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- Herausgeber: Lebooks Editora
- Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
- Sprache: Englisch
Phaedra by Jean Racine is a classic tragedy that explores the destructive power of passion, fate, and moral conflict. Inspired by Greek mythology and the works of Euripides and Seneca, the play follows Phaedra, the wife of King Theseus, who is consumed by an illicit and uncontrollable love for her stepson, Hippolytus. As she struggles with her forbidden desires, deception and miscommunication lead to tragic consequences, highlighting the inevitability of fate and the devastating effects of human weakness. Since its premiere in 1677, Phaedre has been celebrated for its elegant verse, psychological depth, and intense emotional drama. Racine's masterful use of classical French alexandrine poetry and his ability to depict the torment of the human soul have secured the play's place as one of the greatest works of French classical theater. The themes of guilt, honor, and the struggle against destiny continue to resonate with audiences across generations. The play's enduring relevance lies in its exploration of the fragility of human nature and the tension between duty and desire. Phaedre remains a powerful meditation on passion and downfall, offering a timeless reflection on the consequences of unchecked emotions and the inescapable grip of fate.
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Seitenzahl: 72
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
Jean Racine
PHAEDRA
Contents
PRESENTATION
PHAEDRA
Act I
Act II
Act III
Act IV
Act V
PRESENTATION
Jean Racine
1639-1699
Jean Racine was a French playwright and poet, recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 17th century. A key figure of French classical tragedy, Racine is known for his masterful use of Alexandrine verse and his exploration of human passion, fate, and divine justice. His works, often centered on intense psychological conflicts, continue to be studied and performed as pillars of classical theater.
Early Life and Education
Jean Racine was born in La Ferté-Milon, France, and orphaned at a young age. He received an excellent education at the Jansenist school of Port-Royal, where he developed a deep knowledge of classical literature, particularly Greek and Roman tragedy. Despite his early ties to the Jansenist movement, which disapproved of theater, Racine pursued a career in playwriting, drawn to the dramatic possibilities of human emotions and moral dilemmas.
Career and Contributions
Racine’s theatrical career flourished in the court of Louis XIV, where he became a rival of Pierre Corneille, another major dramatist of the era. His plays, written in elegant and precise Alexandrine verse, depict characters consumed by overwhelming passions, often leading to tragic consequences. Among his most celebrated works are Andromaque (1667), Phèdre (1677), and Britannicus (1669).
Phèdre, widely regarded as his masterpiece, tells the story of a queen tormented by forbidden love, torn between duty and uncontrollable desire. Influenced by Greek mythology and Euripides, Racine’s version of the tragedy intensifies the psychological depth of its characters, making it a cornerstone of French classical drama.
Impact and Legacy
Racine’s tragedies are marked by their refined language, strict adherence to the unities of time, place, and action, and their exploration of human frailty. His ability to blend poetic beauty with psychological realism set him apart as a master of the tragic genre. His influence extends beyond the 17th century, inspiring playwrights, poets, and literary theorists.
Despite abandoning the theater in the later years of his life to focus on religious works, Racine's legacy remains intact. His plays continue to be performed worldwide, celebrated for their emotional intensity and stylistic brilliance.
Jean Racine died in 1699 at the age of 59. Though he distanced himself from the theatrical world in his final years, his impact on French literature is undeniable. Today, Racine is regarded as one of the greatest tragedians of all time, his works standing alongside those of Shakespeare and Sophocles in the canon of world drama. His exploration of human passion and moral conflict ensures that his tragedies remain as powerful and relevant as ever.
About the work
Phaedra by Jean Racine is a classic tragedy that explores the destructive power of passion, fate, and moral conflict. Inspired by Greek mythology and the works of Euripides and Seneca, the play follows Phaedra, the wife of King Theseus, who is consumed by an illicit and uncontrollable love for her stepson, Hippolytus. As she struggles with her forbidden desires, deception and miscommunication lead to tragic consequences, highlighting the inevitability of fate and the devastating effects of human weakness.
Since its premiere in 1677, Phaedra has been celebrated for its elegant verse, psychological depth, and intense emotional drama. Racine’s masterful use of classical French alexandrine poetry and his ability to depict the torment of the human soul have secured the play’s place as one of the greatest works of French classical theater. The themes of guilt, honor, and the struggle against destiny continue to resonate with audiences across generations.
The play’s enduring relevance lies in its exploration of the fragility of human nature and the tension between duty and desire. Phaedra remains a powerful meditation on passion and downfall, offering a timeless reflection on the consequences of unchecked emotions and the inescapable grip of fate.
PHAEDRA
Characters
THESEUS, son of Aegeus and King of Athens.
