"Andromache", Racine: a summary of the chapters

One of the most famous French playwrights of the 17th century is Jean Racine. "Andromache" is recognized as the best work of the great writer. We will talk about this play in our article.

About the work

The source of the tragedy was the story from the third part of the "Aeneid" (Virgil). Its main character is the epic poem of Aeneas.

"Andromache" (Racine) is a tragedy in 5 actions. The play was written in Alexandrine verse, very popular in France. By that time, Racine was already popular in his homeland, so it's no surprise that the play premiered at the Louvre. The play was attended by Louis XIV himself.

Racine, "Andromache": a brief summary. Action 1, phenomena 1, 2

The events of the play begin after the fall of Troy. Hector is dead, and his widow Andromache is a prisoner of Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles. Pyrrhus is the king of Epirus, he was the initiator of preserving the life of Andromache and her son, although against this were other kings of Greece - Odysseus, Menelaus, Agamemnon.

At the same time, Pyrrhus had to marry Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus. But Pyrrhus he is delaying the wedding and begins to give Andromache signs of attention. Greek kings send an envoy - Orestes, the son of Agamemnon. He must convince Pierre to execute Andromache and marry Hermione. Orestes himself is in love with Hermione and hopes that Pyrrhus will refuse to fulfill his promise.

Orest asks Pierre to execute Hector's son, otherwise he will grow up and take revenge on the Greeks. But Pyrrhus believes that this is senseless violence and that one should not think so far. And reproaches the kings for wanton cruelty.

Action 1. Phenomena 3 to 4: Proposal of the hand and heart

Ancient Greek epic is the basis of the play "Andromache". Racine, however, depicted a human tragedy, without the intervention of the gods and other higher powers.

Pyrrhus hopes that Orestes will be able to persuade Hermione to return to her father. Then he will be freed from his obligations and will be free to take care of Anromache.

Andromache enters. Pyrrhus informs her that the Greeks demand the execution of her son. He is ready to protect her son and, if necessary, to join the war, but only if Anromache agrees to marry him. But Andromache refuses - she does not need anything after her husband's death. And if her son is destined for death, then she will die with him.

Action 2: Pyrrhus or Orestes

Despite everything, he wants to remain faithful to Hector Andromache. Rasin (the summary of the chapters serves as a confirmation) in this respect adheres to the classical tradition.

At the same time, angry Hermione, talking to the servant, admits the one that hated Pyrrha. She wants at all costs to destroy the union of Pyrrhus and Ardromachy. But she is not yet sure whether she should give Pirro hope or prefer Orestes.

Comes Orestes. He confesses Hermione in love. The girl answers that sometimes she remembers about him and sighs. Also Hermione asks Orest to find out from Pierre about his intentions - he wants to marry her or return him to his father.

Orestes comes to Pyrrhus. He reports that he changed the decision and is ready to execute Hector's son, and Hermione to be married. Then he tells Orestes to tell Hermione about this. Left alone with Phoenix, his disciple, he says that he has not decided yet what to do. After all, he spent too much effort on conquering Andromache, and can not so easily retreat.

Action 3, phenomena 1 to 4: The Joy of Hermione

As in most Greek tragedies, unrequited love is the main component of the conflict in the play "Andromache". Racine further describes how desperately Oreste wants to kidnap Hermione. His friend Pilad tries to dissuade him and advises him to flee Epirus. But Orestes does not want to be the only victim, he wants to suffer and Hermione, having lost the throne and Pyrrhus.

Hermione already sees herself as a queen. To her comes Andromache and asks to persuade Pirra to let her go with her son. Hermione responds that Andromache needs to turn to Pierre herself, she will not refuse.

Then Andromache decides to listen to advice and goes to Pyrrhus. She wants to pardon her and her son on her knees. Pierre puts Andromache before the choice - the death of his son or consent to become his wife.

Phenomena 5 to 8: Andromache's decision

Almost does not depart from the ancient plot of Jean Rasin ("Andromache"), a brief summary of this perfectly confirms this.

To Andromache comes her friend Sefiza and says that there is nothing higher than the maternal duty, and she must answer Pyrrhus with consent. But the heroine hesitates. Then she decides to seek advice from Hector's shadow.

After talking with her husband, the heroine makes a decision. Andromache shares his plan with Sephisa. The heroine decides to agree to become Pierr's wife, but only until the end of the wedding ceremony. And as soon as Pyrrhus swears before the priest that he will become the father of Andromache's son from now on, she will kill herself with a dagger.

So Andromache can remain faithful to Hector and prevent the death of his son, as Pyrrhus can not break the oath given in the temple. The role of Sephiza is to recall, after her death, Pyrrhus about his vow and promise to love and educate his stepson as a native.

Action 4. Phenomena 1 to 4: Hermione's Revenge

In this part, it shows that the debt to the husband and son for his heroine is above all, Racine J. Andromache finds a way out, it would seem, from a desperate situation.

