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Four French Plays: Cinna / The Misanthrope / Andromache / Phaedra
This new Penguin volume includes the 'greatest hits' of French classical theatre, in vivid and acclaimed English translations.
The plays in this volume - Cinna, The Misanthrope, Andromache and Phaedra - span only thirty-seven years, but make up the defining period of French theatre. In Corneille's Cinna (1640), absolute power is explored in ancient Rome, while Molière's The Misanthrope (1666), the only comedy in this collection, sees its anti-hero outcast for his refusal to conform to social conventions. Here also are two key plays by Racine: Andromache (1667), recounting the tragedy of Hector's widow after the Trojan War, and Phaedre (1677), showing a mother crossing the bounds of love with her son.
John Edmunds' translation of Phaedra was originally broadcast on Radio Three with a cast including Prunella Scales and Timothy West, and was subsequently praised by Harold Pinter. This is the first time it has been published.
Often hailed as the father of French tragedy, PIERRE CORNEILLE made his name with the tragicomedy Le Cid in 1637. His best-known works include the tragedies Horace (1640) and Cinna (1641). MOLIÈRE founded the 'Illustre Théâtre' troupe and wrote numerous comedies, including Tartuffe (1664), which was banned, Le Misanthrope (1666) and L'Avare (1668). JEAN RACINE became known as one of the period's leading playwrights, with such tragedies as Andromaque (1667), Britannicus (1669) and Phèdre (1677).
After a varied career as an actor, teacher, and BBC TV national newsreader, JOHN EDMUNDS became the founder-director of Aberystwyth university's department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies.
JOSEPH HARRIS is Senior Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London and author of Hidden Agendas: Cross-Dressing in Seventeenth-Century France (2005).
The plays in this volume - Cinna, The Misanthrope, Andromache and Phaedra - span only thirty-seven years, but make up the defining period of French theatre. In Corneille's Cinna (1640), absolute power is explored in ancient Rome, while Molière's The Misanthrope (1666), the only comedy in this collection, sees its anti-hero outcast for his refusal to conform to social conventions. Here also are two key plays by Racine: Andromache (1667), recounting the tragedy of Hector's widow after the Trojan War, and Phaedre (1677), showing a mother crossing the bounds of love with her son.
John Edmunds' translation of Phaedra was originally broadcast on Radio Three with a cast including Prunella Scales and Timothy West, and was subsequently praised by Harold Pinter. This is the first time it has been published.
Often hailed as the father of French tragedy, PIERRE CORNEILLE made his name with the tragicomedy Le Cid in 1637. His best-known works include the tragedies Horace (1640) and Cinna (1641). MOLIÈRE founded the 'Illustre Théâtre' troupe and wrote numerous comedies, including Tartuffe (1664), which was banned, Le Misanthrope (1666) and L'Avare (1668). JEAN RACINE became known as one of the period's leading playwrights, with such tragedies as Andromaque (1667), Britannicus (1669) and Phèdre (1677).
After a varied career as an actor, teacher, and BBC TV national newsreader, JOHN EDMUNDS became the founder-director of Aberystwyth university's department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies.
JOSEPH HARRIS is Senior Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London and author of Hidden Agendas: Cross-Dressing in Seventeenth-Century France (2005).
277 pages, Paperback
First published July 4, 2013
13 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Corneille
1,904 books153 followersPierre Corneille était l'un des trois grands dramaturges français du XVIIe siècle , avec Molière et Racine. Il a été appelé «le fondateur de la tragédie française» et était productive pendant près de quarante ans.
Vous pouvez lire son oeuvre sur:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
Pierre Corneille was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. He has been called "the founder of French tragedy" and produced plays for nearly forty years.
You can read his works (in French) on:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
Vous pouvez lire son oeuvre sur:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
Pierre Corneille was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. He has been called "the founder of French tragedy" and produced plays for nearly forty years.
You can read his works (in French) on:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 24, 2024
Very impressive collection of four French plays. The printing and translation are gorgeous compared to some Neoclassicist / Classicalist editions I've come across in English. The enormous amount of supplementary notes on the history and mythology behind these plays also made a huge difference in my enjoyment. The introduction is also extremely informative. Those interested in art history or art making should consider it mandatory. I love this book and am deeply inspired by the spare methodology the Neoclassicists used in their formulation of art! And I'm looking forward to reading more works by these VISIONARIES.
February 11, 2022
Personal ranking:
1. Phaedra
2. Andromache
3. Cinna
4. The Misanthrope
So it's pretty obvious that I like Racine the most... I didn't find The Misanthrope funny, perhaps because the fun is lost in translation. But certainly I will be looking forward to reading more Molière!
Phaedra is amazing! The phantom of desire becomes the actual destructive force--so tragic indeed. Phaedra's speculation of "what if it's you Hippolytus who ventured to enter the labyrinth of Crete" is my favorite scene of this book (also the ending of Andromache!)
1. Phaedra
2. Andromache
3. Cinna
4. The Misanthrope
So it's pretty obvious that I like Racine the most... I didn't find The Misanthrope funny, perhaps because the fun is lost in translation. But certainly I will be looking forward to reading more Molière!
Phaedra is amazing! The phantom of desire becomes the actual destructive force--so tragic indeed. Phaedra's speculation of "what if it's you Hippolytus who ventured to enter the labyrinth of Crete" is my favorite scene of this book (also the ending of Andromache!)
April 22, 2019
Phenomenal.
My ranking:
1. Cinna
2. Phaedra
3. The Misanthrope (though kind of like comparing apples to oranges as it's the only comedy)
4. Andromache
I felt that Andromache was less coherent than the other tragedies, though I still enjoyed it. The Misanthrope is hilarious.
My ranking:
1. Cinna
2. Phaedra
3. The Misanthrope (though kind of like comparing apples to oranges as it's the only comedy)
4. Andromache
I felt that Andromache was less coherent than the other tragedies, though I still enjoyed it. The Misanthrope is hilarious.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews