And give me heart again. Reveal to me

The cause that forces thee to flee from life.

Phaedra: Alas, great Theseus, by thy kingly power,

And by thy children's souls, by thy return,870

And by my ashes, suffer me to die.

Theseus: What cause compels thy death?

Phaedra: The fruit of death

Would perish if I let its cause be known.

Theseus: None else shall hear it save myself alone.

Phaedra: A chaste wife fears her husband most of all.