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The Confidant as the Alter-Ego of the Protagonist in the Principal Tragedies of Racine

The thesis states that the confidant in the tragedies of Jean Baptist Racine evolves from the traditional servant figure to a sophisticated intimate of the principal character. The confidant's identity becomes synonymous with that of the principal character: he appears as his alter ego.
The sources used are six of Racine's secular tragedies, in addition to critical works and essays of his writings. The tragedies included in this study are La Thebaide, whose secondary characters serve as a comparison to the more developed confidants as found in Andromaque, B /r/nice, Mithridate, Britannicus, and Phedre.
Racine presents a variety of tragic characters whose multifaceted personality emerges through the intervention of their confidant. Representing one side of the protagonist's character, or his "other self, " the confidant becomes Racine's dramatic tool to portray the internal struggle in all its aspects. Racine's preoccupation with moral issues and his desire to instruct his audience pervade his writings. It is thus possible to trace the development of the confidant from his part as self-effacing messenger to his role as alter ego to the principal figure where he dramatically demonstrates the tragic, inner division of man.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc503909
Date08 1900
CreatorsBayles, Rosemarie R.
ContributorsDe Shazo, Marian F., Kirk, Gerald A.
PublisherNorth Texas State University
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatiii, 119 leaves, Text
RightsPublic, Bayles, Rosemarie R., Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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