Phèdre

play by Racine

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Article History

Phèdre, classical tragedy in five acts by Jean Racine, performed and published in 1677. Racine’s work is based on the play Hippolytus by the Greek playwright Euripides and addresses the same story, but it changes the focus from Hippolytus (Hippolyte), the stepson, to Phaedra (Phèdre), the stepmother.

After receiving false information that her husband, King Thésée (Theseus), is dead, Phèdre accedes to her nurse Oenone’s urging and tells Hippolyte (Hippolytus), that she is in love with him. He rejects her. When Thésée returns, he is led to believe that Hippolyte is the aggressor toward Phèdre, and he invokes the aid of Neptune to destroy his son.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.