Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The Death of Hippolytus (1825)

Joseph-Désiré Court: The Death of Hippolytus

From Greek mythology comes the dire tale of Hippolytus, son of Theseus. The most common legend regarding Hippolytus states that he was killed after rejecting the advances of Phaedra, his stepmother, the second wife of Theseus. Spurned, Phaedra deceived Theseus saying that his son had raped her. Theseus, furious, used one of the three wishes given to him by Poseidon to curse Hippolytus. Poseidon sent a sea-monster—or, alternatively, Dionysus sent a wild bull—to terrorize Hippolytus's horses, who dragged their rider to his death.

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