e gone now that she has been sent to the kingdom by her father. Theramenes also notes a reason in that Phaedra has called for the banishment of Hippolytus, as he tells the latter:
When, as the King's new consort, she required
Your banishment, and got what she desired (I.i.38-40).
However, Racine gives greater importance to Phaedra by moving her center stage, while Euripides placed Hippolytus in that position. this decision alone means that the playwright intends to concentrate more on Phaedra and sees the play as revolving around her. She shows greater strength in this play for that very reason, though she remains a tormented and ultimately destroyed character.
Racine has added the character of Aricia to the play in order to complicate the situation. This is a character who is mentioned in earlier versions but not se
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