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This introductory study presents Racine's Phèdre as the culmination of French classical tragedy. It situates the play in its historical, literary and theatrical context, shows its thematic relationship with other tragedies of Racine, and sketches its influence on later writers in a variety of European languages and its place in the evolution of European sensibility. The structures and the language of the play are closely analysed, and the major characters are studied in action. Full weight is given to the ancient classical background and to the mythological content of the play. A chronological table provides an overview of Racine's life and times, and there is a guide to further reading.
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This introductory study presents Racine's Phèdre as the culmination of French classical tragedy. It situates the play in its historical, literary and theatrical context, shows its relationship with other tragedies of Racine, and sketches its influence on later European literature.
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Phedre represents the culmination of seventeenth-century French classical tragedy and can be fully understood only against the background of seventeenth-century French political, social, and literary history, of which we provide a brief sketch. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Phedre represents the culmination of seventeenth-century French classical tragedy and can be fully understood only against the background of seventeenth-century French political, social, and literary history, of which we provide a brief sketch. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Jean Racine's neo-classical version of the myth of Phaedra
21 July 2004
Format:Hardcover
I often use Jean Racine's "Phèdre" as the one non-classical text in my Classical Greek and Roman Mythology Class. In Greek mythology, Phaedra was the half-sister of the Minotaur who was married to Theseus after the hero abandoned her sister Ariadne (according to some versions of what happened in Crete; other ancient writers tell different stories). Phaedra fell in love with her step-son Hippolytus, who refused her advances. Humiliated, she falsely accused him of having raped her and the story comes to a tragic end.
My students read "Phèdre" after Euripides's "Hippolytus" as part of an analogy criticism assignment, in which they compare/contrast the two versions, which are decidedly different, to say the least. In the "original" Greek version Hippolytus is a follower of Artemis, and the jealous Aphrodite causes his stepmother to fall in love with him. Phaedra accuses Hippolytus of rape and then hangs herself; Theseus banished his son who is killed before Artemis arrives to tell the truth. In Racine's version Hippolytus is a famous hater of women who falls in love with Aricia, a princess of the blood line of Athens. When false word comes that Theseus is dead, Phaedra moves to put her own son on the throne. In the end the same characters end up dead, but the motivations and other key elements are different. Most importantly, unlike Euripides, Racine gives us actual scenes between the Phaedra and Hippolytus.
While I personally would not go so far as to try and argue how Racine's neo-classical version represents the France of 1677, I have found that comparing and contrasting the two versions compels students to think about the choices each dramatist has made. Both the similarities and the differences between "Hippolytus" and "Phèdre" are significant enough to facilitate this effort. Additionally, "Phèdre" is considered by most scholars of the period to be the culmination of the neo-classical movement, which gives it additional value in the study of drama.
This particular edition of the play has an introduction that shows how the play was the culmination of French neo-classical tragedy as well as putting it in the context of Racine's other tragedies. Edward D. James and Gillian Jondorf also address the mythological background of "Phèdre" as well as the standard analysis of the structure, characters, action, and language of the play. Note: Other dramatic versions of this myth include Seneca's play "Phaedra," "Fedra" by Gabriele D'Annunzio, "Thesee" by Andrea Gide, and "The Cretan Woman" by Robinson Jeffers.
My students read "Phèdre" after Euripides's "Hippolytus" as part of an analogy criticism assignment, in which they compare/contrast the two versions, which are decidedly different, to say the least. In the "original" Greek version Hippolytus is a follower of Artemis, and the jealous Aphrodite causes his stepmother to fall in love with him. Phaedra accuses Hippolytus of rape and then hangs herself; Theseus banished his son who is killed before Artemis arrives to tell the truth. In Racine's version Hippolytus is a famous hater of women who falls in love with Aricia, a princess of the blood line of Athens. When false word comes that Theseus is dead, Phaedra moves to put her own son on the throne. In the end the same characters end up dead, but the motivations and other key elements are different. Most importantly, unlike Euripides, Racine gives us actual scenes between the Phaedra and Hippolytus.
While I personally would not go so far as to try and argue how Racine's neo-classical version represents the France of 1677, I have found that comparing and contrasting the two versions compels students to think about the choices each dramatist has made. Both the similarities and the differences between "Hippolytus" and "Phèdre" are significant enough to facilitate this effort. Additionally, "Phèdre" is considered by most scholars of the period to be the culmination of the neo-classical movement, which gives it additional value in the study of drama.
This particular edition of the play has an introduction that shows how the play was the culmination of French neo-classical tragedy as well as putting it in the context of Racine's other tragedies. Edward D. James and Gillian Jondorf also address the mythological background of "Phèdre" as well as the standard analysis of the structure, characters, action, and language of the play. Note: Other dramatic versions of this myth include Seneca's play "Phaedra," "Fedra" by Gabriele D'Annunzio, "Thesee" by Andrea Gide, and "The Cretan Woman" by Robinson Jeffers.
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