In your opinion, after reading this text, what is the difference between Shakespeare and Racine?

[Julie07]

One cannot summarise an artist's work with a single excerpt.



“Where am I? What have I done? What yet remains for me to do?
What transport seizes me? What grief devours my heart?
Wandering, without design, I run throughout this palace.
Ah! may I never know whether I love or whether I hate?

The cruel one! With what an eye he cast me off!
Without pity, without even pain affected by design.
Did I behold him falter, pitying me for one brief moment?
Could I draw from him a single groan?

Mute to my sighs, unmoved by my alarms,
Did he so much as seem to share in my tears?
And still I pity him! And, to the height of my torment,
My heart — my base, my coward heart — takes interest in his fate.

I tremble at the mere thought of the blow that threatens him,
And, ready for revenge, I grant him pardon already.
No — let us not revoke the sentence of my wrath:
Let him perish! In any case, he lives no longer for us.

The perfidious man triumphs and laughs at my rage;
He thinks to see my tears dissolve this storm.
He believes that, ever weak and of an uncertain heart,
I shall with one arm parry the blows struck by the other.
He judges me still by my former acts of kindness.

But the perfidious man harbors far other thoughts.
Triumphant in the temple, he does not inquire
Whether elsewhere his life is wished — or his death.
He leaves me, the ingrate, to this fatal perplexity.

No, no — once more: let Orestes act.
Let him die, since at last he must have foreseen it,
And since he has forced me, at last, to will it.

To will it? What! Is it I who command it?
Shall his death be the effect of Hermione’s love?
That prince whose deeds my heart once took such pleasure
In hearing recounted again and again;
To whom, even in secret, I had destined myself
Before that fatal marriage had been concluded —
Have I crossed so many seas, so many states,
Only to come so far to prepare his death,
To assassinate him, to destroy him?
Ah! Before he expires…”

Updates

7 mo

translating Racine is a formidable challenge because his poetry is based on the music of Alexandrian verse and a purity of vocabulary that is difficult to render in English. English tends to be more concrete, whereas Racine's French is noble.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Racine doesn’t do iambic pentameter, which is what all of Shakespeare’s plays are written in.

[Bedon123]

Simple. Racine uses a much more sophisticated and distinguished language than Shakespeare.

But Shakespeare speaks to everyone; his language is more natural and realistic, and therefore appeals to a wider audience.

Basically, Shakespeare is very English and Racine is very French sophisticated, chic and snobbish.

[AI Opinion]

Shakespeare and Racine have distinct styles and thematic focuses. Shakespeare's works are rich in complex language and universal themes, often intertwining comedy and tragedy with a focus on characters' psychological and moral dilemmas. His plays explore the depth of human nature, often with poetic and imaginative dialogue. Racine, on the other hand, is known for his classical French tragedies, emphasizing emotional intensity and moral conflict. Racine's language is more restrained and structured, adhering to classical unities of time, place, and action, focusing on character emotions and fate-driven narratives. While Shakespeare often mixes genres, Racine's work is more singularly focused on tragedy. 🎭