The women’s distress after the revelation of Phèdre’s secret is interrupted by Panope. She brings the news of Thésée’s “death”, which immediately throws a new slant onto the situation. Œnone no longer sees death as Phèdre’s way out of the situation. Thésée’s “death” means that heirs to the thrones of Athens and Trézène need to be found. So long as Phèdre lives, her son stands in line to the throne. However, he must fight for his royal claim along with Hippolyte and Aricie. For these political and maternal reasons, Œnone encourages Phèdre to live. Additionally, as a widow, Phèdre’s love for Hippolyte is no longer as morally questionable as it was before.
“Votre flamme devient une flamme ordinaire” (Œnone, Act 1.5, line 350)
It is in this scene that Œnone’s misguided advice begins to lead Phèdre down a fatal path. Œnone encourages Phèdre to meet Hippolyte to discuss the question of ascension:
“Hippolyte pour vous devient moins redoutable,
Et vous pouvez le voir sans vous rendre coupable.” (Œnone, Act 1.5, lines 353-354)
Œnone does not realise that Phèdre’s feelings towards Hippolyte are so strong that they will override her maternal duty. As soon as Phèdre sets eyes on Hippolyte, thoughts of political and family duties are far from her mind. Œnone prompts Phèdre to keep to the subject at of her son’s right to the throne:
“PHÈDRE: Le voici. Vers mon cœur tout sang se retire.
J’oublie, en le voyant, ce que je viens lui dire.
ŒNONE: Souvenez-vous d’un fils qui n’espère qu’en vous.” (Opening of Act 2.5)
However, Œnone’s well-intentioned efforts are in vain. She does not comprehend the strength of feeling behind Phèdre’s first two lines of the scene, so innocently helps the tragedy take its course. We later realise that Phèdre’s distress is not solely due to her disgust that she, like her mother, has been cursed by Venus to fall in love inappropriately, but also because she wants her love for Hippolyte to be requited. This is shown, for instance, by Phèdre’s jealously when she realises that Hippolyte and Aricie are in love (Act 4.6). In Act 2.5, the passionate Phèdre is not able to follow Œnone’s instructions and proclaims her love to Hippolyte who is horrified by this. Until this point, Œnone is the only person who knew about Phèdre’s immoral love for her stepson, therefore she was the only person who could have prevented Phèdre from telling Hippolyte. However, she made no attempt to interrupt or silence Phèdre, allowing her to reveal her guilty secret. Although Œnone eventually drags the emotional Phèdre away, she does not intervene soon enough to prevent the tragedy from being set in motion, thus contributing to the unfolding of the play’s tragic outcome.
Œnone’s loyalty to Phèdre continues unfalteringly. After Phèdre has revealed her love to Hippolyte, Œnone encourages Phèdre to flee to avoid meeting Hippolyte again. Œnone does not judge Phèdre, but continues to act as her devoted servant:
“Hélas! De vos malheurs innocente ou coupable
De quoi pour vous sauver n’était-je point capable?” (Œnone, Act 3.1, lines 773-774)
Ironically, it is Œnone’s good qualities, namely her faithfulness, open-mindedness and dedication, which contribute to the tragic outcome of the play. She cannot bear to see her mistress suicidal, so is prepared to do anything to help her.
“Votre vie est pour moi d’un prix à qui tout cède.” (Œnone, Act 3.3, line 898)
However, it can be argued that Œnone takes her devotion to Phèdre too far, revealing a devious, persuasive and morally questionable nature. After Phèdre and Œnone learn that Thésée is still alive in Act 3.3, it is Œnone who comes up with the scheme that leads to Hippolyte dying falsely accused. Œnone plans to use Hippolyte’s sword as proof that he attacked Phèdre. She hopes that Thésée will banish his son so Phèdre will no longer risk seeing him. Yet when Œnone tells Phèdre of her plan, she questions its morality:
“PHÈDRE: Moi, que j’ose opprimer et noircir l’innocence?
