Unrequited Lust and Revenge
Hippolytus, son of Theseus and the Amazon queen Hippolyta, was a chaste young man who dedicated his life exclusively to Artemis, scorning the worship of Aphrodite. Angered by his rejection, Aphrodite cursed Hippolytus' stepmother, Phaedra, making her fall obsessively in love with her stepson.
Phaedra secretly confessed her passion to Hippolytus, who reacted with disgust and fiercely rejected her. Overwhelmed by shame and fearing public ruin, Phaedra hanged herself—but left behind a suicide note falsely accusing Hippolytus of raping her.
Theseus' Curse and Death
Upon returning home and reading the letter, an enraged Theseus refused to hear his son's defense. Using one of three divine wishes granted to him by Poseidon, Theseus cursed Hippolytus:
As Hippolytus drove his chariot along the rocky coast, Poseidon sent a terrifying monstrous bull from the sea. The horses panicked, bolted, and smashed the chariot against the cliffs, entangling Hippolytus in the reins and dragging him to death. Artemis appeared to Theseus too late, revealing his son's innocence before the prince expired.
