Introduction to Phaedra’s Speech
Phaedra, a masterpiece character by Racine, creates multidimensional emotions among her readers which include pity as well as fear, love and sympathy, pardon as well as the element of remorse and horror due to Phaedra’s speech. In every scene, she changes herself very quickly. She transforms from a mother who hates to a mother who extremely loves. Then suddenly, she is transformed into a queen who feels remorseful. Such great changes really put the readers in an amazing situation as and when they observe her changing character. Both kinds of feelings such as sympathy and horror are attached to Phaedra of Racine as are found in Seneca. Her final speech, to a great extent, atones for her evil acts; it also does not lessen the intensity of the crime she has carried out. It has lowered the graph of hatred which rose higher due to her crime in the different parts of the drama. She knows about her acts and hence feels regret. She also thinks that perhaps she may have been cursed for that and it could be an important thing in anyone’s character and role. Racine’s intention is to demonstrate through Phaedra’s speech that man is no longer a greate figure and that he is very much successful.
Phaedra’s Speech and Its Purpose
In fact, there is a possibility that Racine might have thought well before giving this speech, however, it happened to be the king himself who instigated her or Racine might have herself thought of atoning for his character in order for the tragedy to become so touching and poignant. In the last scene, the king looks at his son’s ruins “ But he is dead; accept your victim; / Rightly or wrongly slain, let your heart leap: / For joy” (Phaedra, Act V Scene VII Lines 3-5). It inspires her to say what was real and hence she says before him, “ Theseus, I cannot hear you and keep silence: / I must repair the wrong that he has suffer’d— / Your son was innocent.” (Act V Scene VII Lines 24-26). Phaedra’s speech shows her open admission that she was not able to win the confidence of the lord king who thought her to be trustworthy and disapproved his son instead. He said about him himself, “ And it was on your word that I condemn’d him! “ (Act V Scene VII line 28).
Impact of Phaedra’s Speech on Her Persona
Her character increases its attraction among the readers when Phaedra’s speech exposes her. She controls her feelings all the time. When Oenone comes with a plan, she does not at once go for executing it, Phaedra often does not do that, rather she gets ready to do that. In the last speech, it is clear what she wants to say “Moments to me are precious; hear me, Theseus “ (Act V Scene VII line 30) proving that she wants herself to be heard about her true nature. If we compare emotions, it shows Hippolytus’ character as well as inner self via self-confession because she says, “ Twas I who cast an eye of lawless passion” (Act V Scene VII line 31) compared to “chaste and dutiful Hippolytus” (Act V Scene VII line 32) explicates her complete understanding about what she is doing. This admission of crimes shows that her conversation does not create wrong perception among the readers as were shown in the previous acts. Basically, this makes her morally good as she is about to die but tries to withstand the enticement and temptations which she had to confront. There are some other powers which also work to bring about her destruction “ Heav’n in my bosom kindled baleful fire” (Act V Scene VII line 32) In fact she means to say that she has not done that but the fate has done that and the gods have brought about her condemnation. In the words of Lear, she is to a greater extent “sinned against the sinner”. She, in other words looks to be gods’, destiny’s and genetics’ curse. The first outside force is “heaven” while the second is “my weakness” (Act V Scene VII line 37) that inspired Oenone, her government to exploit and manipulate her, and this was very late when she came to know because she blamed Oenone that “ She took, and hasten’d to accuse him first” (Act V Scene VII line 39). She does not lack courage to disclose her intention of committing suicide before taking action on it and approached him to let him know the reason of the things which occured and how far his son proved to be someone different quite different in from his preconceived picture. Her words show how courageous she is:
“I resolved to die
In a more lingering way, confessing first
My penitence to you.” (Act V Scene VII lines 43-45)
There is the third power working behind the scene. It is the force of her defiled legacy and she seems to be condemned to function in a way which displays her character a bit whimsical which is more money oriented but she controls herself when she comes to know about her conduct. The reality is that her attendant provokes her to do what she may not do while being alone. She even leveled a charge against Oenone who quickly accepted death to get rid of death which she talked about in her speech and also her grace and grandeur which caused several heroes and heroine to ruins.
Phaedra’s Speech and Her Psychological State
The present speech discusses her psychological state which may indicate her delicate and fragile nature, though we see an element of fate working behind as well. In the newspapers, we often find such stories where the real characters are helpless before their passions. As far as she is concerned her case is different. She makes a confession and makes an effort to check herself. This control and confession in fact ultimately indicates her ill psychological condition. She prepares to follow the scheme given by Oenone with a little hesitation. It could have averted the tragedy while the tragedy would have become more touching if everyone taking part in the tragedy had died in front of the king.
Conclusion
At the end, it seems that a kind of mental infliction is there in which she suffers. The reason perhaps is that she grows in her bosom a love that is not allowed but considered a sin. Nevertheless, her last speech does show that she hesitated and was reluctant in carrying out this act to the end and even she was hesitant in making this thing public. It was Oenone, her confidant who asked her to do what she should have avoided. Therefore, we see that her feeble mind was influenced by the outer forces and therefore she brought about her own destruction and the destruction of her family. The story, though, has a mythological perspective, the purpose of Racine through Phaedra’s speech seems to present her as a woman icon who has a humane nature and a kind heart and at the same time having frailty as is attributed by Shakespeare discussed in Hamlet, a masterpiece in which Hamlet calls women as frail creatures.
Works Cited
- Racine, Jean. Phædra. Translated by Robert Bruce Boswell. Vol. XXVI, Part 3. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/26/3/.
Relevant Questions about Phaedra’s Speech in Phaedra by Recine
- How does Phaedra’s confession speech advance the plot and reveal her inner turmoil in the play “Phaedra”?
- What internal conflicts and moral dilemmas does Phaedra’s speech highlight, and how do they shape her character’s development?
- What literary techniques and rhetorical devices are employed in Phaedra’s speech to convey her emotions and add depth to the narrative in “Phaedra” by Euripides?
