Jean Racine: biography, creativity, quotes

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Jean Racine, whose works are known all over the world, is a famous French playwright who lived and worked in the 17th century. His work marked the beginning of the classical national theater and earned the same respect as the works of Molière and Corneille. Our article will be devoted to the biography and work of this writer.

Jean Racine: short biography

F. Racine was born in the town of La Ferte-Milon, located in the county of Valois, on December 21, 1639. His father served as a minor official in the tax service. The mother died during a difficult birth of Jean's sister, so the grandmother was engaged in raising the boy.

The future writer is sent to school at the monastery of Port-Royal, where he quickly becomes the best student. Jean Racine studied well, in addition, he was lucky with a philology teacher who helped shape the boy's literary tastes. The writer completed his brilliant education at the Harcourt College in Paris.

In 1661, Racine went to the town of Yuze, where he was to be given a church beneficiation (land plot), which would allow himdevote all your time to literature. However, the writer was refused and was forced to return to Paris.

In the capital, he becomes a frequenter of literary salons and clubs, gets acquainted with Molière and other writers of that time. Jean Racine himself (whose biography is now in the center of our attention) publishes his first plays, which, however, did not have much success.

Later works brought real success to the writer. However, many critics did not give credit to Racine's work due to its character. Jean was ambitious, irritable and arrogant.

In 1677, he practically stops writing due to the failure of the "Phaedra" and becomes a royal historiographer. During the same period, he marries a religious and economic girl who will give him seven children in the future.

Jean Racine died on April 21, 1699 in Paris. He was buried near the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.

Andromache

The tragedy was staged in 1667 at the Louvre. The performance was attended by Louis XIV. It was the first play that brought Racine success and fame.

The action of the work takes place after the Trojan War in the capital of Epirus. King Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, receives a dispatch that the Greeks are offended by the behavior of his father, who sheltered Andromache, the widow of Hector, with his son. The message is delivered by Orestes, who is in love with Pyrrhus' bride. The king himself is more interested in Anromakh, who is grieving for her husband. From this moment, the death of the ruling family and their state begins.

Referring toclassic Greek plot, practically without deviating from the canon of ancient Greek tragedies, Jean Racine.

The quotes that most clearly reflect the plot of the play are given here: “Enter the heart where the entrance is not locked for everyone! / An enviable person cannot accept such a share”, “… love commands us / And inflames … and extinguishes passions flame. / Whoever we want to wish for, that one is … not nice to us. /And the one we curse… filled my heart.”

Britanic

In this play, staged in 1669, Jean Racine turns to the history of Ancient Rome for the first time in his work.

Agrippina, mother of Emperor Nero, worries about losing power over her son. Now he listens more to the advice of Seneca and the warlord Burra. The woman fears that willfulness and cruelty will wake up in Nero - the terrible legacy of his father.

At the same time, Nero orders the kidnapping of Junia, the bride of his brother Britannicus. The emperor likes the girl, and he begins to think about a divorce from his barren wife Octavia. Britannic cannot believe in his brother's deceit and hopes for reconciliation. This is what destroys the young man.

Berenice

In this play, Jean Racine again turns to the Roman theme. The work of this period is considered the most outstanding, and the tragedy "Berenice" became one of those works that the public accepted with great enthusiasm.

Roman emperor Titus is getting ready to marry Berenice, Queen of Palestine. At the same time, Antiochus, the king of Commagene, is in Rome, who has long been in love withto the queen. In view of the approaching wedding, he is going to leave the capital. Berenike is sorry to lose a true friend, but she cannot give him hope for more.

At the same time, Titus thinks that the Roman people will certainly be against the foreign queen: "Julius (Caesar) himself … could not call an Egyptian wife his wife …". The emperor cannot openly tell the bride about this and asks Antiochus to take her away. Duty to the people is stronger than love.

Iphigenia

For this play, which premiered in 1674, Jean Racine took the plot from ancient Greek mythology. The story tells how King Agamemnon during the Trojan War, in order to gain the patronage of the goddess Artemis, had to sacrifice her own daughter to her.

This play seemed to go unnoticed by the critics – there were neither raptures nor devastating reviews.

Phaedra

This tragedy was received very negatively by the public: critics called the work Racine's worst work. It was after the premiere of Phaedra (1677) that the playwright ceased to engage in literature. For ten years after this failure, he did not write anything. Although later this play will be called the pinnacle of Racine's work.

The tragedy was written in Alexandrian verse. The basis of the plot was the unrequited passion of Phaedra, Theseus' wife, for her adopted son Hippolytus. The result of the conflict is the death of both Phaedra and Hippolytus.

The plays of Racine, built on ancient plots, marked the beginning of a whole trend not only in French, but also in the worldliterature. To this day, the work of the playwright is highly appreciated not only by critics, but also by the public.