Britannicus

by Jean Racine

Rome, Iier siècle après J.-C. Britannicus, héritier légitime du trône, a été écarté du pouvoir au profit de Néron. Prêt à tout pour assouvir ses désirs, le jeune empereur fait enlever Junie, la fiancée de Britannicus, et bascule alors dans la tyrannie... Rivalité politique et rivalité amoureuse sont au coeur de cette tragédie inspirée de l'histoire romaine. A travers ce huis clos où règne la manipulation, Racine invite à s'interroger sur les effets destructeurs de la passion et sur les dérives du pouvoir.

Genres: Theatre, Classics, France, Plays, French Literature, Drama, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1669

About the author

Classical Greek and Roman themes base noted tragedies, such as Britannicus (1669) and Phèdre (1677), of French playwright Jean Baptiste Racine.

Adherents of movement of Cornelis Jansen included Jean Baptiste Racine.


This dramatist ranks alongside Molière (Jean Baptiste Poquelin) and Pierre Corneille of the "big three" of 17th century and of the most important literary figures in the western tradition. Psychological insight, the prevailing passion of characters, and the nakedness of both plot and stage mark dramaturgy of Racine. Although primarily a tragedian, Racine wrote one comedy.

Orphaned by the age of four years when his mother died in 1641 and his father died in 1643, he came into the care of his grandparents. At the death of his grandfather in 1649, his grandmother, Marie des Moulins, went to live in the convent of Port-Royal and took her grandson Jean-Baptiste. He received a classical education at the Petites écoles de Port-Royal, a religious institution that greatly influenced other contemporary figures, including Blaise Pascal.

The French bishops and the pope condemned Jansenism, a heretical theology, but its followers ran Port-Royal. Interactions of Racine with the Jansenists in his years at this academy great influenced the rest of his life. At Port-Royal, he excelled in his studies of the classics, and the themes of Greek and Roman mythology played large roles in his works.

Jean Racine died from cancer of the liver. He requested burial in Port-Royal, but after Louis XIV razed this site in 1710, people moved his body to the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris.

*source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Ra...

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this was the first play by Jean Racine that I encountered at university.

It is probably one of the best plays of the French Classic Age to teach to young students whose knowledge gaps are such that they can hardly actually be called gaps at all - rather empty space. After all, what did I know about Roman history at the times of Emperor Nero? What did I know of French rhyming schemes? What did I know of the Aristotelian unity of time, place and action? What did I know of the court of Louis XIV, where Racine, Corneille and Molière were the literary reference points, and where Madame de Sévigné was the brilliant chronicler en lettres?

What did I know of the French language at all?

So with hindsight, being an educator myself nowadays (how did that happen?), I understand why university classes start with Britannicus. It eliminates some of the frustration of teaching "the rules of Aristotelian drama" by pointing out the majority of plays that "make exceptions". Britannicus actually is a classic tragedy that manages to combine the different strings of action into one day and one place, and it creates a hero that is good, but not perfect, and a villain that is interesting despite (or because of) the flaws. And it ends in bloodshed, as one would expect of a tragedy of course.

And the psychological effect of having started with Britannicus is striking. Even though I have read almost all the other plays by Racine since then, and enjoyed the language and the drama in them even more, Britannicus is always what I think of when I see Racine's name pop up in an essay or in a book. It happens far too rarely, though!

Maybe he would benefit from a shelf called "undeservedly forgotten"?

[mal]

aggripine stan account

[David Sarkies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nero in Love
15 February 2018 – Phnom Phem

As I was reading this play the first thing that struck me is that Racine sticks very closely to the Aristotelean rules of unity of time and place: that is that the events take place over a single day in a single location (this being Nero's palace). I actually found it much easier to read this play than some of Racine's other ones, though it may have something to do with having some knowledge of the characters and a background to the story. Then again, in some of his other works I had some knowledge as well but found it difficult to follow. Another thing that stood out is that Racine seems to follow the Greek style, though of course this is a five act play, it is just that following the unities the acts really only represent a break in the action.

The play begins with Nero's mother, and power behind the throne, seeking a private audience with her son. The thing is that Nero doesn't particularly want to speak to her anymore, namely because of her influence over him. Nero has also fallen in love with a young lady named June (who should be called Junia). The problem is that she loves somebody else, the Britannicus of the title. Okay, we might just put this down to your typical love triangle, but this is Nero we are talking about, and when you happen to be him you sort of don't like taking no for an answer.

