Initiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Initiation - Essay Example Theseus sends his illegitimate son, Hippolytus to live in Troezen with his great-grandfather where he expected his stepson to inherit the rule of Troezen. Hippolytus only worshipped Artemis, the goddess of hunt, and failed to acknowledge the other gods. This angered the other gods in particular Aphrodite, the goddess of love. As a result Aphrodite plots Hippolytus’s death by making Phaedra, his step-mother, to fall in love with him (Gieseler 17). Aphrodite causes Phaedra to desire Hippolytus but her stepson is chaste. Hippolytus refuses the advances of his stepmother, who ultimately commits suicide because of this rejection. In her suicide letter to her husband Theseus, Phaedra accuses his stepson of raping her. After reading the paper, Theseus curses his stepson and the curse ultimately leads to his death. Hippolytus as a prince was expected to undergo an initiation process in order to become a member of Pandion’s land. It was during this solemn mystic rite event that her stepmother, Phaedra notices him and develops intimate feelings for him; influenced by the power of Aphrodite In the mythological essence, Hippolytus has no major character flaw that might make him the protagonist of this poem. His only mistake is turning down the advances of his stepmother, in a bid to stick to his chaste principles. His death is tragic, in the very least, but he lacks a major character flaw that led to the downfall of renowned protagonists such as Brutus (Gieseler 24). His father, on the other hand, is blinded by revenge and curses his son. Hippolytus is cursed by people he dearly loved, Theseus, for a sin he never committed. The death of Hippolytus does not fit death of a child motif. His father asked, â€Å"Woe is me! Is it a child’s life death robs me of?† (Gieseler 21). Death of a child motif is always applicable when a child dies without his or her parents’ involvement. However, in the play, Theseus’s curse on his son leads to his death. Hippolytus