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How does Hippolytus show Aphrodite’s revenge against a mortal who neglected her worship?

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Euripides Euripides, marble herm copied from a Greek original, c. 340–330 bce; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

In the play Hippolytus, Aphrodite exacts revenge on Hippolytus because he rejects sexual passion and refuses to honor her, choosing instead to devote himself to the virgin huntress Artemis.

To punish him, Aphrodite causes Phaedra, the wife of Theseus, to fall into a violent, illicit love for her stepson. When Hippolytus reacts to this revelation with intense revulsion, a mortified Phaedra takes her own life, leaving behind a false accusation that Hippolytus raped her.12

Believing this lie, Theseus invokes a curse granted to him by Poseidon. The sea god subsequently sends a monster from the sea to terrify Hippolytus’ horses, causing a chariot accident that results in the young man’s death. Although Artemis eventually reveals the truth of his innocence, the goddess of love successfully destroys the mortal who neglected her worship.21