Yet Nero wasn't always the monster that we know him to be, and I suspect that this is what Racine is trying to get across. However, we do know what he does become and a part of me feels that the events on this one day end up being the tipping point – love does have that effect upon people, as does not being able to get what you want when you happen to be the most powerful person in the empire.

Look, we can probably work out what happens in the end, and we can pretty much see that things aren't going to work out all that well for everybody involved. Nero has Britannicus poisoned, and Junia then takes her own life, because, well, Nero. We know that Nero eventually has his mother killed as well, but this play isn't about that event, though once again it could also be that tipping point in Nero's life that sent him into a downward spiral that resulted in a coup against him.

The major thing that stands out is that you basically can't always have what you want, and even if you attempt to take it by force it doesn't mean that you are going to succeed. Moreso, even if you are Emperor of Rome you simply cannot force somebody to love you who doesn't, and the more you press yourself onto them the more likely they are going to be repulsed, and in this case Junia preferred death over being violated by Nero.

Yet we also see a tender side to Nero as well, one who is tormented by love and by a love that simply isn't going to be returned. Like Andromache, Nero lets his passions take control of him, and in the end acts in an irrational way that brings the whole edifice crashing down. From where we stand we can look forward to see the man who murdered his mother, and would wander the streets of Rome mugging people because, well, because he was Nero. Yet he is not so much a murderous tyrant (though he was), but a little boy who never got over the loss of his love.

Let us also consider Agrippina because woven through this tale of tragic love is also a struggle between a mother and her son. It works in two spheres as well – the political and the domestic. In the political sphere Aggripina is acting as the power behind the throne, and Nero is attempting to cast her off so that he might be able to rule in his own name. However, we also have a mother simply being a mother to her son, and the son wanting to cease being a boy and becoming a man. Well, this is also Nero that we are talking about, so whether he ever actually grew up is another debate (I suspect he didn't).

Yet, he does make a good point at the end of the play – Aggripina did have Claudius killed to put him on the throne, so what is so different about him killing Britannicus. Well, because love doesn't work the same way as the political world. Sure, one may be able to slash and burn their way to the top, until they sit atop a pile of corpses, but simply getting rid of a rival lover isn't going to change a person's view of you (in fact it is probably going to make it worse). Unfortunately love is love, and one cannot force Cupid to shoot his arrow into somebody that he has no intention of shooting it into.

[Armin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Schlecht gealterter Klassiker, habe mich nur gelangweilt. Kann aber gut nachvollziehen, warum Voltaire von der folgenden Generation so hoch eingeschätzt wurde, auch wenn dieses Phänomen für spätere Kritiker ein Rätsel darzustellen scheint.
Racine bietet hier nur sprechende Statuen und moralische Maximen. Fand keinen Zugang zu niemandem, am ehesten noch zu Neros unsinkbarer Mutter, die sich von Anfang an vom Abstellgleis (ich weiß, das ist ein ganz übler Anachronismus) zurück zu altem Einfluss strebt, zuletzt aber bemerken muss, dass nichts und niemand mehr das Monster stoppen kann, das sie geschaffen hat.

[aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vous saviez que Britannicus avait genre 14 piges alors que Junie en a 30 ? Ça change la vision des choses hein ?

[am · Rating 2 out of 5]

N'allez pas croire que je mets de "mauvaises" notes aux hommes du XVIIe siècle, parce qu'ils m'énervent à 99% des cas. Ils m'énervent, certes, mais s'ils écrivent quelque chose de bien, je sais l'admettre.
Personnellement, j'accroche pas (plus?) avec les pièces de théâtre centrées sur des histoires "d'amour" bidons. Je suis désolée, ça m'ennuie profondément.
Pour moi, Britannicus et Néron, c'est un conflit politique. Néron a pris le trône de Britannicus. Britannicus devient un homme et prend conscience que la place d'empereur devrait lui revenir. Britannicus et Néron, c'est une histoire de jalousie. Le peuple aime tendrement Britannicus. Britannicus séduit et ça, ça enrage Néron. Néron n'a de compte à rendre à personne parce qu'il a tous les pouvoirs. S'il ne touche pas à Britannicus, c'est pour une question de popularité. Il perdrait tout. Britannicus et Néron, c'est aussi ce moment ou Britannicus a émue et bouleversé tout le monde en chantant (de sa belle voix) la scène triste d'un prince destitué de son trône, reflétant sa propre histoire et créant un malaise que Néron ne pouvait plus tolérer.
C'est plusieurs tentatives de meurtres, aussi.
Pour moi, Britannicus, ça ne peut pas seulement être l'histoire d'un grand frère jaloux de son cadet parce qu'il aime et est aimé de la femme dont il crush. Où est l'intérêt, sinon?

