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 "Aeneid" (Virgil). Says her main character in the epic poem Aeneas.
Andromache (Racine) is a tragedy in 5 acts. The play was written in an Alexandrian verse, very popular in France. By that time, Racine was already popular in his homeland, so it is not surprising that the play premiered in the Louvre. The performance was attended by Louis XIV himself.
Racine, Andromache: 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 captured by Pyrrhus, son of Achilles. Pyrrhus is the king of Epirus, it was he who initiated the preservation of the life of Andromache and her son, although against this were other kings of Greece - Odysseus, Menelaus, Agamemnon.
At the same time, Pierre was to marry Hermione, daughter of Menelaus. But Pyrrhus, he postpones the wedding and begins to show attention to Andromache. Greek kings send a messenger - Orestes, son of Agamemnon. He must convince Pyrrh to execute Andromache and marry Hermione. Orestes himself is in love with Hermione and hopes that Pierre will refuse to keep his promise.
Orestes asks Pyrrhus to execute Hector's son, otherwise he will grow up and take revenge on the Greeks. But Pierre believes that this is senseless violence and that one should not make so far. And he reproaches kings for causeless cruelty.
Action 1. Phenomena 3 to 4: Proposal of a hand and heart
The ancient Greek epic lies at the heart of the play "Andromache." Racine, however, portrayed human tragedy, without the intervention of the gods and other higher powers.
Pyrrhus hopes that Orestes will be able to convince Hermione to return back to his father. Then he will be freed from his obligations and will be able to freely care for Anromache.
Andromache enters. Pyrrhus tells her that the Greeks are demanding the execution of her son. He is ready to protect her son and, if necessary, enter the war, but only if Anromache agrees to marry him. But Andromache refuses - she does not need anything after the death of her husband. And if death is destined for her son, then she will die with him.
Step 2: Pierre or Orestes
Despite everything, he wants to remain faithful to Hector Andromache. Racine (a brief summary of the chapters confirms this) adheres to the classical tradition in this regard.
At the same time, an angry Hermione, talking with a maid, admits that she hated Pyrrhus. She wants at all costs to destroy the union of Pyrrhus and Ardromache. But she is still not sure whether she should give Pyrrhus hope or prefer Orestes.
Orestes comes. He confesses to Hermione in love. The girl replies that sometimes she remembers him and sighs. Hermione also asks Orestes to find out from Pyrrhus about his intentions - he wants to marry her or return it to his father.
Orestes comes to Pierre. He reports that he changed his mind and is ready to execute Hector's son, and to take Hermione as his wife. Then he tells Orestes to tell Hermione about it. Left alone with Phoenix, his student, he says that he has not yet decided what to do. After all, he spent too much effort to conquer Andromache, and cannot simply retreat.
Act 3, phenomena 1 to 4: Hermione's Joy
As in most Greek tragedies, unrequited love is the main component of the conflict in the play “Andromache”. Racine further describes how, in desperation, Orestes 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 Hermione to suffer, having lost her throne and Pyrrhus.
Hermione already sees herself as a queen. Andromache comes to her and asks to persuade Pyrrhus to let her go with her son. Hermione replies that Andromache herself needs to turn to Pierre, he will not refuse her.
Then Andromache decides to take advice and goes to Pierre. She is on her knees asking to have mercy on her and her son. Pyrrhus presents Andromache with a choice - the death of his son or his consent to become his wife.
Phenomena 5 to 8: Andromache's Decision
Almost does not deviate from the antique plot of Jean Racine ("Andromache"), a brief summary perfectly confirms this.
Her friend Sefiza comes to Andromache and says that there is nothing higher than maternal debt, and she needs to answer Pyrrh with consent. But the heroine hesitates. Then she decides to turn to Hector's shadow for advice.
After talking with her husband, the heroine makes a decision. Andromache shares his plan with Cephyse. The heroine decides to agree to become Pierre's wife, but only until the end of the wedding ceremony. And as soon as Pyrrhus swears to the priest that he will henceforth become a father to the son of Andromache, she stabs herself with a dagger.
So Andromache will be able to remain faithful to Hector and prevent the death of his son, since Pyrrhus will not be able to break the oath given in the temple. The role of Sephize is to remind after her death Pyrrhus of his oath and promise to love and raise his stepson as a native.
Step 4: Phenomena 1 through 4: Hermione's Revenge
In this part, it shows that the duty to the husband and son for his heroine above all, Racine J. Andromache finds a way out, it would seem, from a hopeless situation.
