Section 2. Literature

Sabina Nahi-Zade Postgraduate student, School of Foreign Languages East China Normal University E-mail: [email protected] Zhu Xiao Ying, Professor, East China Normal University, School of Foreign Languages Shanghai, China THE TYPOLOGY OF RACINE’S FEMALE CHARACTERS Abstract: Every Racine’s woman character has both Dionysian and Apollonian beginnings, however, these beginning manifest in each of these women in different ways depending on the “proposed circumstances”, but not because they are different. There is no doubt, that there are no purely elegiac characters in the Racine’s tragedies. In fact, these are complex personalities, which always have a difficult painful internal fight. Keywords: Racine, female characters, the typology, classification, theatre, drama. There is already a certain typology of Racine feeling is varied depending on the nature of the actor, heroines. They can be divided into two opposing he noticed the important nuances of each character. groups: “unhappy loved” (for example, Roxane) As a result, he analyzed the sense of mother love by and “clear” character (for example, Junie, Andro- the example of Jocasta “Thebaid” Andromache “An- mache); “having a weakness” and “perfect”; “furi- dromache”, Clytemnestra “Iphigenie” and Agrippina ous” and “submissive”; “vicious” and “virtuous”. “Britannicus”. At the same time, Agrippina is a nega- For example, famous Russian theorist of literature tive heroine. In the same category he placed Herm- D. Oblomievsky divides Racine’s characters just ione and Roxanne, who “partly precede Phaedra, but into the positive and negative (according to him, these characters are not completely fused”. only “Racine’s negative character is a “carrier” of In a long line of positive characters are Androm- disharmonious movement”), or gives a more inter- ache, Clytemnestra, Berenice, Monima, Iphigenia, esting division into “abusive character, aspiring to Atalida, Junia, Esther, the critic emphasized two the the outside, and the repressed, oppressed character, most outstanding characters, in his opinion: Berenice which is engrossed in itself”. Turning to the question and Monima. Summarizing, Batyushkov emphasized of typology of Racine’s female characters, it should that each of these positive type heroines, despite their be noted two successful ideas: Russian philologist, inherent individual differences, has “sense of self-con- editor, literary critic, theatre and literary historian sciousness, the feelings of holiness, which is above the Batyushkov and French critic Pierre Robert who satisfaction of selfish tendencies, and more precious wrote La poétique de Racine in 1890. than life”; for example, “Berenice sacrificed personal F. Batyushkov although agreed with the general feelings for a loved one, Monima is ready to sacrifice division of Racine’s female characters into two types her live for the integrity of the feelings”. (positive and negative), however, he used as a basis He presented Phaedra as “extremely difficult” an image of a certain feeling and studied how this person, with positive and negative qualities; the

