author
Jean Racine
1639–1699
A master of French classical tragedy, his plays turn fierce emotions and impossible choices into clear, elegant drama. Best known for works like Andromaque, Britannicus, and Phèdre, he became one of the defining writers of 17th-century France.
6 Audiobooks
Esther
by Jean Racine
Phaedra
by Jean Racine
Mithridate
by Jean Racine
De Pleiters
by Jean Racine
Athaliah: A Tragedy Intended for Reading Only, Translated Into English Blank Verse, From Racine (A. Gombert's Edition, 1825)
by J. Donkersley, Jean Racine
Phaidra: 5-näytöksinen runomittainen murhenäytelmä
by Jean Racine
About the author
Born on December 22, 1639, Jean Racine became one of the great playwrights of the age of Louis XIV. He was educated at Port-Royal, where he absorbed a strong grounding in classical literature, and he went on to shape French tragedy with a style that was both disciplined and emotionally intense.
Racine built his reputation through a remarkable run of plays, including Andromaque, Britannicus, Bérénice, Bajazet, Mithridate, Iphigénie, and Phèdre. Readers and audiences have long admired the way his dramas bring out jealousy, desire, pride, and grief with unusual psychological force while still keeping the balance and clarity of classical theater.
Later in life, he served as royal historiographer and eventually returned to writing for the stage with religious dramas such as Esther and Athalie. He died on April 21, 1699, but his work remains central to French literature and to the history of tragic drama.