JEAN BAPTISTE RACINE. JEAN RACINE, the second of the classic tragedists of France, was the son of a controller of the salt office at Ferté Milon, and was born in 1639, three years after the triumphant production of Corneille's "Le Cid." He commenced writing twenty years before Corneille's death, and his earliest verses are a palpable imitation of his predecessor's poetry. The principles enunciated by Corneille served as the guide for Racine in the dramatic art. The themes of Racine's classical tragedies were taken directly from the Greek tragedies. "Andromaque," based on Euripides, is a picture of pure motherhood; "Iphigénie en Aulide," the drama of rivalry between Eriphile and Iphigenia over Achilles, and "Phédre," the passion of the wife of Theseus for her step-son Hippolytus. The flat reception of this last-named piece nearly drove Racine to become a Carthusian friar. Racine's famous comedy is "Les Plaideurs" (The Litigants), written in 1668. It is virtually a farce, after the manner of Aristophanes, dealing with the mania of an old judge, Dandin, for pronouncing sentence, and with the fondness of the Countess de Pimbesche and Chicaneau for lawsuits. The amiable and friendly Racine was more religious in temperament than Corneille. Corneille had been educated by the Jesuits, and translated Thomas á Kempis's "De Imitatione Christi." Racine, though in early life somewhat licentious, was essentially, however, of a religious type, and to the last he remained attached to the Port Royal school of his day. He composed, indeed, a series of "Cantiques Spirituels" (sacred canticles). He was admitted to the French Academy in 1673, and died in Paris in 1699. Racine drew from the Bible the plots for his "Esther" (1689), and his crowning masterpiece, "Athalie" (1691). The poet follows the sacred narrative so faithfully that hardly anything more than a general reference to the sources is necessary; and yet the playwright felt himself called upon to give a summary of the biblical story in his own prologue. The central character of Athaliah is painted in powerful colors. She is the daughter of the wicked Jezebel, who had been thrown to the dogs as a punishment for her bloody persecution of the prophets. Athaliah is "another Jezebel”. cruel and bloody-minded, but even in her wickedness always a queen. She has married Joram, King of Judah, but on his death she seeks to extirpate the royal house of David for the sake of Baal. In a dream her mother appears to her and warns her, and she also sees the vision of a young priest. Hastening to the temple she finds the living image, who is in reality the hidden heir to the throne, Joash. Determined to pierce the mystery, she holds a forced interview with the nine-year-old prince. This scene, in which the young Joash is brought into the presence of Athaliah, is full of a high beauty. The childish yet wise simplicity with which he replies to the queen's pressing inquiries, at every step unconsciously foiling her purpose and throwing her into confusion and rage, are exhibited with consummate art. "It is the first and only time," remarked La Harpe in his day, "that one has been inspired to draw from the charm of childhood all the interest of a tragic scene. There is nothing more touching, as witness the effect at the theatre where this scene has affected deliciously every soul." Athaliah's narration of her terrible dream of prophecy, with its picture of the dogs gnawing and snarling over her mother's bones, is stirringly dramatic. The queen's attack on the temple, the arming of the Levites, and Athaliah's tragic death ensue. The tragedy opens on Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks-the day the giving of the law on Mount Sinai was commemorated, and ends with the anointing and crowning of Joash. Racine declared his choice of this time of action since its features "furnished such variety for the chants of the chorus." This chorus is composed of young maidens of the tribe of Levi, headed by a niece of the high priest. Racine's object was to imitate the ancients in thus preserving a continuity of action unbroken by intervals. However undramatic to the present view, these hymns of the chorus are superb triumphs of devotional lyricism, pregnant with majesty and beauty. Both these scriptural plays were performed (without the aid of scenery) by the female pupils of the school at Saint Cyr, founded by Madame de Maintenon. Even the male characters were, according to Racine, "represented by the young ladies, with all the decorum of their sex, which was the easier for them as in ancient times the Persians and the Jews wore long dresses which reached to the ground." This prudish remark emphasizes the effeminate nature of Racine's genius. In contra-distinction to the severity of tone of his great predecessor, who is styled "le grand Corneille," the author of "Athalie" is affectionately known as "le tendre Racine." Racine was-aside from his two sacred tragedies— the painter of love. Despite his formal classicism we can still appreciate his tenderness. But this trait was accompanied by a lack of virile qualities. Appointed, along with his intimate friend Boileau, as historiographer to the Grand Monarque, he was somewhat too king-worshiping to the last, and his death has even been attributed to over-sensitiveness at the loss of royal favor. In "Esther" he is said to have represented Madame de Maintenon as Esther and the King as Ahasuerus; while Madame de Montespan was put to scorn as the haughty Vashti a strange use to which to subject a sacred theme truly. But in "Athalie" Racine made the high priest caution the youthful King Joash : You are ignorant of the intoxication of absolute power And of the bewitching voice of cowardly flatterers. Soon they'll tell you that the holiest laws Rule the vile people, but obey the kings, That a king has no other restraint than his own will; That he ought to sacrifice everything to his supreme grandeur; That the people is condemned to tears, to labor, And must be governed with a rod of iron; That unless they are oppressed they will oppress sooner or later. This sentiment must have sounded somewhat discordantly in the Grand Monarque's ear, and it is small wonder "Athalie" had no favor at court. Later Madame de Maintenon persuaded Racine to write out some of his ideas on social reform. cause he can make verses," exclaimed the irritated king, "does he want to be a minister of state?" ORESTES AND HERMIONE. (From the Tragedy of "Andromaque.") "Be Hermione. WHAT have I done? Where am I? Where is Pyrrhus? Ye gods! what mean these horrors? I'm undone! My soul is on the rack! I cannot bear it! Why do I wander like some guilty ghost? What brought me to this place? What keeps me here? Shall he, then, live? Shall the base traitor live Was it for this my soul delighted in him? Was it for this I left my father's court? Have I, then, crossed so many realms and seas O Cleone, help me! What have I done? Is Pyrrhus yet alive? [Cleone enters. What say'st thou? Answer me: where is the king? Still as he walked, his ravished eyes were fixed On the fair captive; while through shouting crowds She passed along with a dejected air, And seemed to mourn her Hector to the last. Herm. Insulting tyrant! I shall burst with rage! Whom he has lodged within the citadel, Defended by the strength of all his guards. Herm. Enough! he dies! the traitor! Where's Orestes? Cle. He's in the temple with his whole retinue. Herm. Is he still resolute? Is he still determined? Cle. Madam I fear Herm. How! Is Orestes false? Does he betray me, too? Perplex his soul, and wound him with remorse : fears To cope with dangers, and encounter death; 'Tis that he fears! Am I bright Helen's daughter? To vindicate her wrongs all Greece conspired; For her, confederate nations fought, and kings were slain, Troy was o'erthrown, and a whole empire fell: My eyes want force to raise a lover's arm Against a tyrant that has dared to wrong me! Cle. Madam, like Helen, trust your cause to Greece. I'll overturn the altar, stab the priest; I'll hurl destruction like a whirlwind round me! They must not wed! they must not live! they shall not! |