Racine Berenice, Phèdre, Britannicus

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Synopsis

Includes the plays Britannicus, Phedra and BereniceJean Racine is the greatest tragedian of the French seventeenth century, using its strict rules and conventions to tell stories of overwhelming passion and cruelty.This volume brings together three of his greatest plays. Britannicus, the earliest, is set in the court of the young Emperor Nero, and in an atmosphere seething with erotic tension, documents the power-struggles surrounding the birth of a legendary despot. Berenice probes the hearts of two lovers as they are torn apart amidst the splendours of Imperial Rome, and in Phedra, the most famous of the three, a woman betrayed by her own desires descends into a personal hell of shame, guilt and remorse. These classic versions, by two of the country's most distinguished director-translators, prove that Racine is far from untranslatable; they offer blisteringly effective poetry, urgent plotting and powerhouse roles for both actors and actresses.

Book details

Series:
Oberon Classics
Author:
Jean Racine, Robert David MacDonald, Neil Bartlett
ISBN:
9781849439176
Related ISBNs:
9781840027617
Publisher:
Oberon Books
Pages:
256
Reading age:
Not specified
Includes images:
No
Date of addition:
2020-09-23
Usage restrictions:
Copyright
Copyright date:
2007
Copyright by:
Oberon Books 
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Categories:
Art and Architecture, Drama, Plays and Theater, History, Literature and Fiction, Nonfiction