In me tota ruens Venus: as leituras dos discursos misógino e feminista em Hipólito de Eurípides

Abstract

In me tota ruens Venus Venus falling all over me , this verse of Horace clearly represents the position Phaedra s and Hippolytus characters have in Euripides tragedy Hippolytus. In general lines, Phaedra, enchanted by Aphrodite, suffers because she loves her stepson Hippolytus, who rejects her strongly. Enraged for his treatment not only toward her, but to all women, Phaedra accuses Hippolytus, through a plate, of raping her and suicides right after. Theseus, Hippolytus father, while finding his dead wife, exiles his son and makes arrangements for his death. The tensions created by Phaedra s and Hippolytus discourses have been used in countless debates by the critical scholarship. Analyzing Euripides critics raises more questions that enlighten answers. Of all critical postures, two opposed lines deserve to have a closer look. The readings of the misogynistic discourse, that will defend that Euripides did not preach the misogyny through his texts, but, on the contrary, stroke it while doing changes on the myths to give voice to female characters as strong as Phaedra. On the other hand, the readings of the feminist discourse that will defend that there is a misogynistic discourse in Euripides texts, product of an ideological imposition present in Ancient Greece. The present work will discuss both discourses and demonstrate that, in his own maner, Euripides was not a misogynist