Jean-Baptiste Racine

Jean Racine (1639–1699), orphaned as a young child, was raised and educated by the austere Jansenist convent of Port-Royal, where he mastered ancient Greek literature and absorbed a somber Augustinian view of human nature. Defying his ascetic mentors, Racine entered the theatrical world of Paris, rivaling the aging Pierre Corneille.

Between 1667 and 1677, Racine composed a series of unmatched tragic summits: Andromaque, Britannicus, Bérénice, and Phèdre (1677). Where Corneille portrayed heroic will triumphing over destiny, Racine depicted helpless mortals consumed and destroyed by irresistible, fatal sexual passions. Appointed royal historiographer to Louis XIV alongside Boileau, he reconciled with Port-Royal, where he was buried at his own dying request.