![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
polutropeI just finished Phedre.
Of course, half of Phedre's lines from the beginning have gotten stuck in my head. Typical internal dialogue goes like this: "Que ces vains ornaments, que ces voiles me pesent!" "No, they don't. You'd have to be pretty ill for a light silver chain and stud earrings to weigh on you." "Je le vis, je rougis, je palis a sa vue." "Oh, just be quiet!" "Tout m'afflige, et me nuit, et conspire a me nuire!" "...actually, that's true."
But anyway. If I had time, I'd write an essay comparing it to Hippolytus. Racine's most obvious change is adding Aricie, who, while she is not as useless as I thought she was, is still annoying. She has an excuse for being passive at the beginning, but she overworks it. "Hippolyte demande a me voir en ce lieu?/ Hippolyte me cherche, et veut me dire adieu?" She strikes me as unintelligent, and I can't see why Hippolytus loves her (especially since, even though I spent most of last year hating his prudish attitude, I preferred him when he was sworn to Artemis).
Hippolytus is killed by some sea monster/dragon thing. I like it better when it's just a bull, partly because it's Posidon's symbol and makes more mythological sense, and partly because I dislike the flashy. There's more drama in the ordinary than in the outre. Dragons bore me. At least he didn't take two hundred or so lines to die in this one.
Theseus is obviously too quick to act: he is a hero and used to using force to resolve things. Also, going on "discours qui peut-etre a peu de fondement," I like to think that Theseus really loves Phedre and would therefore trust her word readily. It's easy to compare him to her: what he says after learning of Hippolytus's death is "What have I done?" while Phedre's reaction to the situation is "What have you done, Oenone?". She convinced you to lie, and it wasn't that hard! Phedre can't take responsibility for her actions.
Overall, I liked it better when everthing was Aphrodite's fault (or Hippolytus'). But Racine get some points for the alexandrines, and not having choral odes.
Of course, half of Phedre's lines from the beginning have gotten stuck in my head. Typical internal dialogue goes like this: "Que ces vains ornaments, que ces voiles me pesent!" "No, they don't. You'd have to be pretty ill for a light silver chain and stud earrings to weigh on you." "Je le vis, je rougis, je palis a sa vue." "Oh, just be quiet!" "Tout m'afflige, et me nuit, et conspire a me nuire!" "...actually, that's true."
But anyway. If I had time, I'd write an essay comparing it to Hippolytus. Racine's most obvious change is adding Aricie, who, while she is not as useless as I thought she was, is still annoying. She has an excuse for being passive at the beginning, but she overworks it. "Hippolyte demande a me voir en ce lieu?/ Hippolyte me cherche, et veut me dire adieu?" She strikes me as unintelligent, and I can't see why Hippolytus loves her (especially since, even though I spent most of last year hating his prudish attitude, I preferred him when he was sworn to Artemis).
Hippolytus is killed by some sea monster/dragon thing. I like it better when it's just a bull, partly because it's Posidon's symbol and makes more mythological sense, and partly because I dislike the flashy. There's more drama in the ordinary than in the outre. Dragons bore me. At least he didn't take two hundred or so lines to die in this one.
Theseus is obviously too quick to act: he is a hero and used to using force to resolve things. Also, going on "discours qui peut-etre a peu de fondement," I like to think that Theseus really loves Phedre and would therefore trust her word readily. It's easy to compare him to her: what he says after learning of Hippolytus's death is "What have I done?" while Phedre's reaction to the situation is "What have you done, Oenone?". She convinced you to lie, and it wasn't that hard! Phedre can't take responsibility for her actions.
Overall, I liked it better when everthing was Aphrodite's fault (or Hippolytus'). But Racine get some points for the alexandrines, and not having choral odes.
