Phaedra complex
Informal term for a stepmother's desire for her stepson.
The Phaedra complex is an informal, non-scientific term for a stepmother's sexual desire for her stepson, and has been extended to cover difficult stepparent-stepchild relationships generally. It takes its name from the Greek myth of Phaedra, who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus and, after he rejected her, falsely accused him of propositioning her, leading to his death and her own suicide.
Quick Facts
- Namesake
- Phaedra
- Object of desire
- Hippolytus, son of Theseus by Hippolyta or Antiope
- Outcome
- Hippolytus refused Phaedra's advances
- Phaedra falsely accused him
- Phaedra killed herself after his death
- Cultural analogue (aeneid)
- Amata, who loved her future son-in-law Turnus and committed suicide at news of his death
- Cultural analogue (hebrew bible)
- Potiphar's wife Zuleikha, who made a pass at Joseph and accused him of rape after refusal
Facts from the source article.
More in Words and Phrases Derived from Greek Mythology
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