Jean Racine

First performed in Paris in 1677, Jean Racine's "Phaedra" is the tenth of twelve plays by the author and his last to be based on Greek mythology. Racine, the famed French dramatist and master of dodecasyllabic alexandrine, the 12-syllable poetic meter, was a contemporary of Molière and Corneille. This classic story concerns its titular character, who though married to Theseus, the King of Athens, falls in love with Hippolytus, Theseus' son from his...

Andromaque est un drame épique écrit par Jean Racine en 1667. Il raconte l'histoire d'amour tragique entre Andromaque, veuve du roi troyen Hector, et Pyrrhus, fils d'Achille. Le livre explore les thèmes de l'amour, de la loyauté et de la trahison, tout en offrant une réflexion sur les conséquences de la guerre. Racine utilise une écriture poétique et des personnages complexes pour créer une histoire captivante qui reste pertinente jusqu'à...

Collected in this volume is a complete collection of Racine's dramatic works. Written between 1664 and 1691 Racine's plays draw their subject matter from historical events, mythology and the Bible. Presented in this volume are translations by Robert Bruce Boswell of the following works: "The Thebaid," "Alexander the Great," "Andromache," "The Litigants," "Britannicus," "Berenice," "Bajazet," "Mithridates," "Iphigenia," "Phaedra," "Esther," and "Athaliah."...

In this volume of Racine's plays we find "Alexander the Great," the second of twelve plays by the author. As you would expect the drama concerns its titular character and his love for the Indian princess Cleofile. Based largely on the histories of Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus, Alexander finds his pursuit of love of the Indian princess complicated by intrigues between her brother Taxilus and his ally Porus.

In this volume of Racine's plays we find "Iphigenia, Phaedra, Athaliah," three of the most popular of the author's dramas. In "Iphigenia" we find the titular daughter of Agamemnon, King of the Greeks, who must sacrifice his daughter in order to set sail for war. In "Phaedra," we have the classic story from Greek mythology concerning its titular character who though married to Theseus falls in love with Hippolytus. And finally in "Athaliah" we find...

In this volume of Racine's plays we find "The Litigants," the fourth of twelve plays by the author. Inspired by Aristophanes' "Wasps," Racine removes all political significance in this farce. As the only comedy by Racine "The Litigants" stands apart from his other works. The action of the story revolves around Judge Dandin, who in his old age has begun to go crazy. Hilarity ensues as Leander, Dandin's son, and Petit Jean, a house porter, attempt to...

In this volume of Racine's plays we find "Britannicus," the fifth of twelve plays by the author. "Britannicus" is the first work by the author to draw upon Roman History for its subject matter. The story concerns Britannicus, the son of the Roman emperor Claudius, and would be heir to the imperial throne. Britannicus's rule would be usurped however by Nero who has desires for Britannicus's fiancée Junia as well. The struggle for power and love are...

In this volume of Racine's plays we find "Esther," the penultimate of twelve plays by the author. "Esther" was written at the request of Madame de Maintenon, second wife of King Louis XIV of France, who wished Racine write some more liturgical works to be performed by the pupils of the Maison royale de Saint-Louis, a famous academy for girls. Racine's drama concerns the Biblical character of Esther, Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus, who...

In this volume of Racine's plays we find "Bajazet," the seventh of twelve plays by the author. A five act tragedy, "Bajazet" draws its subject from contemporary history, taking care to choose a far off location, the Ottoman Empire. Set in 1635, the Sultan Amurat has executed his brothers and potential rivals Bajazet and Orcan. A rich example of Racine's dramatic talent, "Bajazet" is a complex tragedy rich with romantic subplots.

Extrait : "JOCASTE: Ils sont sortis, Olympe? Ah mortelles douleurs! Qu'un moment de repos me va coûter de pleurs! Mes yeux depuis six mois étaient ouverts aux larmes..."