Thinking About Your Thinking

Metacognitive Reading Worksheet

Phaedra by Jean Racine — Act III

NAME

DATE

A DAY

B DAY

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BEFORE READING: Preparing My Mind

1. In Act 2, five things shut behind Phaedra: the confession, the location of Hippolytus's sword, his silent knowledge of the encounter, the rumour of Theseus's death, and Oenone's reframe of Phaedra's love as permitted. Before you read Act 3: which of those five would Phaedra need reversed in order to walk safely back into her old life? Which of them are now beyond reversing — and what does that tell you about where Act 3 has to go?

2. Acts 1 and 2 asked: how do you live with a feeling? Act 3 asks a harder question: what do you do with a feeling once you have already acted on it? Without reading ahead, write one prediction about what Phaedra will choose to do once she finds herself in this new situation, and one about what Oenone will propose. Mark them so you can return to them after the act.

DURING READING: Monitoring My Understanding

Comprehension Check-In: Rate your understanding of each section as you read (1 = confused, 5 = clear).

Section	1	2	3	4	5
Scene 1 — Phaedra and Oenone alone; Phaedra proposes bribing Hippolytus with the throne of Athens
Scene 2 — Phaedra alone; prays to Venus to "make him love"
Scene 3 (first half) — Oenone returns: Theseus is alive; the Act 2 premise collapses; Phaedra plans her death
Scene 3 (second half) — Oenone proposes accusing Hippolytus first; Phaedra protests once, then "Do as you will"
Scene 4 — Theseus returns; Phaedra greets him with "I am unworthy"
Scene 5 — Theseus questions Hippolytus, who asks to be sent from Troezen forever
Scene 6 — Hippolytus alone: "innocence has surely naught to fear"

Double-Entry Journal: Record a passage that struck you and explain your thinking.

Passage from the Text (with line or scene number)	My Thinking: Why did this passage stand out to me?

Three Movements: Premise → Lie → Silence

Act 3 turns on three movements that come fast — within a single scene the premise of Act 2 collapses, a lie is built, and Phaedra's silence becomes consent. Track each movement on three dimensions.

The Three Movements	The Premise Collapses (III.3, first half)	The Lie Is Built (III.3, second half)	Silence Becomes Consent (end of III.3 → III.4)
THE TRIGGER. What line or event sets this movement in motion? Quote a phrase or paraphrase.
WHO ACTS, WHO RESPONDS? Whose move drives this — and what is the other character doing while it happens?
WHAT BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE. What was an option before this moment that is no longer an option after?

AFTER READING: Reflecting on My Understanding

3. The Premise Question. Phaedra spent all of Act 2 acting on a story: Theseus is dead. In Scene 3 of Act 3 the story turns out to have been a rumour, and the truth arrives — Theseus is alive. The confession, the sword, the encounter all already happened. Have you ever acted on a story that turned out not to be true — and discovered you could not take back what you had already done? What did you actually do next? What did Phaedra not have the option to do?

4. Where Did She Say Yes? Phaedra never says, "Yes, tell the lie." She protests once — "Should I oppress and blacken innocence?" (III.3.893) — and falls silent. Sixteen lines later she says, "Do as you will. My fate is in your hands" (III.3.911). Look back at Scene 3. Where, exactly, did Phaedra effectively agree to the lie? Mark the line. Defend your reading. Then: in your own life, how does silence in front of someone else's plan get read by them?

5. Decision Point. By the end of Act 3, several characters could still stop the lie before Theseus believes it: Phaedra, Oenone, Hippolytus, even Theramenes or Aricia if told. Choose one of them. What partial knowledge do they hold? What would they need to know — and from whom — to act in time? What is keeping them silent, given who they are?

6. Thinking about your thinking: Hippolytus ends Act 3 alone, telling himself: "But innocence has surely naught to fear" (III.6.996). The audience already knows he is wrong. As a reader, when did you first realise that Hippolytus's safety was an illusion? Mark the line. What signals tipped you off — something Oenone said, something Theseus said, something Hippolytus himself said? What does this tell you about how Racine writes dramatic irony — the gap between what the audience knows and what the character believes? What strategy will you carry into Act 4 to read scenes where everyone on stage is acting on different information?

Phaedra Unit — Metacognitive Reading Practice Act III Monitor. Question. Clarify. Connect.