Racine’s stylistic distinction is, perhaps, his outstanding achievement. In seventeenth-century France, it took a genius to avoid the monotony of the metronome and the dullness of a child’s primer. Classicism, in reaction to the verbal exuberance of the Renaissance, severely restricted the playwright’s vocabulary. Racine had at his disposal a […]
Read more Critical Essays Style of AndromacheCritical Essays Plot and Structure of Andromache
The Greek concept of tragedy on which Racine’s works are based has a religious origin. It was meant to reflect man’s position in the universe and his relationship to the divine. In its definitive form, Greek tragedy presented a conflict between a protagonist of heroic proportions (though sometimes haunted by […]
Read more Critical Essays Plot and Structure of AndromacheCritical Essays Characterization in Andromache
One of Racine’s contemporaries, Guez de Balzac, in a well-known statement, noted that Corneille portrayed characters as they should be and Racine as they were. It is true that compared with Corneille’s heroic figures, Racine’s characters seem to be made of much more mortal clay. But Racine is anything but […]
Read more Critical Essays Characterization in AndromacheJean Racine Biography
Jean Racine was born in 1639 at La Ferte-Milon, the son of a government official. He was orphaned by the age of three and spent his childhood with his grandparents; his formative educational years were spent at the college of Port-Royal. Port-Royal numbered among its teachers some of the best […]
Read more Jean Racine BiographyCharacter Analysis Andromache
Andromache is a foil to the other three major characters of the play and underlines the immature and selfish nature of their passions. Her own love for her husband and son is not only unselfish, but is founded on a firm moral basis. To the glory of being Pyrrhus’ queen, […]
Read more Character Analysis AndromacheCharacter Analysis Orestes
So great is the difference between the Orestes of Greek tragedy and Racine’s Orestes that some students are quite disconcerted by it and cannot accept an Orestes who is the victim of an unhappy love affair rather than of a grim and deadly family feud. In both plays, however, Orestes […]
Read more Character Analysis OrestesCharacter Analysis Hermione
Hermione is, like Pyrrhus — violent, egocentric, and callous. She is completely insensitive to the feelings of others; her reception of Andromache’s plea for her son is deliberately cruel, and her psychic world is completely centered upon her love-hate relationship with Pyrrhus. Nevertheless, she commands more of our sympathy than […]
Read more Character Analysis HermioneCharacter Analysis Pyrrhus
There was an ancient literary Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, who took Andromache, wife of Hector, as part of his spoils from the Trojan War and had three sons by her. One of these sons became king of Epirus after Pyrrhus’ death. We know little else about this Pyrrhus, however, and […]
Read more Character Analysis PyrrhusSummary and Analysis Act V: Scenes 4-5
Summary Left alone, Orestes wonders what is to become of him: He has made himself a murderer for love of Hermione but, ungrateful, she now hates him. Pylades comes in with some Greek soldiers and urges Orestes to flee to the ships. Obeying their new queen, Andromache, the people of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act V: Scenes 4-5Summary and Analysis Act V: Scene 3
Summary Orestes arrives to report that Pyrrhus is dead at the altar. As Pyrrhus placed the crown on Andromache’s head and swore friendship and fatherhood to Astyanax, recognizing him as legitimate King of Troy, the affronted Greek embassy fell upon him so furiously that Orestes himself found no opportunity to […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act V: Scene 3