have display'd Abhorrence of those sins with which I'm charged. For this Hippolytus is known in Greece, So continent that he is deem'd austere. All know my abstinence inflexible:
The daylight is not purer than my heart. How, then, could I, burning with fire profane—
THESEUS
Yes, dastard, 'tis that very pride condemns you. I see the odious reason of your coldness Phaedra alone bewitch'd your shameless eyes; Your soul, to others' charms indifferent, Disdain'd the blameless fires of lawful love.
HIPPOLYTUS
No, father, I have hidden it too long, This heart has not disdain'd a sacred flame. Here at your feet I own my real offence: I love, and love in truth where you forbid me; Bound to Aricia by my heart's devotion, The child of Pallas has subdued your son. A rebel to your laws, her I adore,
And breathe forth ardent sighs for her alone.
THESEUS
You love her? Heav'ns!
But no, I see the trick.
You feign a crime to justify yourself.
HIPPOLYTUS
Sir, I have shunn'd her for six months, and still Love her. To you yourself I came to tell it, Trembling the while. Can nothing clear your mind Of your mistake? What oath can reassure you? By heav'n and earth and all the pow'rs of nature—
THESEUS
The wicked never shrink from perjury.
Cease, cease, and spare me irksome protestations, If your false virtue has no other aid.
HIPPOLYTUS
Tho' it to you seem false and insincere, Phaedra has secret cause to know it true. Ah! how your shamelessness excites my wrath!
HIPPOLYTUS
What is my term and place of banishment? THESEUS
Were you beyond the Pillars of Alcides, Your perjured presence were too near me yet.
HIPPOLYTUS
What friends will pity me, when you forsake And think me guilty of a crime so vile?
THESEUS
Go, look you out for friends who hold in honour Adultery and clap their hands at incest, Low, lawless traitors, steep'd in infamy, The fit protectors of a knave like you.
HIPPOLYTUS
Are incest and adultery the words
You cast at me? I hold my tongue. Yet think What mother Phaedra had; too well you know Her blood, not mine, is tainted with those horrors.
THESEUS
What! Does your rage before my eyes lose all Restraint? For the last time,—out of my sight! Hence, traitor! Wait not till a father's wrath Force thee away 'mid general execration.
Scene III THESEUS (alone)
Wretch! Thou must meet inevitable ruin.
Neptune has sworn by Styx—to gods themselves A dreadful oath,—and he will execute
His promise. Thou canst not escape his vengeance. I loved thee; and, in spite of thine offence, My heart is troubled by anticipation
For thee. But thou hast earn'd thy doom too well. Had father ever greater cause for rage?
Just gods, who see the grief that overwhelms me, Why was I cursed with such a wicked son?
SCENE IV
PHAEDRA, THESEUS PHAEDRA
My lord, I come to you, fill'd with just dread. Your voice raised high in anger reach'd mine ears, And much I fear that deeds have follow'd threats. Oh, if there yet is time, spare your own offspring. Respect your race and blood, I do beseech you. Let me not hear that blood cry from the ground; Save me the horror and perpetual pain
Of having caused his father's hand to shed it. THESEUS
No, Madam, from that stain my hand is free. But, for all that, the wretch has not escaped me. The hand of an Immortal now is charged
With his destruction. 'Tis a debt that Neptune Owes me, and you shall be avenged.
PHAEDRA
A debt
Owed you? Pray'rs made in anger—
THESEUS
Never fear
That they will fail. Rather join yours to mine In all their blackness paint for me his crimes, And fan my tardy passion to white heat. But yet you know not all his infamy;
His rage against you overflows in slanders; Your mouth, he says, is full of all deceit, He says Aricia has his heart and soul, That her alone he loves.
PHAEDRA Aricia? THESEUS
Aye,
He said it to my face! an idle pretext! A trick that gulls me not! Let us hope Neptune Will do him speedy justice. To his altars I go, to urge performance of his oaths.