36 THE TYPOLOGY OF RACINE’S FEMALE CHARACTERS critic defined the main features of the negative type they are able to think about “how their words and ac- women by the example of Phaedra’s positive and tions will affect other people, or disturb the general negative qualities. Batyushkov analyzed this char- harmony, the whole equilibrium. They seem to ask acter more detailed and correctly, when he found themselves: “Won’t I break roughly in the lives of in Phaedra the image of passion, this passion is other people, causing them unnecessary pain, which not attractive by itself, “not by spontaneous riot of shatter their calm, as well as it will not help me, too”. impressed desires, but this passion is attractive by Why Racine chose his heroine a woman? Per- sufferings that are inseparable from it (...)”, but at haps because “a woman is the most successful incar- the same time “Phaedra feeds her own feelings, she nation of the most cruel threats to the habitude, even defers only her personal impulse, she is kind of ab- if her depression was not recognized or formulated sorbing in her feelings a person she loves, whom she in such a way”, in other words, that a woman is able even doesn’t try to understand, to love for him, not to revolt, and also, to inadequate, abnormal manifes- for herself”. So, for Phaedra her own personality is tations in behavior. always the center and the aim of all her actions – that In our opinion, Racine introduced one woman, statement allowed the author to classify her as the but in her various angles, he turns “to the same char- negative type of Racine’s women characters. acter, but completing it with new features in the Pierre Robert offered another classification of second time, but at the same time, he is varying the female characters, based on the gradation of loving characters”. This is one woman “character”, which we feelings experienced by the heroines. Obviously, he can observe in the evolution: from a young girl to divided female characters into groups, noting each an experienced woman, each of which loves in her character inherent characteristics. Junius, Aricia, own way, according to her age, her status and situa- Iphigenia present honest and shy love. Heroic love tion. For example, Phaedra’s jealousy is not like the is shown in the characters of Atalide, Berenice and jealousy of Hermione, and Hermione’s love is not Monima. Crazy love is in the nature of Ériphile and the same as love of Roxanne, and the reason for this Hermione, and sensual love is expressed in the char- “lies rather in the difference in passion than in the acter of Roxana. Critic classified Phaedra as an im- difference between the natures of each of them”. passioned heroines as well as Hermione and Roxane. The term “typology/classification” is not suitable Andromache and Clytemnestra embody the love for Racine’s characters, it is simplified them. Each of of the mother, and the feminine ambition and lust Racine’s female characters has Dionysian beginning; for power are the characteristics of Agrippina and we can emphasize: every character has this begin- Athalie. Finally, Robert pointed out that due to dif- ning, even the one that seems to be the most har- ferences of passion Racine’s female characters do not monious, calm, discreet, obedient and uncomplain- resemble each other. ing. When we classifying characters, we make them In principle, these classifications can be extend- “poor and pale”. In fact, some heroines (for example, ed, but the essence will not change. Racine is a mas- Hermione, Roxane, Ériphile, Agrippina) have both ter of “psychological reflections, which are repelled and Dionysian and Apollonian beginnings, which by one feeling to another”, so when Racine achieve are strongly developed, but Dionysian beginning is his purpose, he put in a female character, which is developed a little bit stronger. For example, Herm- more stubborn and selfish in order to emphasize ione is the most striking example of a woman who more tactful character. Thus, he put in this character, loves passionately (as well as all of the Racine’s). Her but does not antithesize it. All his heroines inherent feelings are running high: the love is almost hate and pride, but not all of them have tact, by using which vice versa. In this play, all the characters are obsessed

37 Section 2. Literature with a passion to the extent that they see in it only characters is characterized by her own small nuanc- themselves, forgetting about the possibilities of the es. Andromache is a woman-mother. Her mother’s other actors. Hermione is proud; her pride borders love and woman’s sense of loyalty to her husband, on the selfishness. Blood boils inside her, inner fire sense of loyalty to her internal cannot reach a com- goes to the deep end, she took a very high level in promise with each other. Her dual status – a widow everything, this level deprive her ability even for a and a mother - has the whole duality of her nature. moment to look at herself and her situation from She has her own internal fire, which differences her the outside. Her passion is so close to the madness from the fervor of Hermione, Ériphile, Phaedra, but that overshadows any other noble actions. Her love also differences her from the excited tenderness of is equivalent to the death; for her unrequited love Berenice, Iphigenia, Atalida, Monima. She is char- she is ready to take revenge at any cost: vengeance acterized by certain passivity, as she is no longer a for her is the highest proof of love. And, for exam- woman in love: she has already experienced her love, ple, Berenice is capable of self-denial; she is ready which now lives only inside her, for example, this is to bring her love to sacrifice for the sake of the love difference her from Phaedra. But at the same time it itself. Hermione is not ready for these sacrifices. She we can see her internal confusion, disorder. does not have an internal need to understand, that This woman is noble, but for the sake of her goal trust the fate to the anger is careless. But sometimes she is able use a trick. she also manages to survive the insult with dignity. But, for example, Agrippina is not just a mother, Indeed, “sometimes there is an insulted and arrogant but also a very ambitious woman. She characterized fine lady in Hermione, lady of society, for which the by the hidden feminine illusion, she is not just a poli- honor, family pride play a significant role, but some- tician, but she is as a woman intricate. times she again becomes miserable, suffering, of- Phaedra is another side of women’s psychology. fended woman. Transformation one of this woman Totally opposite qualities are more complete and to another is accomplished extraordinary flexible”. wide concentrate in this side. Thus, differences that Both beginnings (Dionysian and Apollonian) we usually make between “bad characters and noble are not so explicit in the other characters (such as characters, between violent characters and tender Monima, Junie, Aricia), so that these characters are should not be taken as absolute”, it means that each seemed to be harmonious. In the overall structure of female character of Racine has in varying degree in- the tragedy Apollonian beginning of these characters ternal tensions, and the distinctions drawn between prevails, although there is also the Dionysian begin- these female characters are not irresistible, indeed, ning as well, thus it is more fully organizing the psy- it is necessary “to find a definition that is common chology of the female characters. There is also non- to complaints of Roxanne, Berenice, or Hermione, traditional “trio”: Atalida, Berenice, and Iphigenia. We and then we can get closer to an understanding of can a feel a clear struggle between two beginnings in the soul of Racine”, to understand the essence of his the nature of these characters, this struggle on the one complex creativity. hand brings them to the character of Hermione and Racine by his dramaturgy of female characters Roxanne, on the other hand brings to the characters, “reached the greatest perfection (...), assimilated its which are more Apollonian as “the changing of facts in sounds to the entire gamut of human voices, from the spiritual world, their transformation, their transi- the breath of a young woman to the crying of adult- tion into its opposite draw Racine”. hood, from the intermittent groan, which express The character of Andromache, Clytemnestra and pleasure sometimes, to hidden, almost quiet human Agrippina is the image of a mother, each of these breath chords, who fully in the prayer”. As to feel

