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    Athaliah
    Athaliah
    Athaliah
    Ebook92 pages55 minutes

    Athaliah

    By Jean Racine

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    About this ebook

    The 17th century dramatist Jean Racine was considered, along with Molière and Corneille, as one of the three great playwrights of his era. The quality of Racine's poetry has been described as possibly his most important contribution to French literature and his use of the alexandrine poetic line is one of the best examples of such use noted for its harmony, simplicity and elegance. While critics over the centuries have debated the worth of Jean Racine, at present, he is widely considered a literary genius of revolutionary proportions. In this volume of Racine's plays we find "Athaliah", the last of twelve plays by the author. Considering that it was Racine's final work it may comes as no surprise that it has been described as the masterpiece of "one of the greatest literary artists known." Revered by Voltaire who saw it as "perhaps the masterpiece of mankind" and by Flaubert who referred to it as an "immortal masterpiece of the French stage." The story itself concerns the biblical story of Athaliah, widow of the king of Judah who rules the country as Queen regnant. Believing that the rest of the royal family was been eliminated she abandons the Jewish religion for the worship of Baal.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDigireads.com Publishing
    Release dateJan 1, 2013
    ISBN9781420948912
    Athaliah
    Author

    Jean Racine

    Jean Racine, né le 22 décembre 1639 à La Ferté-Milon et mort le 21 avril 1699 à Paris, est un dramaturge et poète français. Issu d'une famille de petits notables de la Ferté-Milon et tôt orphelin, Racine reçoit auprès des « Solitaires » de Port-Royal une éducation littéraire et religieuse rare.

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      Book preview

      Athaliah - Jean Racine

      cover.jpg

      ATHALIAH

      BY JEAN RACINE

      TRANSLATED BY ROBERT BRUCE BOSWELL

      eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-4891-2

      ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-4890-5

      This edition copyright © 2013

      Please visit www.digireads.com

      CONTENTS

      INTRODUCTION TO ATHALIAH.

      CHARACTERS.

      ACT I.

      ACT II.

      ACT III.

      ACT IV.

      ACT V.

      ATHALIAH.

      A TRAGEDY.

      1691.

      INTRODUCTION TO ATHALIAH.

      This fine play, with which Racine's dramatic career fitly concluded, was composed, like Esther, for semi-private performance by the young ladies of the College of Saint Cyr, where it was first acted, as well as afterwards, at Versailles, in 1691. It was not represented at a public theatre till 1716, a delay due, it may be, in some measure to its sacred character, though probably quite as much to the general lack of appreciation with which it had for long to contend. It is now universally acknowledged to deserve either first or second place among Racine's masterpieces, Phèdre and Athalie being rivals for the palm.

      The scriptural narrative is faithfully followed as the main outline of the plot; and whatever Racine has added, such as Athaliah's dream, her first sight of the youthful Joash, and the characters of Abner and Mattan, so far from presenting incongruous elements, enhances the dramatic interest of the story.

      CHARACTERS.

      JOASH, King of Judah and Son of Ahaziah.

      ATHALIAH, Widow of Joram, and Grandmother of Joash.

      JEHOIADA, the High Priest.

      JEHOSHEBA, Aunt of Joash, and Wife of the High Priest.

      ZACHARIAH, Son of Jehoiada and Jehosheba.

      SALOME, Sister of Zachariah.

      ABNER, one of the Chief Officers of the Kings of Judah.

      AZARIAH, Ishmael, and the three other Chiefs of the Priests, and Levites.

      MATTAN, an Apostate priest; Chief Priest of Baal.

      NABAL, confidential Friend of Mattan.

      HAGAR, an Attendant of Athaliah.

      Band of Priests and Levites.

      Attendants of Athaliah.

      Nurse of Joash.

      Chorus of young Maidens of the Tribe of Levi.

      The scene is laid in the Temple at Jerusalem, in an ante-chamber of the High Priest's dwelling.

      ATHALIAH.

      A TRAGEDY FOUNDED UPON HOLY SCRIPTURE.

      ACT I.

      SCENE I. JEHOIADA AND ABNER.

      ABNER. Yea, to the Temple of the Lord I come,

      To worship with the solemn rites of old,

      To celebrate with thee the famous day

      When from the holy mount our Law was giv'n.

      How times are changed! Soon as the sacred trump

      With joyous blast announced this day's return,

      The Temple porticoes, with garlands gay,

      Could not contain the crowds of the devout;

      Before the altar they in order due,

      Bringing the earliest harvest of their fields,

      Offered those firstfruits to the Lord of all;

      Nor were there priests enough for sacrifice.

      A woman's will has dared to check these throngs,

      And turn'd the day's bright glory into gloom.

      Scarce dare a few most zealous worshippers

      Recall for us some shadow of the past;

      The rest are all forgetful of their God,

      Or, e'en to Baal's altars flocking now,

      In shameful orgies learn to bear their part,

      And curse the Name on which their fathers call'd.

      My soul is troubled,—naught will I conceal—

      Lest Athaliah visit upon thee

      Her vengeance, spurn all remnant of respect,

      And tear thee from the altar of the Lord.

      JEHOIADA. Whence comes to thee this presage dark to-day?

      ABNER. Holy and righteous, how canst thou escape?

      Long has she hated that rare constancy

      Which adds new brilliance to thy mitred brow;

      Long has she treated thy religious zeal

      As obstinate sedition and revolt.

      The shining virtues of thy faithful spouse

      Have earned the special hatred of the Queen.

      If Aaron's priesthood has devolved on thee,

      Thy wife is sister to our latest king.

      Mattan moreover, that apostate priest,

      His foul desertion from our altars crowns

      With eager persecution of all good,

      And, worse than Athaliah, spurs her on.

      'Tis not enough that in a foreign garb

      The Levite serves at Baal's altar now,

      This Temple is to him a sore offence,

      And he would fain destroy the God he left.

      No means he leaves untried to ruin thee,

      And undermines with praise no less than blame.

      He feigns for thee a treacherous kindliness,

      Masking the blackness of his venom thus.

      Sometimes he prompts the Queen to dread thy power,

      And sometimes, looking to her lust for gold,

      Pretends that somewhere known to thee alone,

      Thou hidest treasures David had amass'd.

      For two days past the proud imperious Queen

      Has seem'd as though consumed by baffled spite.

      I saw her yesterday with furious eyes

      Glare at this sacred place, and mark'd her well,

      As if within the Temple's deep recess

      Lurk'd God's avenger

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