ŒNONE: Mon zèle n’a besoin que de votre silence.” (Act 3.3, lines 893-894)
Œnone, however, insists that Phèdre should allow her to go ahead with the scheme. She continues to explain that her motives are purely honourable, born out of a wish to serve her mistress well and that she will do all the talking. According to Œnone, her scheme is the only way to protect Phèdre’s honour and its immoral aspect is therefore justifiable.
“…… et pour sauver votre honneur combattu,
Il faut immoler tout, et même la vertu.” (Œnone, Act 3.3, lines 907-908)
One could consider Œnone’s reasoning in this extract to be somewhat shaky, as honneur and vertu would appear to be closely interlinked, therefore compromising one to save the other seems rather dubious. The way in which Œnone encourages Phèdre to build up hostile feelings towards Hippolyte is also morally questionable. Œnone needs Phèdre to feel hatred towards Hippolyte in order to make her agree to her plan. Œnone encourages feelings of hostility in Phèdre by using vocabulary associated with fighting and battles, such as victoire, osez and triomphe, in order to make her see Hippolyte as her opponent rather than an object of desire.
“ŒNONE: (...) De quel œil voyez-vous ce prince audacieux?
PHÈDRE: Je le vois comme un monstre effroyable à mes yeux.
ŒNONE: Pourquoi donc lui céder une victoire entière?
Vous le craignez… Osez l’accuser la première
Du crime dont il peut vous charger aujourd’hui.” (Act 3.3, lines 883-887)
In line 884, Phèdre, with Œnone’s encouragement, is projecting her own self-hatred and disgust onto Hippolyte. Œnone’s persuasive nature and channelling of Phèdre’s feelings, together with the evidence provided by the sword give Œnone the means to carry out her deceitful plot convincingly and gull Thésée, thus contributing further to the tragic outcome of the play. Œnone’s plot and lies lead to Thésée to call upon the Gods to punish his son. Thésée does not realise the truth until it is too late and is filled with grief and remorse at the death of his innocent, falsely accused son. Œnone accepts the blame for this and throws herself off a cliff to certain death. Phèdre then poisons herself and as she dies, she reveals the truth to Thésée, yet still accepts no responsibility for the tragic outcome, placing the blame on Œnone and the Gods:
“Le Ciel mit dans mon sein une flamme funeste;
La détestable Œnone a conduit tout le reste.” (Phèdre, Act 5.7, lines 1625-1626)
Phèdre’s condemnation of Œnone is also shown in Act 4.6:
“(…) Voilà comme tu m’as perdue.
Au jour que je fuyais c’est toi qui m’as rendue.
Tes prières m’ont fait oublier mon devoir.
J’évitais Hippolyte, et tu me l’as fait voir.
A-t-elle, en l’accusant, osé noircir sa vie?
Il en mourra peut-être, ….” (Phèdre, Act 4.6, lines 1309-1315)
This passage summarises the way in which Œnone has contributed to the tragic outcome of Phèdre and also, through the use of dramatic irony in line 1315, predicts further consequences of Œnone’s actions, namely the death of Hippolyte. There are clearly direct links between Œnone’s actions and character traits and the dénouement of the tragedy.
On the other hand, it is important to question whether Phèdre is entirely justified in placing the blame on her servant and accepting no responsibility for her own actions and feelings. If Œnone is not entirely to blame, it must be investigated where the responsibility really lies.
Firstly, let us consider what Phèdre herself names as the other source of the tragedy in her confession to Thésée, namely the Gods. The role of the Gods, fate and destiny are essential to any story based on Greek mythology. The characters in the play are all direct descendants of Greek Gods and therefore have to accept the fate that comes with their heritage.
“Le ciel, tout l’univers est plein de mes aïeux.” (Phèdre, Act 4.6, line 1276)
Phèdre clearly feels bound by her inevitable fate throughout the play. Vénus cursed the women in her family with an unfortunate love: her mother Pasiphaé slept with a bull thus producing the Minotaur and her sister Ariane was abandoned by Thésée after escaping from Crete. There are numerous references to this background throughout the play, reminding us of her destiny. When Phèdre first confesses her love for Hippolyte in Act 1.3, she explains it as being due to Vénus’ curse to which she is inevitably doomed.
