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Human and Divine Relationships: The True Nature of the Gods

By: Ramy Moussa
Professor: John Serrati
CLAS 203







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Deities in the ancient Greek world are portrayed in different many ways. Their descriptions can vary
from myth to myth, but there are still certain traits that the Gods always possess. In Euripides Hippolytus,
the goddess Aphrodite is portrayed throughout the story in ways that make her seem insensitive and cruel.
Artemis on the others hand, is described as compassionate and sympathetic. When examining the
interactions between human characters, Aphrodite, and Artemis, the idea that certain deities are nobler than
others is a prominent one. However, it can be argued that this is not the case. Euripides Hippolytos proves
that the relationship between humans and deities and deities themselves is solely based off loyalty, and that
ultimately all Gods, specifically Aphrodite and Artemis in this story, are very similar: selfish, egocentric, and
vengeful in nature to those whose loyalties lie elsewhere.
Firstly, it is important to solidify the idea that the Gods only care about those loyal to them and are
able and willing to punish those that are not. The entire story behind Hippolytos is generated by the wrath of
a God. This deity is the goddess of sexual desire, Aphrodite, and the story is driven by her (unnecessary, to
say the least) punishment of Hippolytus. The play opens with a monologue from Aphrodite, which she uses
immediately to clarify her potency by saying I honor those who reverence my power, but I lay low all those
who think proud thoughts against me.
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This line alone solidifies the fact that Aphrodite has no sympathy for
those who do not worship her as an individual. She says herself that she punishes those who are against her
and refuse to worship her. Because mortals really have no power to truly influence the lives of the Gods, the
egocentricity of Aphrodite is highlighted here. She makes it clear that shes willing to manipulate the lives of
certain humans simply because they do not worship her and therefore arent feeding her ego, revealing how
selfish she really is. And so, after only a few lines into the play, the first example of a God willing to punish
those whose loyalties lie elsewhere is presented.
It is easy to see how truly selfish Aphrodite is by the lengths shes willing to go in order to harm those
who simply choose not to worship her. As her monologue continues, Aphrodite introduces her impending

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Euripides, Hippolytus, 5-6
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schemes when she explains: for his sins against me I shall punish Hippolytus this day.
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Hippolytus has
provoked Aphrodite because he shuns the bed of love and will have nothing to do with marriage. Instead,
he honors Apollo's sister Artemis, Zeus's daughter, thinking her the greatest of divinities. In the green wood,
ever consort to the maiden goddess, he clears the land of wild beasts with his swift dogs and has gained a
companionship greater than mortal.
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It is not jealousy that bothers Aphrodite, indicated by the fact that to
this pair [she feels] no grudging ill-will.
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What aggravates Aphrodite is that Hippolytus refuses to worship
her and does not believe in sexual desire. Instead of him being loyal to both goddesses (which would be
acceptable), he is only loyal to Artemis. Obviously, this upsets Aphrodite and she decides to take her revenge
by making Hippolytus stepmother Phaedra fall in love with him, leading to the destruction of the lives of
Hippolytus family. Again, it is made clear here that Aphrodite is very self-indulgent and heartless. She is
willing to shatter the lives of multiple people for revenge, even if it is only one of those people who had
wronged her, and she will stop at nothing until she has her vengeance, without feeling any hint of remorse.
Aphrodite through her actions is the perfect example of an insensitive and selfish deity.
A lot is revealed about the relationship between humans and deities via Aphrodites monologue. It is
apparent that humans can become extremely close to Gods because Hippolytus is described as being a
consort to Artemis; their relationship is even described as greater than mortal. This is simply a result of
the fact that Hippolytus is extremely loyal to Artemis, and worships her over any other deities. Aphrodite
explains that in the godsone finds this trait: they enjoy receiving honor from mortals.
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Therefore, Artemis
gains a great deal of respect and admiration towards Hippolytus because of his love and passion for her. So,
the reason that a human would be able to become so intertwined with a God is really based upon their
loyalty to that deity. If a human shows adoration to a certain god or goddess and lovingly worships them as
well, then said deity will, as Aphrodite says earlier, honor the mortal. However, if a human exclusively
neglects a certain deity as Hippolytus does to Aphrodite, the deity may invoke their wrath upon that mortal

