Phedre, a play first performed in 1677, is a drama that borders on tragedy. The play borrows heavily from Romanian history and tales of the Greek mythology. Jean Baptiste Racine, the author of the play, wrote Phedre at a time when there was wide clamor for rationalism. Phedre, set in Troezen (Greece), exhibits a unique rhythm with the characters contributing substantially to the development of its plot, and the theme of love featuring prominently in the play.
Phedre has a distinct rhythm, a rare occurrence in many plays. For instance, each line has verses with six iambic feet- a concept known was Alexandrine. Most of the lines in the play have twelve to thirteen syllables. The sixth and the twelfth syllables are well choreographed to produce a distinct accent. However, the unique meter is lost for when the original French play is translated into English. Jean Racine uses rhyming couplets in the play. For example, when Theramene converses with Theseus, the words revenu and retenu rhyme, and so do the words fatale and rivale. It is necessary to note that such rhymes are not captured in the English translations (Argent, 2010, p. 45).
The characters in Phedre play a crucial role in the development of the plot. The story revolves around Phedre, the protagonist. She is consumed by her passion for her stepson, Hippolytus. On the other hand, Hippolytus is in love with Aricia, a prisoner to the kingdom. Both Phedre and Hippolytus hide their passions until late into the story. Oenone plays the evil advisor who misleads Phedre to accuse Hippolytus before Theseus, the king. Theseus does not take the allegations lightly and plans to avenge his son. In the meantime, Phedre, consumed by guilt, drinks poison and dies.
The theme of love is prevalent throughout the play. Phaedra struggles with her forbidden passion for Hippolytus. Her love for Hippolytus is perverted. Hippolytus is her stepson, and it would have been an abomination to sleep with him. Phaedra cannot control her passion for Hippolytus, thus secretly plans for his banishment. She blames Venus, the goddess, for inflicting her with unrelenting passion. In the end, she accuses Hippolytus of approaching her for sexual favors, a plan that proves costly in the end. On the other hand, Hippolytus expresses romantic love for Aricia. Although Aricia comes from an “enemy” blood, his love for her is genuine. Oenone expresses protective love towards Phaedra. He is even willing to kill for Phaedra. Theramene and Hippolytus were friends just like Aricia and Ismene.
Phedre is written in French, but there are several English translations of the same from different authors. Although translators try to enchant the intent and tone of the original play, they do not capture the accent, subplots and rhythm of the original play. However, most translators do not bother to capture the accent and rhymes in the original play.
The author uses the play to show how passion can dominate people’s lives to the extent of acting irresponsibly. This is evident from Phedre and Oenone’s treacherous behavior. Written in French, the original play has a distinct style with rhyming couplets. The characters used in the play build its plot, which is a sharp contrast from most plays whereby the plot is developed through manipulation of situations. The language used is formal but easy to understand. Complications only arise in the references made to mythical events and people (Höfer, 2009, p. 56).
References
Argent, G. A. (2010). The Complete Plays of Jean Racine. State college, PA: Penn State Press.
Höfer, B. (2009). Psychosomatic Disorders in Seventeenth-Century French Literature. Burlington, VT: Ashgate publishing.