SCENE V PHAEDRA (alone)
Ah, he is gone! What tidings struck mine ears? What fire, half smother'd, in my heart revives? What fatal stroke falls like a thunderbolt? Stung by remorse that would not let me rest, I tore myself out of Oenone's arms,
And flew to help Hippolytus with all
My soul and strength. Who knows if that repentance Might not have moved me to accuse myself? And, if my voice had not been choked with shame, Perhaps I had confess'd the frightful truth. Hippolytus can feel, but not for me!
Aricia has his heart, his plighted troth. Ye gods, when, deaf to all my sighs and tears, He arm'd his eye with scorn, his brow with threats, I deem'd his heart, impregnable to love,
Was fortified 'gainst all my sex alike.
And yet another has prevail'd to tame
His pride, another has secured his favour. Perhaps he has a heart easily melted;
I am the only one he cannot bear!
And shall I charge myself with his defence? SCENE VI
PHAEDRA, OENONE
PHAEDRA
Know you, dear Nurse, what I have learn'd just now? OENONE
No; but I come in truth with trembling limbs. I dreaded with what purpose you went forth, The fear of fatal madness made me pale.
PHAEDRA
Who would have thought it, Nurse? I had a rival.
OENONE
A rival? PHAEDRA
Yes, he loves. I cannot doubt it.
This wild untamable Hippolytus,
Who scorn'd to be admired, whom lovers' sighs Wearied, this tiger, whom I fear'd to rouse, Fawns on a hand that has subdued his pride: Aricia has found entrance to his heart.
OENONE Aricia? PHAEDRA
Ah! anguish as yet untried!
For what new tortures am I still reserved? All I have undergone, transports of passion, Longings and fears, the horrors of remorse, The shame of being spurn'd with contumely, Were feeble foretastes of my present torments. They love each other! By what secret charm Have they deceived me? Where, and when, and how Met they? You knew it all. Why was I cozen'd? You never told me of those stolen hours
Of amorous converse. Have they oft been seen Talking together? Did they seek the shades Of thickest woods? Alas! full freedom had they To see each other. Heav'n approved their sighs; They loved without the consciousness of guilt; And every morning's sun for them shone clear, While I, an outcast from the face of Nature, Shunn'd the bright day, and sought to hide myself. Death was the only god whose aid I dared
To ask: I waited for the grave's release. Water'd with tears, nourish'd with gall, my woe Was all too closely watch'd; I did not dare To weep without restraint. In mortal dread Tasting this dangerous solace, I disguised My terror 'neath a tranquil countenance,
And oft had I to check my tears, and smile.
OENONE
What fruit will they enjoy of their vain love? They will not see each other more. PHAEDRA
That love
Will last for ever. Even while I speak,
Ah, fatal thought, they laugh to scorn the madness Of my distracted heart. In spite of exile That soon must part them, with a thousand oaths They seal yet closer union. Can I suffer
A happiness, Oenone, which insults me?
I crave your pity. She must be destroy'd. My husband's wrath against a hateful stock Shall be revived, nor must the punishment Be light: the sister's guilt passes the brothers'. I will entreat him in my jealous rage.
What am I saying? Have I lost my senses?
Is Phaedra jealous, and will she implore
Theseus for help? My husb
and lives, and yet I burn. For whom? Whose heart is this I claim As mine? At every word I say, my hair
Stands up with horror. Guilt henceforth has pass'd All bounds. Hypocrisy and incest breathe
At once thro' all. My murderous hands are ready To spill the blood of guileless innocence. Do I yet live, wretch that I am, and dare To face this holy Sun from whom I spring? My father's sire was king of all the gods; My ancestors fill all the universe.
Where can I hide? In the dark realms of Pluto? But there my father holds the fatal urn;
His hand awards th' irrevocable doom:
Minos is judge of all the ghosts in hell. Ah! how his awful shade will start and shudder When he shall see his daughter brought before him, Forced to confess sins of such varied dye, Crimes it may be unknown to hell itself!
What wilt thou say, my father, at a sight So dire? I think I see thee drop the urn, And, seeking some unheard-of punishment,
Thyself become my executioner.