PHAEDRA, wife of Theseus and Daughter of Minos and Pasiphae.
HIPPOLYTUS, son of Theseus and Antiope, Queen of the Amazons.
ARICIA, Princess of the Blood Royal of Athens.
OENONE, nurse of Phaedra.
THERAMENES, tutor of Hippolytus.
ISMENE, bosom friend of Aricia.
PANOPE, waiting-woman of Phaedra.
GUARDS.
The scene is laid at Troezen, a town of the Peloponnesus.
Act I
Scene I
HIPPOLYTUS, THERAMENES
HIPPOLYTUS
My mind is settled, dear Theramenes,
And I can stay no more in lovely Troezen.
In doubt that racks my soul with mortal anguish,
I grow ashamed of such long idleness.
Six months and more my father has been gone,
And what may have befallen one so dear
I know not, nor what corner of the earth
Hides him.
THERAMENES
And where, prince, will you look for him?
Already, to content your just alarm,
Have I not cross'd the seas on either side
Of Corinth, ask'd if aught were known of Theseus
Where Acheron is lost among the Shades,
Visited Elis, doubled Toenarus,
And sail'd into the sea that saw the fall
Of Icarus? Inspired with what new hope,
Under what favour'd skies think you to trace
His footsteps? Who knows if the King, your father,
Wishes the secret of his absence known?
Perchance, while we are trembling for his life,
The hero calmly plots some fresh intrigue,
And only waits till the deluded fair —
HIPPOLYTUS
Cease, dear Theramenes, respect the name
Of Theseus. Youthful errors have been left
Behind, and no unworthy obstacle
Detains him. Phaedra long has fix'd a heart
Inconstant once, nor need she fear a rival.
In seeking him I shall but do my duty,
And leave a place I dare no longer see.
THERAMENES
Indeed! When, prince, did you begin to dread
These peaceful haunts, so dear to happy childhood,
Where I have seen you oft prefer to stay,
Rather than meet the tumult and the pomp
Of Athens and the court? What danger shun you,
Or shall I say what grief?
HIPPOLYTUS
That happy time
Is gone, and all is changed, since to these shores
The gods sent Phaedra.
THERAMENES
I perceive the cause
Of your distress. It is the queen whose sight
Offends you. With a step-dame's spite she schemed
Your exile soon as she set eyes on you.
But if her hatred is not wholly vanish'd,
It has at least taken a milder aspect.
Besides, what danger can a dying woman,
One too who longs for death, bring on your head?
Can Phaedra, sick'ning of a dire disease
Of which she will not speak, weary of life
And of herself, form any plots against you?
HIPPOLYTUS
It is not her vain enmity I fear,
Another foe alarms Hippolytus.
I fly, it must be own'd, from young Aricia,
The sole survivor of an impious race.
THERAMENES
What! You become her persecutor too!
The gentle sister of the cruel sons
Of Pallas shared not in their perfidy;
Why should you hate such charming innocence?
HIPPOLYTUS
I should not need to fly, if it were hatred.
THERAMENES
May I, then, learn the meaning of your flight?
Is this the proud Hippolytus I see,
Than whom there breathed no fiercer foe to love
And to that yoke which Theseus has so oft
Endured? And can it be that Venus, scorn'd
So long, will justify your sire at last?
Has she, then, setting you with other mortals,
Forced e'en Hippolytus to offer incense
Before her? Can you love?
HIPPOLYTUS
Friend, ask me not.
You, who have known my heart from infancy
And all its feelings of disdainful pride,
Spare me the shame of disavowing all
That I profess'd. Born of an Amazon,
The wildness that you wonder at I suck'd
With mother's milk. When come to riper age,
Reason approved what Nature had implanted.
Sincerely bound to me by zealous service,
You told me then the story of my sire,
And know how oft, attentive to your voice,
I kindled when I heard his noble acts,
As you described him bringing consolation
To mortals for the absence of Alcides,
The highways clear'd of monsters and of robbers,
Procrustes, Cercyon, Sciro, Sinnis slain,
The Epidaurian giant's bones dispersed,
Crete reeking with the blood of Minotaur.
But when you told me of less glorious deeds,
Troth plighted here and there and everywhere,
Young Helen stolen from her home at Sparta,
And Periboea's tears in Salamis,
With many another trusting heart deceived
Whose very names have 'scaped his memory,
Forsaken Ariadne to the rocks
Complaining, last this Phaedra, bound to him
By better ties, — you know with what regret
I heard and urged you to cut short the tale,
Happy had I been able to erase
From my remembrance that unworthy part
Of such a splendid record. I, in turn,