“Ô haine de Vénus! Ô fatale colère!
Dans quels égarements l’amour jeta ma mère! ” (Phèdre, Act 1.3, lines 249-250)
The many references to Vénus and associated terminology such as amour blessée, fatal, funeste and haine indicate from the start how the tragic outcome is closely linked to the power of the Gods. In this respect, the action of the play can be seen as the unfolding of an inevitable series of tragic events all caused by the love for Hippolyte with which Phèdre has been cursed. In the context of Greek mythology, the characters have no control over their destiny and their lives are shaped by the will of the Gods alone.
“Vous offensez les Dieux auteurs de votre vie;” (Œnone, Act 1.3, line 197)
Here Œnone is persuading Phèdre against killing herself. Although the condemnation of suicide is possibly more closely linked with the Christian religion of Racine’s day, the line still illustrates the influence that the Greek Gods exerted over the lives of mortals and Phèdre’s powerlessness to escape her fate. From this point of view, Phèdre’s revelation to Hippolyte of her love for him in Act 2.5 is a further example of fate taking control:
“ (…)ma folle ardeur malgré moi se déclare. ” (Phèdre, Act 2.4, line 630)
The use of language in this line illustrates the theme of destiny and Phèdre’s lack of responsibility for her actions. The impersonal verbal construction and the phrase malgré moi distances Phèdre from the act of revealing the fated love. Ma folle ardeur describes how Phèdre’s passion is irrational - it is something caused by the Gods rather than by her own heart. Phèdre is aware of the coupable and incestuous aspects of her love, but is powerless to stop it or even keep it a secret. She does not attempt to fight her passion because she has accepted that it is her destiny.
It seems that the wheels of the tragedy have been set in motion and nothing can prevent the plot reaching its inevitable tragic conclusion. Therefore, Œnone is asking the impossible in Act 3.3 (see below), for it is against the nature of fate itself to regress to the past. It is also impossible for Phèdre to forget her love for Hippolyte, as it is not a natural emotion that she can control but a curse from Vénus who intended Phèdre’s family to be inflicted with a tragic love. The characters are powerless to prevent the unfolding of the plot and the tragic outcome it brings.
“Il faut d’un vain amour étouffer la pensée,
Madame. Rappelez votre vertu passée.” (Œnone, Act 3.3, lines 825-826)
The Gods also contribute to the tragic outcome of the play by promptly acting on Thésée’s command to punish Hippolyte, ensuring his death before Thésée hears the truth. The Gods’ power is not seen as a fair force as Hippolyte dies an innocent victim. It can be argued that the tragic outcome is caused by the vengeance and anger of the Gods and the genetic fate they have implanted into the lives of the characters.
In addition to the Gods, the some of the actions and traits of the other characters can be linked to the path towards the tragic conclusion of the play.
How does Phèdre, if at all, contribute to her own fate? Her jansenist outlook means that she considers herself powerless in the shaping of her life. She lets things happen to her rather than making things happen. She has accepted her fate and is allowing the tragedy to take its course. However, it is not just the Gods who she allows to take control of her life. She also gives Œnone the responsibility to make decisions on her behalf. Right from the first act when Œnone names Hippolyte as the object of Phèdre’s passion it becomes clear that Phèdre relies greatly upon Œnone in important matters.
“Hé bien! à tes conseils je me laisse entraîner.” (Phèdre, Act 1.4, line 363)
Here Phèdre is agreeing to meet Hippolyte to argue her son’s case for ascension. At this point, Phèdre agrees with Œnone’s plan as she sees it as her maternal duty to fight for her son. However, Phèdre does not always find Œnone’s plans so agreeable, for example her plan to lie to Thésée about Hippolyte. Although Phèdre does question Œnone on this occasion (Act 3.3), she still accepts to follow Œnone’s advice.
