phedre Flashcards
What was the reign of King louis XIV like?
He wanted to reinforce the divine right of kings and was in many ways successful abroad
nature of the relationship between H and Phèdre
the love she feels for him has long being brewing- she already mentions the influence of the gods in her desires saying that they have removed her voice of reason
She really wants to withhold her love from Œnone
Theramène’s view on love
he believes that Hippolyte should not withold his love for Aricie as love is something that the Gods bestow upon us- so why try to fight it?
Œnone’s hand in progressing the play
she prods her to say it, phèdre never actually utters the words. Perhaps without the influence of Œnone she would not have
H feels that he differs from his father in one very distinctive way
he can’t indulge in women the same way that his father does as he has not been and conquered places like his father
reason why P could not afford to die
she would leave her children to her enemy, Hippolyte
extended metaphor with dark and light/ wrong and right
in the third act phèdre is battling with her love for H and the anguish he brings her- she makes reference to the sun god
Death of T
The death of thésée brings about a new problem for Phèdre, now that her love for H is no longer incestuous she considers pursuing it more and more
H doesn’t name P
in doing so he creates distance between himself and her. It adds an unknown element to her character as if to suggest that the very sound of her name is horrible to utter.
Difference between how Aricie and Phèdre love H
Aricie says her love is justified as it is not simply based on visual stimulus
Vanity
Aricie also considered a little vain as she likes and indulges in the idea of being the first love of H
Breaking free from love
H wishes to break free from the shackles of love- Th undercuts this love he feels for her when he says that P is coming
Hippolyte’s attitude to P
he only feels indifference to P, this only taunts P
Amicable nature of H
he realises that Phèdre would want to send him away.
Influence of Gods on the love in Phèdre
she admits it is them who have caused the pain in the stomach that she feels
Aristotle says
that all tragic characters should have a balance of pity and and terror- Phèdre embodies this
At the start of Act 3 Phèdre
believes there is still hope- perhaps the fact that she surprised him like that will mean he keeps quiet.
distinction between the monster of passion in P and P herself as a monster
the way that Racine refers to her as monstrous aludes more to the terror of her passion rather than her character as hole. She is tormented- but not evil- this makes it all the more hard to condemn her
The welcome of Thésée
he says that he might as well be in the Prison of Épire - he in many ways is his own tragic character- he had to fight of the monsters to free himself and yet is not at all wlecomed back
How Hippolyte is unsure
he curses love in general at the end of act 3- he describes it as a poison that has cursed the house
Thésée believes O
she suggest that it is Hippolyte who has been disloyal and links this to the hate he has long shown for P and the suspicious behaviour he has exhibited- he asks Neptune to kill H for him- without even hearing what H has to say
how does H try and regain the respect of his father
he says that Phèdre comes from a family renowned for this type of behaviour
Excessive virtues…
can sometime be just as fateful as negative traits- marked by Hippolyte’s belief that through honesty and motivation for silence which is linked to his love for his father
Phèdre marks the presence of the gods- what is the effect
act 4 she says her ancestors in the sky see all her moves, where can she hide- gives her tragedy another dimension which is other worldly-
When she has just admitted to Hippolyte that she loves him- she curses how the sky was listening to her. She is conscious of what she is doing
this contrasts with the pure and innocent love of H and A who are forbidden to love each other. - le ciel est plein des mes aïeux
does Phedre live in denial all the way through?
she questions the legitimacy of their love suggesting she can’t come to terms with the monster within her and lives in vanity. She asks- what spell has hippolyte been placed under in act 4?
Hippolyte has plans
to leave trézène with Aricie and go to the sacred temple where they will be judged as innocent and will be able to consecrate there love
Aricie at the end
gains a level of boldness from within and challenges Thésée by saying that all is not lost- he still has time to undo his wrongs. She doesn’t let her emotions control her and is somewhat a voice of reason within the chaos
How does love effect Aricie and Phaedra in different ways?
It degrades phedre and elevated Aricie- she he pure and is the antithesis of the impurity and darkness that is embodied in Phedre. This ironic as Aricie is cast as an outsider at first but it is she who makes the effort to salvage some hope and undo the wrongs made by Phedre, Œnone and Hippolyte
What is is a factor in changing the mind of Thésée?
He learns of the death of Œnone. This perhaps is a reality check of him as he realises the seriousness of his speculation and the ill judged conclusions he made.
How can the seen of Phédre apologising to T be linked to Macbeth
there is a similar level of remorse in her tone- previously swallowed by envy an love she was unaware of the consequences of her actions, put having seen the consequences of her scheming on Œnone she has realised the gravity of her scheming. but at this stage it is too late.
The irony of the death of H
he dies at the gates where he had hoped to liberate himself and marry Aricie
where is there a perfect moment for phèdre to disclose her information
act three when T returns- the three of them are on stage but in reality the gravity of the problem at stake is beyond communication, so much so that it simply will continue to inflame
what does the haste in which H tries to flee at the beginning suggest?
Without being explicit, this rush to leave implies there is a history of tension between the two. So without having even disclosed the nature of her incestuous love for him we know that it will be difficult for this love to work- this suggests that she is doomed, not considering the curse that has been placed on her
love in 17/8th century lit vs Arthurian lit
the love portrayed in Racine and molière challenges the idea of love being something symbolic- ie the unity of two families for economic or social reasons. it challenges the purpose of love and reanalyses why we love. In Agnès and Horace and H and Aricie the love is innocent and pure- ie no age difference of incest. Although it may be frowned upon be the main characters their love in the end is applauded or supported. It shows that love can be something other than a formal affair
Who encourages Phedre?
Œnone-when Phèdre declares that she has lost and that the worst is upon them in Act three, O reminds P how evil and arrogant H is
oxymoron
Racine uses the Oxymorons, such as ‘funeste plaisir’ in order to emphasise the state of torment of Phèdre and that she is a prisoner- other ones include ‘flamme si noir’
phèdre is destined
the soiled heritage presages her death and Œnone ads, that to resist this love would be wrong as it is her destiny
la prise de conscience de Phèdre
ne modifie pas son sort
death of Thésée marks
the loss of stability in the city as he is the controller of power and a figure of importance for all the characters
reference to the light By œnone
she mentions the week light that awaits Phèdre
has Phèdre succumbed to her fate even before she has admitted it
yes, she has, she consults the sky asking what am I going to tell her?
what does she say to the sun gods at the start?
She says, Soleil, je te viens voir pour la dernière fois
How does Hippolyte alude to Phèdre and her background before we even meet her?
Doesn’t call her by her real name and instead uses terms like daughter of Minos
Quote Phèdre screams in act 1 seen
Je sentis tout mon corps et transir et brûler- sense of the uncontrollable in what she is feeling- her love- she also mentions that is incurable- the feeling- this all happens in act 1
Aricie speaking to Thésée at the end
Avez-vous de son cœur si peu de connaissance
Thésée thoughts on destiny
When O comes to bare the news to him of Hippolyte’s aventures he says oh destin, tu me poursuis- showing that it isn’t just Phèdre who is aware of her destiny
what shows that Phèdre is perhaps still hopeful in act 3
l’espoir malgré moi s’est glissé dans mon cœur
Aricie like about Hippolyte…
les vertus de son père
Thésée is lost
je ne sais où je vais, je ne sais où je suis
dark and light
Dans le fond des forêts votre image me suit.
La lumière du jour, les ombres de la nuit
what does Hippolyte say at the start about Trézène?
describes it as a séjour de l’aimable