Hermione learns that Pyrrhus changed his mind and is about to marry Andromache. She calls Orestes to her and demands that he avenge her shame by killing Pyrrhus during the marriage ceremony. So Orestes will be able to prove that he really loves Hermione.
But Orestes doubts. The vile murder of the king, when he is defenseless, was never welcomed in Greece, and he understands that this cowardly act will not be approved. But Orestes is ready to openly challenge Pyrrhus to battle and fight him. But Hermione wants Pyrrhus to die in the temple before marriage, in which case the people will not know about her shame.
Hermione declares that if Orestes refuses to fulfill her request, she herself will go to the temple and kill Pyrrhus, then commit suicide. Death is better for her than life with a cowardly Orestes, unable to avenge her. After these words, Orestes agrees to fulfill Hermione's desire. He goes to the temple.
Act 4, phenomena 5 through 6: Pierre and Hermione
Pyrrhus appears as a hero, for whom the main thing is feelings, Andromache acts in contrast to him. Racine (the contents of the chapters briefly conveys this) contrasts feelings and duty in his play. And it is the latter that has the highest value. Of all the heroes, only Andromache is able to act according to her duty, and not in a fit of feelings.
Pyrrhus meets with Hermione. He begins to make excuses to her. He admits that he deserved all her reproaches, but can not do anything with his passion - he is "weak-willed and in love." Pyrrhus longs to become a husband for the one who hates him, contrary to any reason of reason.
Nothing can calm the passions that flare up in the heart of Pyrrhus. At the same time, the hero is well aware of what he must do, but cannot do the right thing. Not because he does not want, but because the strength of his passion is higher than any sense of duty.
Hermione is not moved by Pyrrhus's words. She accuses him of not holding his words, and all of his excuses are just self-esteem for his uncleanliness. Hermione recalls that Pyrrhus killed the elderly king Priam and Poliksen, his daughter - these are all his heroes.
Pyrrhus replies that he used to think that the girl was in love with him. However, now she sees clearly that for her their marriage is only the fulfillment of their duty. So, Hermione should more easily bear Pyrrhus’s refusal to marry her.
After these words, Hermione is furious: how dare he blame her? She sailed for him to the “other end of the world”, and after all, many heroes sought her hand at home, then she waited a long time until Pyrrhus announced his decision. And now, Hermione is threatening Pyrrhus with retribution - if not people, then the gods will avenge that he violated his oath.
Step 5: Interchange
The play “Andromache” (Racine) approaches its climax. By all means, Hermione wants revenge. She no longer cares who dies; the main thing is to quench her thirst for revenge.
Orestes enters and reports that he killed Pyrrhus. Hermione, learning about this, begins to curse Orestes. He says that she herself asked him. To which the girl replies that it was only a clouding of the mind of a woman in love. And that she did not want the death of her lover. And Orestes should have given her time to change her mind.
Alone, Orestes thinks about how he could succumb to the entreaties of an ungrateful woman and forget about the arguments of reason. He begins to despise himself. Here comes Pilad, his friend. He reports that an angry mob thirsts for his blood and offers to flee Epirus. And Hermione committed suicide over Pyrrhus's body.
Orestes begins to rave. It seems to him that instead of Pilad, Pyrrhus is standing in front of him. Then the Erinis, the goddess of vengeance appear, who pursue and torment the hero. The tragedy ends with the fact that Orestes in oblivion asks the Erinis, so that they give the right to torment him Hermione.
Racine, Andromache: An 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 is the victims of passion: Hermione, Pierre, Orestes. They are well aware that they are doing wrong, but cannot resist themselves. Only Andormaha belongs to the second group, for which morality remains above all.
However, the eternal conflict of reason and feeling, familiar to French drama, is reinterpreted by Racine. Unlike the creations of the predecessors, the characters of the playwright are not only blindly led by passion, they understand what kind of power they are leading, and are torn between it and a sense of duty.
Pierre, Orestes, and Hermione are not only driven by passions, but they are still tormented and tormented by questions about duty. They realize that they have made mistakes and retribution overtakes them. Before Racin, none of the playwrights gave the heroes the opportunity to talk about their duty. That is why he is considered an innovator.
The image of the main character
The image of Andromache in Racine is the embodiment of morality. The heroine is beyond passions, she is driven only by duty. Nevertheless, in addition to her will, she finds herself involved in a storm of alien 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. So she remained in the tragedy of Racine. Nothing can make her forget about Hector. Even in a difficult situation, she goes to consult her husband’s shadow.