“Fais ce que tu voudras, je m’abandonne à toi.” (Phèdre, Act 3.3, line 911)
She lets Œnone talk to Thésée and trick him into thinking that Hippolyte attacked her. When the tragic results of Phèdre’s passions and the deceitful schemes become apparent, Phèdre turns against Œnone. However, it can be argued that she is as guilty as her servant is because Œnone never did anything without first consulting her mistress. Phèdre’s passive nature allows the tragedy to take place around her.
There is a second dramatic reason why it is Œnone, rather than Phèdre, whose actions are portrayed as contributing to the tragic outcome. It is necessary for the audience to see Phèdre as not being personally responsible for the tragic conclusion. By shifting some of the blame onto Œnone as well as the Gods, Racine is able to soften Phèdre’s character and portray her as a suffering victim of a hereditary destiny, rather than a deceitful schemer who causes the death of an innocent man. It is therefore significant that it is Œnone who comes up with the ideas and tells the lies.
To a lesser, yet still significant extent, Thésée and Hippolyte can be seen as contributing to the tragic conclusion. Thésée has been an unfaithful lover, not only to Phèdre but also previously to her sister Ariane. He had left Phèdre alone for many months, so it is perhaps understandable that she began to see in Hippolyte an idealised view of his father, the heroic adventurer who slew the Minotaur. Phèdre demonstrates how the images of the two men have fused as she confesses to Hippolyte her love:
“Pourquoi, trop jeune encor, ne pûtes-vous alors
Entrer dans le vaisseau qui le mit sur nos bords?
Par vous aurait péri le monstre de Crète,” (Phèdre, Act 2.5, lines 647-649)
Thésée’s hot-tempered and judgmental reaction to Œnone’s tale also contributes to the tragic conclusion. However, the sword that Œnone produces as “evidence” could be considered as proof of her story and justification for Thésée believing it. However, Thésée did not consider getting a version of events from either Phèdre or Hippolyte. When Thésée accuses and banishes Hippolyte and asks the Gods to punish him, he does not give Hippolyte a chance to explain, as perhaps one would expect a loving father to do. Hippolyte is not given adequate chance to defend himself because he is never entirely sure of that which he is being accused. When he first sees his father and is asked to explain the strange reception Thésée receives, Hippolyte’s disgust at Phèdre’s passion and his naïveté, especially where matters of the heart are concerned, lead him not to tell Thésée what happened:
“THÉSÉE: Quel est l’étrange accueil qu’on fait à votre père,
Mon fils?
HIPPOLYTE: Phèdre seule peut expliquer ce mystère.” (Act 3.5, lines 921-923)
Hippolyte’s ambiguous answer and the fact that he tells his father that he is distressed and that he will flee could easily be misinterpreted by Thésée in the light of Œnone’s fabrication of events. Hippolyte thus contributes inadvertently to his own downfall.
Nevertheless, of all the characters, Œnone’s actions and personality have the most direct links to the dénouement of the tragedy. Her scheming and advice, albeit well-intentioned, are dramatically necessary for the tragedy to unfold. Firstly, she helps Phèdre admit her love for Hippolyte in the opening act. Secondly, she encourages Phèdre to meet Hippolyte, thus providing an opportunity for her to tell Hippolyte of her passion. Thirdly, she concocts a web of lies that lead to Hippolyte’s death. When she realises what she has done, she accepts responsibility for the tragic outcome and adds to the tragedy by throwing herself off a cliff. Phèdre, however, despite her complicity with Œnone’s schemes, never shoulders any responsibility and blames Œnone right up to her own suicide. Just as Phèdre had always been willing for Œnone to make all the decisions, she is prepared to let her take all the blame. From this perspective, Œnone could be considered a scapegoat. Œnone is also used by Racine as a means to make Phèdre a more likeable character. However, in the context of Greek mythology, one could argue that the inevitability of destiny and fate render the actions of mortals irrelevant to the overall course of events. In this respect, Œnone can be seen as nothing more than a pawn used by the Gods to bring about the inevitable tragic conclusion with which Phèdre’s family have been cursed.