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Euripides, Hippolytus, 22
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Euripides, Hippolytus, 14-19
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Euripides, Hippolytus, 20
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Euripides, Hippolytus, 7-8
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out of pure spite. While humans cannot really affect the lives of the Gods, deities can vigorously affect the
lives of humans if they choose; it all depends on where their loyalties lie.
Artemis is portrayed in a way that would generally make audiences see her in a very positive light,
however in truth she is no different from Aphrodite and really the rest of the Gods: selfish and vengeful.
When Artemis explains to Theseus his wrongs, she also mentions that for all that it is still possible for [him]
to win pardon for these things. Aphrodite willed that things should happen thus, sating her anger. Among the
gods the custom is this: no god contrives to cross the will of another, but we all stand asideif it were not
that I feared Zeus, I would never have come to such a pitch of shame as to allow the death of the man I love
most among mortals.
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It is very tempting here to view Artemis as a heroine and as a goddess of honor and
compassion. This is because of the possible pardon she has granted Theseus and for the fact that she would
have saved Hippolytus if the laws of the Gods allowed it. Artemis opposes Aphrodite, the villain of the
story, and comes to the aid of the main characters Hippolytus and Theseus, and therefore seems sympathetic
and noble. However, there are two sides to every story, and one must remember the fact that deities are
only honorable to those mortals who are loyal to them. Artemis true divine nature can be seen when she
promises to Hippolytus revenge for the wrath that has fallen against [him] by Aphrodite's designthat
mortal of hers that she loves the most [she] shall punish with these ineluctable arrows shot from [her]
hand.
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Here it is revealed that Artemis is really the same as Aphrodite in the sense that she seeks revenge
on those who have wronged her and has no sympathy for those who do not worship her. Artemis will to
punish the mortal whom Aphrodite loves most is really no different than Aphrodites will to punish
Hippolytus. It all comes back to loyalty: Aphrodite has wronged an innocent human loyal to Artemis, and as
revenge Artemis plans to harm an innocent human loyal to Aphrodite. This further promotes the belief that
all Gods (Aphrodite, Artemis, etc.) are similar in that they only care for those loyal to themselves as
individuals.

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Euripides, Hippolytus, 1326-1334
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Euripides, Hippolytus, 1418-1421
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Artemis provides much information regarding the relationship of deities towards other deities.
Much like with humans, deities seek vengeance on one another for hostile actions as well, as evidenced by
Artemis plans to take revenge upon Aphrodite. Deities relationships with one another are also dependant
on their positions, virtues, and what they represent. For example, when Artemis explains that she was not
able to prevent Hippolytus fate, she mentioned her fear of Zeus as being the primary reason. Zeus position
as king in the hierarchy of the Olympians instills fear into Artemis, and therefore fear becomes a strong,
unavoidable factor in her relationship with Zeus. Another strong case is when Artemis explains to Theseus
that [Phaedra] was stung by the goad of that goddess most hated by us who take pleasure in virginity.
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Here it is evident that Artemis, being a virgin goddess, already felt a sense of loathing towards Aphrodite
because she is the goddess of sexual desire. This is an example of a distasteful relationship between deities
that is based upon their beliefs and virtues, even before their actions had affected one another. Just as
relationships between humans and deities can be both prosperous and hostile, so too can the relationships
between deities themselves.
In conclusion, Euripides Hippolytus illustrates the workings of the relationships between humans
and deities and deities themselves, as well as revealing the true nature of the Gods. Deities in the ancient
Greek world thrived on human loyalty and many of their actions were based upon it. Although every God
was portrayed differently from myth to myth, one trait always remained the same: the Gods would honor
those who worshipped them and punish those who didnt; it all came down to loyalty.





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Euripides, Hippolytus, 1302-1303
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Bibliography:
Euripides. Hippolytus. Translated by David Kovacs, 1995.