Artemis is the goddess of hunting, and she also represents chastity. Hippolytus has devoted his life to worshipping her, manifest in the crowns of flowers that he makes to adorn her statue onstage. When she finally appears at the end of the play, she confesses that a law among the gods had prevented her from interfering with Aphrodite’s machinations. Still, she vows revenge, and gives establishes a cult in Hippolytus’s honor after his death.
Artemis Quotes in Hippolytus
The Hippolytus quotes below are all either spoken by Artemis or refer to Artemis. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Note: all page and citation info for the quotes below refers to the Oxford University Press edition of Hippolytus published in 1992.
Lines 1-425
Quotes
I have brought you this green crown,
Goddess, fresh from the scene
Where I spliced its flowers together,
A meadow as virginal as you are…
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Lines 1369-1727
Quotes
Daughter of Leto, you who were
Closest to me, my friend, my hunting partner,
Now I will go in exile
From radiant Athens.
I say goodbye to my city…
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Lines 1728-2208
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I will reveal and you must face
The sexual passion of your wife,
Though what she did, seen in its own strange light,
Burns with her soul’s nobility.
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And the maidens’ spontaneous songs
Will dwell on you with endless care.
And fame will find musical words
For Phaidra’s terrible love for you,
And that too will be known.
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Artemis Character Timeline in Hippolytus
The timeline below shows where the character Artemis appears in Hippolytus. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Lines 1-425
...sees the palace doors, in addition to two statues, one of Aphrodite and another of Artemis. Aphrodite herself appears to the audience, high above the stage, to address the audience and...
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...is that Hippolytus has gone so far his chastity and worship of the virginal goddess Artemis that he rejects the divine power of desire, or Aphrodite herself. In order to take...
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...the huntsmen and the chorus of Troizenian women in a poetic hymn in praise of Artemis. To complete the prayer, he places a crown of flowers on the statue of Artemis,...
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...he urges Hippolytus to worship the statue of Aphrodite standing next to the one of Artemis, lest he appear arrogant to that powerful goddess. Hippolytus responds cruelly and spurns Aphrodite before...
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...of her status, but Phaidra goes on to elaborate that she wants to hunt alongside Artemis.
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Lines 817-1119
...have seen unfold. The Koryphaios, speaking for the rest of the Troizenian women, swears by Artemis. That done, Phaidra hints at her next moves. She will die – that much is...
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Lines 1369-1727
...At last, Theseus orders Hippolytus gone. As Hippolytus exits, he utters a goodbye prayer to Artemis and asks his friends to accompany him to the edge of the country.
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Lines 1728-2208
...say, will he enjoy hunting with his chariot, playing his lyre, or making wreaths for Artemis, and the maidens of Troizen will miss the games in which they struggled to keep...
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...the chorus sings a brief song to Aphrodite, recognizing her power over all things. Then Artemis, high above the stage, appears suddenly. The goddess wastes no time telling the truth: Phaidra...
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When Theseus cries out in anguish, Artemis continues to accuse him. Instead of conducting an investigation with a level head, she says,...
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...turns to Theseus, he invokes an unspecified ancestral crime as the reason for his suffering. Artemis speaks to him, praising his “noble generous mind”, and Hippolytus feels moved to hear her...
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Artemis promises to take revenge on Aphrodite by shooting one of Aphrodite’s most beloved mortals with...
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