Since I have three different books with selections of Racine's plays in, the only one of the plays in this volume that I hadn't already read was Iphigenia.
Iphigenia was the daughter of Clytemnestra (a sister of Helen of Troy), and Agamemnon (the king who led the Greeks at Troy). Agamemnon and all the kings who swore to aid Helen if she should need it are assembled at Aulis, ready to depart for Troy. They are held back by unfavourable sea conditions and are eventually told that to gain passage to Troy Agamemnon must sacrifice Iphigenia. Agamemnon sends for Iphigenia under the pretext of marrying her to Achilles. The play begins with a conflicted Agamemnon regretting his decision to send for his daughter, and sending someone to prevent her arrival. They are, of course, too late.
Racine's interpretation of the myth is interesting, as in the end he has another character, Eriphile, sacrificed in Iphigenia's place. Although some Greek variants have Diana whisk Iphigenia away at the last second to serve her in a temple in Tauris, replacing her form on the altar with that of a deer, none have someone else sacrificed in her place. It would be interesting to see how Racine would have then handled the story of Agamemnon's eventual return to Mycenea, since in saving Iphigenia he has removed Clytemnestra's motivation to kill her husband upon his return. This was the first account of myth I've read where I've truly felt sorry for Agamemnon and his predicament and felt that his decision really did cause him anguish. I also though he portrayed the tension between Agamemnon and Achilles very well. But since Eriphile is hardly a likeable character, you don't feel sorry for her, and thus this 'tragedy' has a happy ending. It seems more comparable with Euripides' Alcestis than with an actual tragedy.
Phaedra is the story of the wife of Theseus, who in Theseus' absence falls in love with her step-son Hippolytus. Determined to die rather than to admit her shameful love she is saved from death at the last moment by news that Theseus is dead. Her maid then convinces her that her love for Hippolytus is no longer shameful and that she should make known to him her feelings. Hippolytus, however, is in love with another girl, and Phaedra's confession appalls him. To make matters worse, news suddenly reaches them that Theseus isn't dead, and he shortly returns to a troubled home.
Again, Racine does a very good job of making his characters likeable. As a reader you can sympathise with Phaedra because she knows her urges are wrong and does everything she can to resist them. She is a struggling pious woman led stray by her nurse, so you can pity her downfall just as much as you can pity the fate of Hippolytus - who despite being appalled by the discovery of Phaedra's affection is honourable enough to keep his silence over her confession. He is also made a bit more human and likeable by the addition of a love-interest (in ancient myths Hippolytus scorns all women, and dedicates himself to the virgin huntress Diana). Of all the plays by Racine that I've read, I like this one the most. It's well constructed, well paced and a powerful tragedy.
Athaliah is the only one of the plays in this collection which doesn't draw on Greek myth. Instead, it is an old testament story of the fall of Athaliah, daughter of the infamous Jezebel. For their impiety Jezebel, her husband Ahab and Athaliah's son Ahaziah - since he belonged to the house of Ahab - were killed by Jehu. Athaliah, in return, attempts to exterminate the house of David. Since she herself had married Joram, a descendant of the line of David, this ammounted to the slaughter of her own grandchildren. This achieved, Athaliah becomes Queen. One child, however, survives. Joash is spirited away and hidden in the temple of Jerusalem, where he is raised under a false name and ignorant of his lineage until he reaches an age where he can reclaim his throne. Athaliah tells of the confrontation of Athaliah and the priest protecting the young Joash, Jehoiada.
Athaliah has the grandeur of an opera despite still being at heart a family tragedy. It was nice to read a play based on an old-testament story but I found it a lot harder to sympathise with Athaliah and hence, as a tragedy, I just didn't find it as powerful as the first two. Athaliah is a ruthless queen who shows no repentance - her unwillingness to have Joash killed outright seems to come rather from a confusion on her part rather than from some sudden bloom of compassion. The political and religious aspects of the play certainly make it very interesting, but I also feel that they get somewhat in the way of the tragic aspect, which relies on you sympathising with people, not political parties or religions.
