Racine 15 



Quelle importune main, en formant tous' ces noeuds, 

 A pris soin sur mon front d'assembler mes cheveux? 

 Tout m'afflige et me nuit, et conspire a me nuire . . . 

 Noble et brillant auteur d'une triste famille, 

 Toy dont ma mere osoit se vanter d'estre fille, 

 Qui peut-estre rougis du trouble ott tu me vois, 

 Soleil, je te viens voir pour la derniere fois I^^ 



Nor would a critic at large be likely to overlook the knowingness 

 of Hippolyte's " psychology " or the propriety of his preferences 

 — only a novice in love would have had eyes for Aricie when 

 Phedre was by — nor would begrudge a word or two for Aricie 

 herself, " la belle raisonneiise " of the salons, who takes love to 

 be some kind of syllogism.^'' But such matters and others like 

 them deserve more than passing mention ; and in view of my 

 .immediate subject I can dwell only upon what is indicative of 

 Racine's fundamental reduction of the tragic motive to a passion 

 in the primary sense of the word. From this point of view it is 

 Phedre's passivity, her incapability of self-determination that is 

 significant both for this one play and for Racine's entire theatre 

 in general. It is this impotence which has won her the doubtful 

 distinction, already mentioned, of being cited as an illustration 

 of Augustinian theology. But, however that may be, the char- 

 acteristic trait of Racinean tragedy is unmistakable in this, its 

 extreme instance. Phedre is not merely a sufferer and a patient ; 

 hers is the debility of innate depravity, and invalided and grace- 

 less as she is, her hapless soul is the prey of the whole passionate 

 intrigue to which she is exposed. Hence her drama is the pend- 

 ant and complement to that of the more limited and stubborn 

 Berenice, whose Hebraism stands her in good stead at her hour 

 of trial. 



In harmony with this difference of character the motive of 

 Berenice is simple and uncomplicated ; it is the Racinean interpre- 

 tation, sponsored by Boileau, of love as a passion or infirmity. By 

 this one malady alone all the characters in common are afflicted ; 

 Antiochus himself is no more than a backing or foil to Titus and 

 Berenice. The intensity of interest is due, not to a conflict or 



15 1, iii. 



1^ See her last speech in Act II, Scene i. 



187 



