Compare and contrast the different examples of romantic love in this book. Which was the truest love story, if any?

Compare and contrast the different examples of romantic love in this book: Ariadne's love for Theseus and Dionysus, and Phaedra's love for Theseus and Hippolyus. Which was the truest love story, if any?

I think the only love story here is Dionysus and Ariadne for as long as it lasted although is difficult to imagine that a God would truly love someone other that itself. Seems to be more lust than romance!

Ariadne and Dionysius seemed to me to have a mature loving relationship, fairly realistic in that while they kept things from one another, they were genuinely caring, for other people as well as for each another and their children. At the end of the novel this is made clear. (No spoiler!)

For both Ariadne and Phaedra, Theseus was merely a brief infatuation—-as each discovered quickly, though in different ways, he was selfish and dishonest. Sadly though Phaedra’s later love for Hippolytus was genuine (she recognized his qualities as a good person), she deluded herself into imagining that he must feel the same way, despite evidence to the contrary. Any true love has to be grounded in a shared reality.

Theseus was a girlish love for both Ariadne and Phaedra. Sad for Phaedra that she got to find out that he really only loved himself.
Ariadne seemed to have a true love with Dionysus that started from friendship and matured. For a god he was mostly a pretty nice guy. Everyone has both good and bad characteristics after all.

The strongest love story was between Ariadne and her children. Though she and Dionysus loved for a time, theirs was a doomed love. How could a god love a human? How could that end but badly? It was the most romantic in the beginning, but that alone does not make a love story. Phaedra was too selfish to truly love. Theseus proved himself incapable. Dionysus tried, but was burdened by his status and need for fame.

I think the truest love relationship was between Adriadne and Dionysis. Their love for each other matured over time. I feel that Ariadne was grateful when Dionysis provided for her on Naxos. I think Dionysis let her stay because it was the right thing to do. Then they developed a friendship and from there formed a relationship/love that worked for both of them (most of the time).

Ariadne didn't really know Theseus and saw that he could be her way to get away from Crete and her planned marriage to the old crude man. Yes, Theseus was easy on the eyes and her first attraction. Theseus knew just what to say to her to get his way.

Poor Phaedra never had a chance to know/understand what a loving relationship was.
Phaedra really didn't have any say to her marriage to Theseus and while she knew the deceit that he had done - gave her the wrong directions, lied what happened to what he did to her sister, I think she still hoped that he cared for her until she couldn't take it any longer. Then she made up in her mind that she and Hippolytus were made for each other, though Hippolytus saw her as his stepmother.

There are great responses! I feel I would be repeating many of you if I added my thoughts, so I'm going to go off in another way. I believe one example of love that hasn't been discussed (and it doesn't really qualify as romantic love, but I think it is important) is the love Ariadne finds for herself. After Theseus left her on Naxos, she contemplated throwing herself over the cliff and ending her life. She had betrayed her father, helped kill her brother, and ditched her little sister. Then she was made a laughing stock by being abandoned and left to die. Slowly, Ariadne gained strength and purpose. She forgave herself and was able to find peace. She also experienced a truer love with Dionysus than she would have with Theseus. Her love of self allowed her to be a kind, compassionate, mother to her sons- -concerned about their happiness, not the power they would achieve. I think it was her love of self that would not allow her to lie to herself about the changes in Dionysus' behavior.

Absolutely—a mature love is only possible where each person has learned to love themselves, not in a narcissistic way but in being able to find their own sense of purpose —-not expect the other to fill that void. Then love is freely given, unconditional. But not blind! Ariadne exhibits that kind of love.

The purest love may have been one we only hear about from the past, that between Dionysus and Ampelos. Because of the Greeks approach to sexuality, I’m not really sure whether we’re supposed to think of them just as BFFs or as something romantic.

Ariadne and Dionysus’s relationship seems like the best of the ones Ariadne and Phaedra experience, at least in its early and middle stages. But it’s hard to maintain that kind of romantic relationship when one partner ages and the other partner remains perpetually the same. But that’s only the physical side. Dionysus started out not wanting to be like the other gods, seeking worshippers. But the lust for glory finally got to him and he became much like the other gods, punishing people for their failure to worship him. I think this change is really what destroyed (maybe too strong a word) his relationship with Ariadne.

Phaedra just had bad luck all around. She was infatuated with both Theseus and Hippolytus. Theseus was such an arrogant, lying SOB. She could tell pretty early that was the case. I think she gave him the benefit of the doubt with regards to his escape from Crete. Maybe he misspoke or she misheard. It was only when he couldn’t keep his details straight about Ariadne’s “death” that she really understood what a liar he was. And he was unwilling to do his job as ruler of Athens. He wanted to always be on heroic quests, even though we know he probably lied about all of them, the way he lied about the Minotaur.

Phaedra’s love for Hippolytus was also infatuation. He was a better person than Theseus, but she still didn’t really know him. If she had, she would have understood that he saw her only as his stepmother.

Honestly, I saw no true romantic love in the book, except perhaps Ariadne's love for Dionysus before their relationship cracked, because of his actions, beyond repair.

Ariadne's and Phaedra's initially and individually loved Theseus is that adolescent blind way, which is not true love. Phaedra's love for Hippolytus was love of an idea or image rather than real love.