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How does the ending of Hippolytus reveal Hippolytusâ innocence?
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Euripides
Euripides, marble herm copied from a Greek original, c. 340â330 bce; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
In the tragedy Hippolytus by Euripides, the protagonistâs innocence is definitively established in the play's final moments through the divine intervention of the goddess Artemis.1
After Theseus curses his son based on the false accusations left in a suicide note by Phaedra, Hippolytus is mortally wounded by a sea monster sent by Poseidon. Before the young man succumbs to his injuries, Artemis appears to reveal the truth of the situation to Theseus, confirming that Hippolytus was falsely accused and remained chaste. This revelation allows Hippolytus to forgive his father, absolving Theseus of the moral stain of bloodguilt.12