phedre

Question 1

What was the reign of King louis XIV like?

Answer 1

He wanted to reinforce the divine right of kings and was in many ways successful abroad

Question 2

nature of the relationship between H and Phèdre

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Theramène’s view on love

Answer 3

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?

Question 4

Œnone’s hand in progressing the play

Answer 4

she prods her to say it, phèdre never actually utters the words. Perhaps without the influence of Œnone she would not have

Question 5

H feels that he differs from his father in one very distinctive way

Answer 5

he can’t indulge in women the same way that his father does as he has not been and conquered places like his father

Question 6

reason why P could not afford to die

Answer 6

she would leave her children to her enemy, Hippolyte

Question 7

extended metaphor with dark and light/ wrong and right

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Death of T

Answer 8

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

Question 9

H doesn’t name P

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Difference between how Aricie and Phèdre love H

Answer 10

Aricie says her love is justified as it is not simply based on visual stimulus

Question 11

Vanity

Answer 11

Aricie also considered a little vain as she likes and indulges in the idea of being the first love of H

Question 12

Breaking free from love

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Hippolyte’s attitude to P

Answer 13

he only feels indifference to P, this only taunts P

Question 14

Amicable nature of H

Answer 14

he realises that Phèdre would want to send him away.

Question 15

Influence of Gods on the love in Phèdre

Answer 15

she admits it is them who have caused the pain in the stomach that she feels

Question 16

Aristotle says

Answer 16

that all tragic characters should have a balance of pity and and terror- Phèdre embodies this

Question 17

At the start of Act 3 Phèdre

Answer 17

believes there is still hope- perhaps the fact that she surprised him like that will mean he keeps quiet.

Question 18

distinction between the monster of passion in P and P herself as a monster

Answer 18

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

Question 19

The welcome of Thésée

Answer 19

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

Question 20

How Hippolyte is unsure

Answer 20

he curses love in general at the end of act 3- he describes it as a poison that has cursed the house

Question 21

Thésée believes O

Answer 21

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

Question 22

how does H try and regain the respect of his father

Answer 22

he says that Phèdre comes from a family renowned for this type of behaviour

Question 23

Excessive virtues…

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Phèdre marks the presence of the gods- what is the effect

Answer 24

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

Question 25

does Phedre live in denial all the way through?

Answer 25

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?

Question 26

Hippolyte has plans

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Aricie at the end

Answer 27

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

Question 28

How does love effect Aricie and Phaedra in different ways?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

What is is a factor in changing the mind of Thésée?

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

How can the seen of Phédre apologising to T be linked to Macbeth

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

The irony of the death of H

Answer 31

he dies at the gates where he had hoped to liberate himself and marry Aricie

Question 32

where is there a perfect moment for phèdre to disclose her information

Answer 32

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

Question 33

what does the haste in which H tries to flee at the beginning suggest?

Answer 33

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

Question 34

love in 17/8th century lit vs Arthurian lit

Answer 34

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

Question 35

Who encourages Phedre?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

oxymoron

Answer 36

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’

Question 37

phèdre is destined

Answer 37

the soiled heritage presages her death and Œnone ads, that to resist this love would be wrong as it is her destiny

Question 38

la prise de conscience de Phèdre

Answer 38

ne modifie pas son sort

Question 39

death of Thésée marks

Answer 39

the loss of stability in the city as he is the controller of power and a figure of importance for all the characters

Question 40

reference to the light By œnone

Answer 40

she mentions the week light that awaits Phèdre

Question 41

has Phèdre succumbed to her fate even before she has admitted it

Answer 41

yes, she has, she consults the sky asking what am I going to tell her?

Question 42

what does she say to the sun gods at the start?

Answer 42

She says, Soleil, je te viens voir pour la dernière fois

Question 43

How does Hippolyte alude to Phèdre and her background before we even meet her?

Answer 43

Doesn’t call her by her real name and instead uses terms like daughter of Minos

Question 44

Quote Phèdre screams in act 1 seen

Answer 44

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

Question 45

Aricie speaking to Thésée at the end

Answer 45

Avez-vous de son cœur si peu de connaissance

Question 46

Thésée thoughts on destiny

Answer 46

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

Question 47

what shows that Phèdre is perhaps still hopeful in act 3

Answer 47

l’espoir malgré moi s’est glissé dans mon cœur

Question 48

Aricie like about Hippolyte…

Answer 48

les vertus de son père

Question 49

Thésée is lost

Answer 49

je ne sais où je vais, je ne sais où je suis

Question 50

dark and light

Answer 50

Dans le fond des forêts votre image me suit.

La lumière du jour, les ombres de la nuit

Question 51

what does Hippolyte say at the start about Trézène?

Answer 51

describes it as a séjour de l’aimable