38 THE TYPOLOGY OF RACINE’S FEMALE CHARACTERS these emotions, it is necessary to put aside the strict tween the world of day, masculine, and the world typology of Racine’s heroines in favor of diversity of the night, female. Sunlight is the energy of con- and complexity and sometimes unpredictability of sciousness, while the night is the secret forces of the the nature of these characters. Theater stage helps unconsciousness. In Racine tragedies, sunny day is to clarify a lot of things, and the stage realizes the a symbol of consciousness, higher consciousness of potency of a dramatic work. God or gods, while the night is unconsciousness, It is necessary to pay special attention to the where passion is born. Racine’s Sun is a kind of per- problem of solar symbolism, which is one of the sonification of the sacred in the world and in the central moments of the playwright creativity. In mental life of the characters. In other words, “solar most of his tragedies Sun shows mental state, mood mythology gives Racine’s tragedy her metaphysical of characters. It is the embodiment of “the flame of and ethical scope to the extent to which it contrib- passion, although it is still a dark flame, illuminated utes to the general disclosure of secrets and passions by black light, symbolizing forbidden, impossible or of the soul”. For example, the “night” principle domi- unconscious”. According to the most primitive and nates in “Berenice”, but in “Phaedra”, there is a domi- ancient mythologies, the human soul is divided be- nation of the “solar” principle. References: 1. Aristotle. Poetics. Butcher S. H., Trans. – London : MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited. 1902. 2. Euripides. Hippolytus. Robert Bagg, Trans.). Oxford University Press. 1992. 3. History of Western Theatre: 17th Century to Now/Classical (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 18, 2017. from URL:https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/History_of_Western_Theatre:_17th_Century_to_ Now/Classical 4. Racine. Phaedra. Kline A. S., Trans. URL: http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/ PhaedraActI.htm 5. Racine. Andromache. Kline A. S., Trans. URL: http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/ Andromache.htm 6. Батюшков Ф. Женские типы в трагедиях Расина. [Women types in the Racine’s tragedies]. Saint- Petersburg: Типография – М. Меркушева. 1896. 7. Обломиевский Д. Французский классицизм. [French Classicism]. – M.: Наука. 1968. 8. Томашевский Б. Теория литературы. Поэтика. [Theory of literature. Poetics.]. – M.: Аспект Пресс. 1996.

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