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Letter From Phaedra To Hippolytus In The Heriodes

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The Heriodes is one of the works written by Ovid. This letter from Phaedra to Hippolytus appears to be an epistolary elegiac poem, considering the ultimate goal of Phaedra’s letter was to confess her love to Hippolytus and have him reciprocate those feelings. In the first eighteen lines of Phaedra to Hippolytus in the Heriodes, there is a profound introduction to the reader, who in this case would be Hippolytus. Phaedra does an impressive job during the first few lines of giving no details other than the fact that she is writing a letter. In this vague introduction, which is the first line, Ovid in the persona of Phaedra starts with introducing the characters as “a girl” and “a man”. This leaves the audience intrigued and in a position where they can relate, since people all over the world encounter this frequent theme of love between a boy and girl. Following this undetailed introduction, Ovid introduces each of the characters separately, emphasizing how they are not one but two. The man is introduced as the son of an amazon, since status and birth are defining elements of men in this time; meanwhile, the girl was introduced as a maiden. Since her lack of marriage made her a candidate for courtship. Not only is Phaedra a maiden, but a maiden who “lacks good fortune, unless he gives it to her”. This combination of words creates of Phaedra being reliant on Hippolytus.

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