[Anya · Rating 2 out of 5]

du théâtre quoi

[Naopako dete]

Ovo je moj prvi susret sa Rasinom od kojeg sam možda očekivao više, odnosno očekivao sam više strasti na sceni, mada je to verovatno posledica činjenice da se Rasin gotovo uvek pominje u kontekstu pozorišta strasti, pa sam zbog toga umislio da ću kod njega naći scene brutalnosti, nasilja, mržnje itd. što sve naravno postoji, ali recimo da nisam očekivao ovoliki nivo suptilnosti, što je u neku ruku i prijatno iznenađenje. No, kako bilo ova tragedija poseduje ogromnu umetničku ubedljivost čemu doprinosi to što Rasin za temu uzima istorijske događaje koji se tiču Rima, odnosno odnosa među ljudima koji na ovaj ili na onaj način imaju udela u vrhovnim strkturama vlasti Rimskog carstva.

Glavni lik tragedije je Britanik, odnosno on je pokretač radnje, više nego što je glavni lik u klasičnom smislu te sintagme, budući da najviše mesta zauzima njegov oponent, brutalni rimski vladar Neron. Njih dvojica predstavljaju dve suprotne vrednosti u svetu ovog dela, Britanik je čist, jednostavan i plemenit, dok je Neron sve suprotno od toga, on je brutalni tiranin, opsednut sobom, narcis duboko prožet mržnjom i ljubomorom, zatvoren u sopstvenu predstavu moći koju misli da poseduje i duboko ubeđen da upravo toj moći odgovaraju svi ljudi oko njega. U kojoj meri je Neron obuzet svojim doživljajem sveta, najbolje govori činjenica da on želi da vlada srcima ljudi oko sebe, pogotovo Junijinim srcem koje gaji ljubav prema Britaniku. Neron nesposoban da podnese takav odnos između Britanika i Junije, koristi svoju moć da bi ucenio one koji ne samo misle, već i osećaju drugačije od njega. Ovo je klica tragičnog raspleta u ovom svetu. Jer i Junija i Britanik doživljavaju svet u drugačije od Nerona, što on želi da im skrati jednostavno zbog toga što oseća mržnju, ne prema Britaniku kao takvom, već prema njegovoj sreći, što uostalom i eksplicitno izgovara. Ovaj odnos pokreće niz zanimljivih pitanja, a prvo je da li je Neron uopšte sposoban da doživi, pa na kraju krajeva i da shvati tuđu sreću, jer da jeste, znao bi da opasnost po njegovu vlast ne predstavlja duševno stanje druge osobe koliko njegovo sopstveno i da je pre potrebno bojati se tuđih postupaka, ukoliko se već plaši da može izgubiti krunu, nego tuđih osećanja. U tom smislu, Neron je određen svojim doživljajem sveta, odnosno svojim duševnim stanjem i to u istoj meri u kojoj je to i Britanik, ovaj drugi je naravno dovoljno plemenit i jednostavan da ne može da prozre da mu Neron i Narcis, verni vladarev sluga, rade o glavi, već ih vidi u skladu sa onim što on sam jeste i uvek im iznova poklanja svoje poverenje, što će upravo izazvati tragične posledice.