Hermione learns that Pierre has changed his mind and is going to marry Andromache. She calls for Orestes and demands that he avenge her disgrace by killing Pyrrh during the marriage ceremony. So Orest can prove that she really loves Hermione.

But Orestes doubts. The vile murder of the king, when he is defenseless, has never been welcomed in Greece, and he understands that this cowardly act will not be approved. But Orestes is ready to openly challenge Pierre to fight and fight him. But Hermione wants Pyrrhus to die in the temple before the wedding, in that case people will not recognize her shame.

Hermione states that if Orest refuses to fulfill her request, she will go to the temple herself and kill Pyrrha, then commit suicide. For her, death is better than life with a cowardly Orestes, unable to take revenge for her. After these words Orest agrees to fulfill Hermione's wish. He goes to the temple.

Action 4, phenomena from 5 to 6: Pyrrhus and Hermione

Pyrrhus appears as a hero, for whom the main thing is feelings, in contrast to him advocates Andromache. Racine (the contents of the chapters in brief conveys this) contrasts in his play feelings and duty. And it is the latter that has the highest value. Of all the characters, only Andromache is able to act according to his duty, and not in a fit of feelings.

Pierre meets Hermione. He begins to justify himself before her. He confesses that he deserves all her reproaches, but nothing can be done about her passion - he's "weak-willed and in love." Pyrrhus is eager to become a husband for the one who hates him, contrary to any arguments of reason.

Nothing can calm the passion that flares up in the heart of Pyrrhus. The hero at the same time is well aware of what he should do, but he can not do the right thing. Not because he does not want, but because the power of his passion is higher than any sense of duty.

Hermione is not at all touched by Pierre's words. She accuses him that he does not keep his words, and all his excuses are just self-admiration for his unscrupulousness. Hermione recalls that Pierr killed the elderly king of Priam and Poliksen, his daughter - that's all his heroism.

Pyrrhus replies that he used to think that the girl was in love with him. But now it clearly sees that for her their marriage is just the fulfillment of their duty. So, Hermione should better bear Pyrr's rejection of the wedding with her.

After these words, Hermione is furious: how dare he blame her? She sailed for him to the "other end of the world", and in fact many heroes at home sought her hand, then waited a long time until Pyrrhus announced his decision. And now Hermione threatens Pyrrhus with pay - if not people, then the gods will avenge that he broke his vow.

Step 5: Decoupling

The play "Andromache" (Racine) comes to its culmination. By all means, Hermione wants to take revenge. It does not matter who dies, the main thing is quench your thirst for revenge.

Orestes enters and reports that he killed Pierre. Hermione, upon learning of this, begins to curse Orestes. He says that she herself asked him. To which the girl replies that it was just a clouding of the understanding of a woman in love. And that she did not want the death of her lover. And Oreste should give her time to think about it.

In loneliness, Orestes thinks about how he could yield to the persuasion of an ungrateful woman and forget about the arguments of reason. He begins to look at himself. Then there is Pylad, his friend. He reports that an angry mob thirsts for his blood and proposes to flee Epirus. And Hermione committed suicide over the body of Pyrrhus.

Orestes begins to rave. It seems to him that instead of Pilad in front of him is Pyrrhus. Then there are Erynias, goddesses of vengeance, who persecute and torment the hero. The tragedy ends with the fact that Orestes in oblivion asks Erini to give them the right to torture him Hermione.

Rasin, "Andromache": analysis

The main ideological core of the tragedy is the clash of unbridled passion leading to death, with a moral and rational beginning. And all the characters in the play can be divided into 2 groups. The first - victims of passion: Hermione, Pyrrhus, Orestes. They are well aware that they are doing wrong, but they can not resist themselves. The second group refers only to Andormach, for which morality remains above all else.

However, the age-old conflict of reason and feeling, familiar to French dramaturgy, is re-interpreted by Racine. Unlike the predecessors' creations, the playwright's heroes are not just blindly led by passion, they understand that they are in charge of the power, and are torn between it and a sense of duty.

Pyrrhus, Orestes and Hermione are not only moved by passions, but they are still tormented and tormented by questions about duty. They realize that they have made mistakes and the payment is overtaking them. Until Racine, none of the playwrights did not empower the heroes to talk about his duty. That's why he is considered an innovator.

The image of the protagonist

The image of Andromache at Racine is the embodiment of morality. The heroine is beyond passion, it is driven only by duty. Nevertheless, in addition to her will, she is involved in a storm of other people's passions, on which her fate and the fate of her son depend.

In the Iliad, Andromache was described by Homer as an exemplary wife, devoted to her husband and loving him. This she remained in the tragedy of Racine. Nothing can make her forget about Hector. Even in a difficult situation, she goes to consult the shadow of her husband.