Spare me! A cruel goddess has destroy'd
Thy race; and in my madness recognize
Her wrath. Alas! My aching heart has reap'd No fruit of pleasure from the frightful crime The shame of which pursues me to the grave, And ends in torment life-long misery.
OENONE
Ah, Madam, pray dismiss a groundless dread: Look less severely on a venial error.
You love. We cannot conquer destiny.
You were drawn on as by a fatal charm. Is that a marvel without precedent
Among us? Has love triumph'd over you, And o'er none else? Weakness is natural To man. A mortal, to a mortal's lot
Submit. You chafe against a yoke that others Have long since borne. The dwellers in Olympus, The gods themselves, who terrify with threats The sins of men, have burn'd with lawless fires.
PHAEDRA
What words are these I hear? What counsel this You dare to give me? Will you to the end
Pour poison in mine ears? You have destroy'd me. You brought me back when I should else have quitted The light of day, made me forget my duty
And see Hippolytus, till then avoided.
What hast thou done? Why did your wicked mouth With blackest lies slander his blameless life? Perhaps you've slain him, and the impious pray'r Of an unfeeling father has been answer'd. No, not another word! Go, hateful monster; Away, and leave me to my piteous fate.
May Heav'n with justice pay you your deserts! And may your punishment for ever be
A terror to all those who would, like you, Nourish with artful wiles the weaknesses
Of princes, push them to the brink of ruin To which their heart inclines, and smooth the path Of guilt. Such flatterers doth the wrath of Heav'n Bestow on kings as its most fatal gift.
OENONE (alone)
O gods! to serve her what have I not done? This is the due reward that I have won.
ACT V
SCENE I
HIPPOLYTUS, ARICIA ARICIA
Can you keep silent in this mortal peril? Your father loves you. Will you leave him thus Deceived? If in your cruel heart you scorn My tears, content to see me nevermore, Go, part from poor Aricia; but at least, Going, secure the safety of your life. Defend your honor from a shameful stain, And force your father to recall his pray'rs. There yet is time. Why out of mere caprice Leave the field free to Phaedra's calumnies? Let Theseus know the truth.
HIPPOLYTUS
Could I say more,
Without exposing him to dire disgrace? How should I venture, by revealing all, To make a father's brow grow red with shame? The odious mystery to you alone
Is known. My heart has been outpour'd to none Save you and Heav'n. I could not hide from you (Judge if I love you), all I fain would hide E'en from myself. But think under what seal I spoke. Forget my words, if that may be; And never let so pure a mouth disclose
This dreadful secret. Let us trust to Heav'n My vindication, for the gods are just;
For their own honour will they clear the guiltless; Sooner or later punish'd for her crime,
Phaedra will not escape the shame she merits. I ask no other favour than your silence;
In all besides I give my wrath free scope. Make your escape from this captivity,
Be bold to bear me company in flight;
Linger not here on this accursed soil,
Where virtue breathes a pestilential air. To cover your departure take advantage
Of this confusion, caused by my disgrace. The means of flight are ready, be assured; You have as yet no other guards than mine. Pow'rful defenders will maintain our quarrel; Argos spreads open arms, and Sparta calls us. Let us appeal for justice to our friends, Nor suffer Phaedra, in a common ruin
Joining us both, to hunt us from the throne, And aggrandise her son by robbing us.
Embrace this happy opportunity:
What fear restrains? You seem to hesitate. Your interest alone prompts me to urge
Boldness. When I am all on fire, how comes it That you are ice? Fear you to follow then A banish'd man?
ARICIA
Ah, dear to me would be
Such exile! With what joy, my fate to yours United, could I live, by all the world
Forgotten! but not yet has that sweet tie Bound us together. How then can I steal
Away with you? I know the strictest honour Forbids me not out of your father's hands To free myself; this is no parent's home, And flight is lawful when one flies from tyrants. But you, Sir, love me; and my virtue shrinks—
HIPPOLYTUS
No, no, your reputation is to me
As dear as to yourself. A nobler purpose
Brings me to you. Fly from your foes, and follow A husband. Heav'n, that sends us these misfortunes, Sets free from human instruments the pledge Between us. Torches do not always light
The face of Hymen.
