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Théâtre I

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This volume contains the following plays:
La Thébaïde
Alexandre le Grand
Andromaque
Les Plaideurs
Britannicus
Bérénice

436 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

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About the author

Jean Racine

2,040 books361 followers
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...

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Emma.
487 reviews
January 7, 2025
Bon sang, ces préfaces... Il avait un complexe de la victime, l'ami Racine.



3.58
Profile Image for Meli🪼 Scotto .
74 reviews
November 22, 2025
Tellement bien écrit, si agréable à lire ! Chouette de voir les débuts de Ravine qui revisite un mythe très intéressant. Les scènes d'amour sont un peu trop cucul. C'est une écriture très cinématographique.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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