Britannicus; Phaedra; Athaliah

Jean Racine (1639-99) remains to this day the greatest of French poetic dramatists, having brought an exceptional knowledge of Greek and Latin literature to bear on tragic masterpieces that rivalled and surpassed those of his famous contemporary, Corneille. Britannicus (1669), Phaedra (1677), and Athaliah (1691) portray characters wrestling with ambition, treachery, religion, and love. In this new translation, C. H. Sisson captures admirably the lucidity of Racine's language, both analytic and passionate, and the rhythm of his four-part Alexandrine.