Jean Racine
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Jean Racine (
December 22,
1639 –
April 21,
1699) was a
French dramatist, one of the "big three" of
17th century France (along with
Molière and
Corneille). Racine was primarily a
tragedian, though he did write one
comedy.
Born in
La Ferté-Milon (
Aisne), Racine was orphaned in his youth and was given a classical education courtesy of his grandmother. He was a graduate of
Port-Royal, a religious institution which would greatly influence other contemporary figures including
Blaise Pascal. He was expected to study theology, but preferred to devote himself to the theatre, and moved to
Paris. His first
tragedy,
La Thébaide (
1664) and its successor,
Alexandre (
1665), both had classical themes, but he was already entering into controversy, taking offence at the accusation that he was polluting the minds of his audiences. He broke all ties with Port-Royal, and proceeded with
Andromaque (
1667), which told the story of
Andromache, widow of
Hector, and her fate following the
Trojan War. He was by now acquiring many rivals, including
Pierre Corneille and his brother,
Thomas Corneille. Tragedians often competed with alternative versions of the same plot: for example,
Michel le Clerc produced an
Iphigénie in the same year as Racine (
1674), and
Jacques Pradon also wrote a play about
Phèdre (
1677). The success of Pradon's work (the result of the activities of a
claque) was one of the events which caused Racine to renounce his work as a dramatist at that time. Others, including the historian
W.H. Lewis, attribute his retirement from the theater to qualms of conscience.
However, the major incident which seems to have contributed to Racine's departure from public life was his implication in a court scandal of
1679. He got married at about this time, and his religious beliefs and devotion to the
Jansenist sect were revived. When at last he returned to the theatre, it was at the request of
Madame de Maintenon, mistress of King
Louis XIV, with the moral fables,
Esther (
1689) and
Athalie (
1691), both of which were based on
Old Testament stories and intended for performance by the pupils of the school of
Saint-Cyr.
Racine was also a courtier, having first been presented at court in 1664, and in 1677 made (along with
Boileau) Historian to the King; he kept this position in spite of the minor scandals he was involved in, and Louis XIV provided for his widow and children after his death.
Jean Racine died in
1699 and is buried in the
St. Etienne-du-Mont church in
Paris, France.
The quality of Racine's poetry is perhaps his greatest contribution to
French literature. His use of the
alexandrine is considered exceptional in its harmony, simplicity and elegance.
Racine's work faced many criticisms from his contemporaries. One was the lack of historic veracity in plays such as
Britannicus (
1668) and
Mithridate (
1673). Racine was quick to point out that his greatest critics — his rival dramatists — were among the biggest offenders in this respect. Another major criticism levelled at him was the lack of incident in his tragedy,
Bérénice (
1670). Racine's response was that the greatest tragedy does not necessarily consist in bloodshed and death.
*
Biography, Bibliography, Analysis, Plot overview (in French)
*
Free ebook of Jean Racine at
Project Gutenberghttp://www.verbumvanum.org/indexgreek.html for a philological study of the evolution of Hippolytus as a
chastity paradigm in
Euripides,
Seneca,
Racine; extensive bibliography (in
Dutch)
*W.H. Lewis,
The Splendid Century: Life in the France of Louix XIV. William Sloane Associates, 1953.
{{succession box| title=
Seat 13Académie française | years=1672–1699 | before=
François de La Mothe-Le-Vayer| after=
Jean-Baptiste-Henri de Valincour
