PHAEDRA

A princess is whisked away from home and into a dangerous new world in this reinterpretation of the Greek myth.

Phaedra is the younger and plainer princess of Crete. As a teenager, she is witness to the arrival of Theseus and his slaying of her brother, the Minotaur, in the labyrinth. After losing her sister, Ariadne, she becomes Theseus’ bride and travels with him to Athens, intent on seeing the gods take revenge on him for the murder of her brother. But Athens is a different world, harsher and filled with men who have no time for the young princess, now queen. Her volatile relationship with her stepson, Hippolytus, who is roughly her age, and her nonexistent relationship with her husband boil over when the worst happens and all of Phaedra’s faith is tested. Shepperson has taken an old story and given it new life with her feminist framing. The point of view rotates among major players like Phaedra; her maid, Kandake; and the king's adviser, Trypho, and minor players like Xenethippe, an Athenian peasant; and Helia, a bull leaper. Interjections from the Night Chorus, the unified voice of the women of Athens, set the scene, letting the reader know the truth of what is happening beyond Phaedra’s sight. The writing is evocative, crisp, and clear even when dealing with Greek customs, weapons, and traditions. The looming, ever present threat of sexual violence creates tension even in seemingly innocuous scenes, clear even to readers unfamiliar with the original story. This tale was always going to be a tragedy, but telling it almost entirely from the women’s points of view makes it both more modern and more eternal, the system of men protecting men never changing.

A breath of fresh air from an ancient tale.