40 pages • 1 hour read
Phèdre
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Book Brief
Super Short Summary
Phèdre by Jean Racine tells the story of the Athenian queen Phaedra's forbidden love for her stepson, Hippolytus, and its catastrophic repercussions. Racine's adaptation of Greek mythology delves into themes of forbidden love, desire, heredity, fate, honor, and duty. The play, set in Troezen at King Theseus's house, is structured in five acts, examining the tragic outcomes of Phaedra's concealed emotions and misunderstandings amidst returns, rivalries, and accusations. Explores themes of suicide and sexual violence.
Melancholic
Mysterious
Dark
Contemplative
Emotional
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Phèdre by Jean Racine is widely praised for its poetic language, intense emotional depth, and complex character portrayals. Critics commend Racine’s mastery of French classical tragedy and the moral and psychological exploration within the narrative. Some find the strict adherence to classical unities constraining, but overall, it’s a compelling and influential work in literature.
Who Should Read Phèdre?
A reader who would enjoy Jean Racine's Phèdre likely appreciates classical French literature, tragic drama, and themes of passion, guilt, and destiny. Comparable to admirers of Sophocles' Antigone or Shakespeare's Hamlet, they value psychological complexity and eloquent poetic dialogue within timeless moral dilemmas.
Hippolytus
Hippolytus
The virtuous son of Theseus and an Amazon, characterized by his integrity and sense of honor, who stands in stark contrast to his father.
Theseus
Theseus
The impulsive and heroic king of Athens with a history of romantic affairs, whose relationships with his family are fraught with tension.
Aricia
Aricia
A political prisoner and love interest of Hippolytus, whose fate is closely tied to her family's past opposition to Theseus.
Oenone
Oenone
The devoted nurse and confidante of Phaedra, whose actions are motivated by loyalty to her mistress, despite leading to dramatic consequences.
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