Neronov strah je u nekoj meri opravdan, jer Agripina njegova majka, želi da na presto postavi Britanika, a da skloni svog sina Nerona nad kojim je izgubila svu kontrolu. Ona optužuje Bira i Seneku da s namerom žele da pokvare odnose između majke i sina, jer jednostavno ne žele da Agripina posredno vlada Rimom. Bir i Seneka bili su Neronovi vaspitači, Rasin se odlučio da Seneku izostavi iz ovog komada, a da Bira predstavi kao lika kojem nije sasvim jasno šta se zaista događa oko njega i koji ne želi da prihvati stvarnost koja se kosi sa njegovim uverenjima. No on ipak usepeva privremeno da uveri Nerona da je Britanik nevin, i ovaj privremeno odustaje od svoga plana, ali onda kada se Narcis nastupi sa svojom ulizivačkom retorikom koja je direktno usmerena ka Neronovoj taštini na površinu izbija sva tama koju ovaj nosi u sebi. Zanimljivo je ovde kako Rasin jednom malom liku daje toliku odgovornost, Narcis (koji se ne zove slučajno tako) potpaljuje Neronove sumnje koje je Bir privremeno uspeo da obuzda, a sve to čini iz sebičnih razloga iz jednostave želje da se dokopa moći. Narcis ovde funkcioniše kao Neronov odraz i kao takav on ima funkciju da obavlja one poslove koji su ispod vladarske časti, dakle ono što je tiranskoj vlasti neophodno da bi održala svoj poredak, a to je perfidno sprovođenje tiranskih ubeđenja, u krajnjoj liniji sprovođenje prljavih i zlih namera na kojima tiranski poredak opstaje, a koje sam vladar ne može da obavlja upravo zbog taštine i količine moći koja ga od ostatka sveta odvaja. U tom smislu Narcis čini sve što Neron izgovori, videći u njemu svoj odraz, odnosno svog idealnog sebe, onakvog kakvim se u krajnjoj liniji i zamišlja.

Još jedan lik je vredan pomena i on na svoj način pokreće celu tragediju. To je lik Agripine, Neronove majke koja je sina i dovela do vlasti, samo da bi sama mogla da vlada. Čini mi se je na ovaj komad primeljiva Deridina teza prema kojoj se lik majke nalazi uvek i svuda, ali je uvek skriven i uvek deluje posredstvom podsvesti. Mada, Agripina ovde nije skrivena i gotovo da ima otvorene pretenzije ka preuzimanju trona, ona pokušava da deluje na suptilan način ne bi li se dokopala vlasti. Upravo toga se Neron i plaši i čini se da je njegov suštinski strah uzrokovan ne toliko Britanikom koji uopšte nema težnje ka vladarskoj kruni, već pre Agripinom, odnosno znanjem da je upravo zahvaljujući njoj Neron došao na vlast i da vrlo lako ona može biti uzrok gubitka vlasti. (Valja imati na umu da je Neron zaista ubio Agripinu, što Rasin izostavlja iz svog komada, ali postavlja radnju tako da se na suprtonim stranama, suprotno od onih na kojima se nalaze Britanik i Neron, nalaze Agripina i Neron, ali sa razlikom što je odnos sina i majke suštinski obeležen težnjom da se ima moć i da se vlada, što nije slučaj u opozciji Neron Britanik, upravo zbog Britanikove pasivnosti prema vladarskoj stolici, što suštinski menja odnos između ova dva lika i održava ga u jednoj drugoj ravni.) U samoj suštini Neronove nesigurnosti, leži dakle odnos prema Agripini, koji je i uzrok Neronovog nepoverenja u samog sebe, odnosno u svoju moć, jer tamo gde je neprekidno potrebno dokazivati moć, njena održivosti je upitna, odnosno poredak koji ona uspostavlja je upitan.

U najširem smislu, možemo govoriti o majci kao uzroku tragedije u ovom komadu,tragedija koja pored toga povlači i druga pitanja, koja se tiču odnosa ljudskih osećanja i politike i onoga što iz toga proizilazi. Neron neosporno, šta god uzrokovalo njegovo ponašanje, pokušava da nametne svoja politička uverenja Britaniku i Juniji koji ne funckionišu u kontekstu tog sveta, odnosno oni Britanik i Junija postoje u kontekstu sveta kojim vlada Neron, ali ne dele njegove vrednosti, ne vode se istim idejama već jednostavno stoje od njega. Ovo pogotovo važi za Britanika koji je zbog svoje naivnosti uhvaćen u nemilosrdno kolo takvog sveta i koji će na kraju stradati jednostavno jer ne poseduje veštine potrebne da bi u takvom svetu mogao da preživi. Njegova smrt za posledicu ima i to da Junija odbaci ovaj svet u celini i posveti se izlovanom vestalskom životu.

[Jonathon McKenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annual French book done! And I gotta say, a lot more legitimate than Kate Middleton, Reine de XXIeme siècle

[ponussk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petite pensée à Octavie, qui a la qualité de ne même pas avoir besoin d’apparaître pour se faire victimiser.