At the gates of Troezen,
'Mid ancient tombs where princes of my race Lie buried, stands a temple, ne'er approach'd By perjurers, where mortals dare not make False oaths, for instant punishment befalls The guilty. Falsehood knows no stronger check Than what is present there—the fear of death That cannot be avoided. Thither then
We'll go, if you consent, and swear to love For ever, take the guardian god to witness Our solemn vows, and his paternal care Entreat. I will invoke the name of all The holiest Pow'rs; chaste Dian, and the Queen Of Heav'n, yea all the gods who know my heart Will guarantee my sacred promises.
ARICIA
The King draws near. Depart,—make no delay. To mask my flight, I linger yet one moment. Go you; and leave with me some trusty guide, To lead my timid footsteps to your side.
SCENE II
THESEUS, ARICIA, ISMENE THESEUS
Ye gods, throw light upon my troubled mind, Show me the truth which I am seeking here.
ARICIA (aside to ISMENE)
Get ready, dear Ismene, for our flight.
SCENE III
THESEUS, ARICIA THESEUS
Your colour comes and goes, you seem confused, Madame! What business had my son with you?
ARICIA
Sire, he was bidding me farewell for ever. THESEUS
Your eyes, it seems, can tame that stubborn pride; And the first sighs he breathes are paid to you.
ARICIA
I can't deny the truth; he has not, Sire, Inherited your hatred and injustice; He did not treat me like a criminal.
THESEUS
That is to say, he swore eternal love. Do not rely on that inconstant heart; To others has he sworn as much before.
ARICIA
He, Sire? THESEUS You ought to check his roving taste. How could you bear a partnership so vile?
ARICIA
And how can you endure that vilest slanders Should make a life so pure as black as pitch? Have you so little knowledge of his heart? Do you so ill distinguish between guilt
And innocence? What mist before your eyes Blinds them to virtue so conspicuous?
Ah! 'tis too much to let false tongues defame him. Repent; call back your murderous wishes, Sir
e; Fear, fear lest Heav'n in its severity
Hate you enough to hear and grant your pray'rs. Oft in their wrath the gods accept our victims, And oftentimes chastise us with their gifts.
THESEUS
No, vainly would you cover up his guilt.
Your love is blind to his depravity.
But I have witness irreproachable:
Tears have I seen, true tears, that may be trusted.
ARICIA
Take heed, my lord. Your hands invincible Have rid the world of monsters numberless; But all are not destroy'd, one you have left Alive—Your son forbids me to say more. Knowing with what respect he still regards you, I should too much distress him if I dared Complete my sentence. I will imitate
His reverence, and, to keep silence, leave you.
SCENE IV THESEUS (alone)
What is there in her mind? What meaning lurks In speech begun but to be broken short? Would both deceive me with a vain pretence? Have they conspired to put me to the torture? And yet, despite my stern severity,
What plaintive voice cries deep within my heart? A secret pity troubles and alarms me.
Oenone shall be questioned once again,
I must have clearer light upon this crime. Guards, bid Oenone come, and come alone.
SCENE V
THESEUS, PANOPE PANOPE
I know not what the Queen intends to do, But from her agitation dread the worst. Fatal despair is painted on her features; Death's pallor is already in her face. Oenone, shamed and driven from her sight, Has cast herself into the ocean depths. None knows what prompted her to deed so rash; And now the waves hide her from us for ever.
THESEUS
What say you? PANOPE
Her sad fate seems to have added
Fresh trouble to the Queen's tempestuous soul. Sometimes, to soothe her secret pain, she clasps Her children close, and bathes them with her tears; Then suddenly, the mother's love forgotten, She thrusts them from her with a look of horror, She wanders to and fro with doubtful steps; Her vacant eye no longer knows us. Thrice She wrote, and thrice did she, changing her mind, Destroy the letter ere 'twas well begun.
Vouchsafe to see her, Sire: vouchsafe to help her.
THESEUS
Heav'ns! Is Oenone dead, and Phaedra bent On dying too? Oh, call me back my son!