Iphigenia was the daughter of Clytemnestra (a sister of Helen of Troy), and Agamemnon (the king who led the Greeks at Troy). Agamemnon and all the kings who swore to aid Helen if she should need it are assembled at Aulis, ready to depart for Troy. They are held back by unfavourable sea conditions and are eventually told that to gain passage to Troy Agamemnon must sacrifice Iphigenia. Agamemnon sends for Iphigenia under the pretext of marrying her to Achilles. The play begins with a conflicted Agamemnon regretting his decision to send for his daughter, and sending someone to prevent her arrival. They are, of course, too late.
Racine's interpretation of the myth is interesting, as in the end he has another character, Eriphile, sacrificed in Iphigenia's place. Although some Greek variants have Diana whisk Iphigenia away at the last second to serve her in a temple in Tauris, replacing her form on the altar with that of a deer, none have someone else sacrificed in her place. It would be interesting to see how Racine would have then handled the story of Agamemnon's eventual return to Mycenea, since in saving Iphigenia he has removed Clytemnestra's motivation to kill her husband upon his return. This was the first account of myth I've read where I've truly felt sorry for Agamemnon and his predicament and felt that his decision really did cause him anguish. I also though he portrayed the tension between Agamemnon and Achilles very well. But since Eriphile is hardly a likeable character, you don't feel sorry for her, and thus this 'tragedy' has a happy ending. It seems more comparable with Euripides' Alcestis than with an actual tragedy.
Phaedra is the story of the wife of Theseus, who in Theseus' absence falls in love with her step-son Hippolytus. Determined to die rather than to admit her shameful love she is saved from death at the last moment by news that Theseus is dead. Her maid then convinces her that her love for Hippolytus is no longer shameful and that she should make known to him her feelings. Hippolytus, however, is in love with another girl, and Phaedra's confession appalls him. To make matters worse, news suddenly reaches them that Theseus isn't dead, and he shortly returns to a troubled home.
Again, Racine does a very good job of making his characters likeable. As a reader you can sympathise with Phaedra because she knows her urges are wrong and does everything she can to resist them. She is a struggling pious woman led stray by her nurse, so you can pity her downfall just as much as you can pity the fate of Hippolytus - who despite being appalled by the discovery of Phaedra's affection is honourable enough to keep his silence over her confession. He is also made a bit more human and likeable by the addition of a love-interest (in ancient myths Hippolytus scorns all women, and dedicates himself to the virgin huntress Diana). Of all the plays by Racine that I've read, I like this one the most. It's well constructed, well paced and a powerful tragedy.
Athaliah is the only one of the plays in this collection which doesn't draw on Greek myth. Instead, it is an old testament story of the fall of Athaliah, daughter of the infamous Jezebel. For their impiety Jezebel, her husband Ahab and Athaliah's son Ahaziah - since he belonged to the house of Ahab - were killed by Jehu. Athaliah, in return, attempts to exterminate the house of David. Since she herself had married Joram, a descendant of the line of David, this ammounted to the slaughter of her own grandchildren. This achieved, Athaliah becomes Queen. One child, however, survives. Joash is spirited away and hidden in the temple of Jerusalem, where he is raised under a false name and ignorant of his lineage until he reaches an age where he can reclaim his throne. Athaliah tells of the confrontation of Athaliah and the priest protecting the young Joash, Jehoiada.
Athaliah has the grandeur of an opera despite still being at heart a family tragedy. It was nice to read a play based on an old-testament story but I found it a lot harder to sympathise with Athaliah and hence, as a tragedy, I just didn't find it as powerful as the first two. Athaliah is a ruthless queen who shows no repentance - her unwillingness to have Joash killed outright seems to come rather from a confusion on her part rather than from some sudden bloom of compassion. The political and religious aspects of the play certainly make it very interesting, but I also feel that they get somewhat in the way of the tragic aspect, which relies on you sympathising with people, not political parties or religions.