Phèdre (originally Phèdre et Hippolyte) is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine. It was first performed on January 1st 1677 in the Hôtel de Bourgogne, home of the royal troupe of actors in Paris, and was to be Racine’s last profane tragedy before a silence of 12 years, during which he devoted himself to the service of religion and the king.
With Phèdre, Racine chose once more a subject from Greek mythology, already treated by Greek and Roman tragic poets, notably byEuripides in Hippolytus and Seneca in Phaedra. In the absence of her royal husband Thésée, Phèdre ends by declaring her love to Hippolyte, Thésée’s son from a previous marriage.
Filed under: drama, Neoclassicism, Western Literature, Jean Racine
