40 pages • 1 hour read •
Phèdre
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Brief
Super Short Summary
Phèdre by Jean Racine tells the story of the Athenian queen Phaedra's forbidden love for her stepson, Hippolytus, and its catastrophic repercussions. Racine's adaptation of Greek mythology delves into themes of forbidden love, desire, heredity, fate, honor, and duty. The play, set in Troezen at King Theseus's house, is structured in five acts, examining the tragic outcomes of Phaedra's concealed emotions and misunderstandings amidst returns, rivalries, and accusations. Explores themes of suicide and sexual violence.
Melancholic
Mysterious
Dark
Contemplative
Emotional
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Phèdre by Jean Racine is widely praised for its poetic language, intense emotional depth, and complex character portrayals. Critics commend Racine’s mastery of French classical tragedy and the moral and psychological exploration within the narrative. Some find the strict adherence to classical unities constraining, but overall, it’s a compelling and influential work in literature.
Who Should Read Phèdre?
A reader who would enjoy Jean Racine's Phèdre likely appreciates classical French literature, tragic drama, and themes of passion, guilt, and destiny. Comparable to admirers of Sophocles' Antigone or Shakespeare's Hamlet, they value psychological complexity and eloquent poetic dialogue within timeless moral dilemmas.
Hippolytus
Hippolytus
The virtuous son of Theseus and an Amazon, characterized by his integrity and sense of honor, who stands in stark contrast to his father.
Theseus
Theseus
The impulsive and heroic king of Athens with a history of romantic affairs, whose relationships with his family are fraught with tension.
Aricia
Aricia
A political prisoner and love interest of Hippolytus, whose fate is closely tied to her family's past opposition to Theseus.
Oenone
Oenone
The devoted nurse and confidante of Phaedra, whose actions are motivated by loyalty to her mistress, despite leading to dramatic consequences.
Phèdre by Jean Racine is a classical French tragedy that draws inspiration from the mythological character Phaedra, with its intricate emotional dynamics and adherence to the unities of time, place, and action being highly praised.
The play was first performed in 1677 and remains one of Racine's most celebrated works, showcasing his mastery of the alexandrine poetic form commonly used in French classical theater.
Subscribe to discover more Fun Facts!
Racine's Phèdre is famous for its powerful exploration of forbidden passion and its devastating consequences, and it has influenced countless adaptations and retellings in various artistic forms throughout the centuries.
Subscribe to discover more Fun Facts!
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.