Jean Racine is one of the greatest playwrights of the 17th century French literature. He wrote tragic plays strongly influenced by the drama of ancient Greece, and his poetry ranks among the best written in French. He is famous for Andromaque.
Early Life of Jean Racine
Racine was born c. December 1639 near Paris, in La Ferté-Milon, the son of a solicitor. An orphan by the age of three, he was raised by his grandmother, Marie de Moulins, and educated at the Catholic school at Port-Royal, which remained an important influence on him throughout his life. He took his studies seriously, loved verse-making and had a liking for romance.
The Youthful Years
He moved to Paris at the age of 19, and there he became friends with a group of writers, including the playwright Molière, Jean de la Fontaine and other prominent writers of the time. He also went to study philosophy at the College d'Harcourt.
He wrote an ode, "La Nymphe de la Seine" ("The Nymph of the River Seine", 1660), on the marriage of Louis XIV. Two years later he wrote his first play, Amasie, which has since been lost. Racine then found himself in conflict with his family and supporters at Port-Royal. During that time, theatre was considered immoral, and Racine was pressured to leave Paris and become a priest. Unfortunately, he was not able to secure a living with the church. He returned to Paris and the theater in 1663.
Another ode, titled "La Renommée aux muses" ("The Muses") gained him the lifetime friendship of Boileau, Jean de La Fontaine and Molière.
Racine the Playwright
At 25 years old, Racine met the actress Mademoiselle du Parc. Inspired by her, he wrote his most successful play, Andromaque, in which she played the lead role. In the 10 years after this play was finished, he wrote all of his greatest plays.
Racine the Royal Historian
In his late 30s, Racine was at the peak of his fame after the success of his play Phèdre. He was invited to become a royal historian. Somehow his feeling of guilt never left him and he was never happy at the distress that his theatrical career caused his family that he gave up writing plays to concentrate on his new post. During this time, he married Cathèrine de Romanet. They had two sons and five daughters. At the request of the king's wife, Racine wrote two more plays. He died in April 21, 1699 from cancer of the liver.
Books by Jean Racine
- Andromaque, 1667
- The Litigants, 1668
- Britannicus, 1669
- Bérénice, 1670
- Bajazet, 1672
- Mithridate, 1673
- Iphigénie, 1674
- Phèdre, 1677
- Esther, 1689
- Athalie, 1691
Sources:
Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers, 2002
Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring, Larousse, 1994
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