Theseus and Phaedra, his half brother. He is prioritizing being with Aricia above all else. As she witnesses her dreams crumbling, Phaedra confesses her passion. Hippolytus is shocked and curses her. Phaedra tries to kill herself with a sword but Hippolytus snatches it from her. At this moment, Theseus arrives unexpectedly. He is unsure what to make of the scene, but fears Hippolytus was trying to rape his wife. Phaedra rushes off and Hippolytus nobly refuses to denounce his stepmother. But this only serves to increase his father's suspicions, now reinforced by Phaedra's confidante, Oenone. Theseus finally decides to use his last prayer to Neptune to punish Hippolytus. Act 4 A grove sacred to Diana by the sea Hippolytus realizes he must go into exile and Aricia vows to go with him as his wife with the goddess Diana as their witness. The forest people celebrate Diana. A monster suddenly emerges from the sea – the instrument of Theseus's punishment. Hippolytus tries to fight it but disappears in a cloud of flames. Phaedra arrives, distraught, and admits she is the cause of Hippolytus's death. Act 5 A grove sacred to Diana by the sea Theseus has learnt the truth from Phaedra, just before she poisoned herself. Full of remorse, he too threatens suicide but Neptune reveals that his son is still alive, thanks to Diana's protection. However, Theseus will never see him again. The forest of Aricia, Italy Aricia wakes up, still mourning Hippolytus. Diana tells her she has found a husband for the girl, but Aricia is inconsolable until the goddess reveals Hippolytus, alive and well. Diana appoints Hippolytus to be the king of her people in this land, and the opera ends with general rejoicing. Parodies and influence on later operas The opera was parodied twice at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris, once by François Riccoboni and Jean-Antoine Romagnesi (premiered 30 November 1733) and then, during the 1742 revival, by Charles-Simon Favart (11 October 1742). Both parodies went under the title Hippolyte et Aricie. Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni provided an Italian version of the libretto for Tommaso Traetta, a composer who experimented with mixing French and Italian operatic styles. Traetta's Ippolito ed Aricia was first performed at the Teatro Ducale, Parma on 9 May 1759. Frugoni's version of Pellegrin's libretto was also the basis for a handful of later operas: Ignaz Holzbauer's Ippolito ed Aricia (Mannheim, 1759), Giovanni Paisiello's Fedra (Naples,