[Guillaume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Racine quoi

[andreea. · Rating 1 out of 5]

.

[juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

talk tragédie racinienne that ruined my life to me

[Marie Adamski · Rating 5 out of 5]

"britannicus c'est des barres frère !"
- jeune spectateur enthusiaste -

[ninabuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool sympa

[cowboylikejoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟

"Il rentre. Chacun fuit son silence farouche.
Le seul nom de Junie échappe de sa bouche.
Il marche sans dessein, ses yeux mal assurés
N'osent lever au ciel leurs regards égarés."

Racine is a painter. He might not have expressed it as abrupt as the first sentence of a review, for he did compare himself to the greatest Roman historical painter, which is Tacite, but I assert him as a painter, a painter of horror and deploration, a French Sophocle, the one-had-to-gouge-their-own-eyes-of-agony-and-pathos type of painter, may I even say a precocious psychological painter. There is no mercy, no issue, no salvation: only gods, cruel unlovable gods that precipitate the tragedy, step by step, to its inevitable deathly end, as said by Racine, who also highlighted how the tragic lies in Agrippine's disgrace as much as Britannicus's death, yet I want to add that it does fully lie in Néron's errancy and Junie's desperation too: how is it not painful to gape at the fatal of a woman so ravaged by the loss of young love she had to cry and implore the statue of the grand Auguste and escape to the vestals for refuge? how is it not pitiful and disgusting to wander with and reject an emerging monster that indolently watches its victims fall before its eyes and then haggardly strays in his palace as a withered fallen king? This is how you paint: in a few concise lines, the reader stands before a canvas that he embellishes with strands of imagination alongside the already-moving ink.

[Béatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I love history, especially Roman antiquity, this was so interesting to read. The character of Nero, as well as all of his predecessors, is really intricate. This play explained so well is descent into tyranny. I feel like the next time I will read the Trials of Apollo series, I will understand the characters so much more!

[Macqueron · Rating 3 out of 5]

D’une pièce sur le cynisme politique et la transformation de Néron d’un empereur aimé à l’empereur fou que l’Histoire connait, Racine a retenu l’histoire d’amour. Shakespeare avait aussi utilisé ce prisme dans Richard III, avec plus de bonheur (à mon avis) car il avait su exploiter le cynisme du personnage (jusqu’à sa chute). Racine montre un Néron hésitant et aux avis changeants. C’était à ce titre un peu décevant

[маја · Rating 2 out of 5]

i envy britannicus, at least he was put out of his misery unlike me who has two more jean racine plays to read

[sienna :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it for school, it was okay. Not sure what else to say about it.

[Charlotte]

mensonge et trahison

[Océane · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai a-do-ré ! Le texte est délicieux, beaucoup de phrases m'ont marquée par leur beauté, et j'ai eu la chance de les voir jouées par une excellente troupe qui a su leur donner vie.

[Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

könnte ich 0 geben würde ich das machen.

[Meret · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 (les deux derniers actes étaient mieux que les trois premiers)

[leigheas ✞ ✰ ⚢ · Rating 3 out of 5]

encore un jour où je me dis que racine n'arrive pas à la cheville de corneille...

[candice · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,5/5.

J’ai aimé que l’acte 5. Le reste m’a tellement ennuyé…

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belle redécouverte, je crois qu'à l'époque de Bubu, j'étais pas à fond. Ma choupette de Junie, elle méritait mieux. Vivent les tragédies de Racine au final

[Clem · Rating 4 out of 5]

j’ai eu envie de lire cette pièce en entendant une partie de l’un des monologues de Junie (“il a su me toucher, seigneur; et je n’ai point prétendu m’en cacher.” acte II scène 3) et je n’ai pas été déçue. c’est très satisfaisant à lire (et très rapide aussi), le théâtre confère à ses personnages une forme d’intensité propre que je trouve grandiose (et alors si c’est rédigé en alexandrins que demande le peuple).

[Juju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si Racine n’a esthétiquement pas d’égal dans l’histoire de la littérature française à mon avis, la création de la tension autour du meurtre de Britannicus est assez médiocre.

[Betty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can u tell I’m sick of reading French plays and I wanna go back to literature that I enjoy (it has only been one week send help)