Britannicus is the first play in which Racine depicted Roman history. The tale of moral choice takes as its subject Britannicus, the son of the Roman emperorClaudius, and heir to the imperial throne. Britannicus' succession to the throne is however usurped by Lucius, later known as Nero, and the son of Claudius' wife Agrippina the Younger.
Racine portrays Nero's true nature as revealed by his sudden desire for Britannicus's fiancée Junia. He wrests himself free from his mother's domination and plots to assassinate his adoptive brother. Nero is driven less by fear of being overthrown by Britannicus than by competition in love. His desire for Junia manifests itself in sadism towards the young woman and all that she loves. Agrippina is portrayed as a possessive mother who will not accept the loss of control over both her son and the Empire. Despite giving his name to the play, the character of Britannicus is more minor than those of Agrippina and Nero.
Success only came to the play slowly, but of Racine's works, Britannicus is today second only to Andromaque amongst the repertory of the Comédie-Française,[citation needed] and is frequently studied in high school.
In 2011, Compass Theater premiered Howard Rubenstein's translation in San Diego. Glynn Bedington played Agrippina. The translation and Bedington's performance got rave reviews.
The Xoregos Performing Company performed the play at Theater for the New City in 2018 in New York City using Howard Rubenstein's translation/adaptation.
Hochman, Stanley, editor (1984). McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama (second edition, 5 volumes). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN978-0-07-079169-5.
This article is partly based upon a translation of the corresponding article from the French Wikipedia.
External linksedit
Britannicus original text (in French) at Wikisource
(in French)
April 10, 2024
britannicus, play, britannicus, five, tragic, play, french, dramatist, jean, racine, first, performed, december, 1669, hôtel, bourgogne, paris, britannicus, 1670, book, djvu, format, britannicus, first, play, which, racine, depicted, roman, history, tale, mora. Britannicus is a five act tragic play by the French dramatist Jean Racine It was first performed on 13 December 1669 at the Hotel de Bourgogne in Paris 1 Britannicus 1670 book in DjVu format Britannicus is the first play in which Racine depicted Roman history The tale of moral choice takes as its subject Britannicus the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and heir to the imperial throne Britannicus succession to the throne is however usurped by Lucius later known as Nero and the son of Claudius wife Agrippina the Younger Racine portrays Nero s true nature as revealed by his sudden desire for Britannicus s fiancee Junia He wrests himself free from his mother s domination and plots to assassinate his adoptive brother Nero is driven less by fear of being overthrown by Britannicus than by competition in love His desire for Junia manifests itself in sadism towards the young woman and all that she loves Agrippina is portrayed as a possessive mother who will not accept the loss of control over both her son and the Empire Despite giving his name to the play the character of Britannicus is more minor than those of Agrippina and Nero Success only came to the play slowly but of Racine s works Britannicus is today second only to Andromaque amongst the repertory of the Comedie Francaise citation needed and is frequently studied in high school Talma as Nero painted by Eugene DelacroixContents 1 Roles 2 Modern performances 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksRoles editRole names and descriptions are from the first edition 2 Nero Emperor son of Agrippine Britannicus son of the Emperor Claudius Agrippine widow of Domitius Enobarbus father of Nero amp from second marriage widow of Emperor Claudius Junie beloved of Britannicus granddaughter of Augustus Burrhus tutor of Nero Narcisse tutor of Britannicus Albine confidante of Agrippine GuardsModern performances editA modern translation adaptation of the play has been published and premiered by the American playwright Howard Rubenstein 3 Britannicus was given by London s Almeida Theatre at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1999 Dame Diana Rigg played Agrippina and Toby Stephens her son Nero It was directed by Jonathan Kent using Robert David MacDonald s translation In 2011 Compass Theater premiered Howard Rubenstein s translation in San Diego Glynn Bedington played Agrippina The translation and Bedington s performance got rave reviews The Xoregos Performing Company performed the play at Theater for the New City in 2018 in New York City using Howard Rubenstein s translation adaptation The play was performed in 2022 at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London with a translation and adaption by Timberlake Wertenbaker 4 Notes edit Joseph E Garreau Jean Racine in Hochman 1984 p 194 Acteurs Britannicus 1670 Britannicus A play in two acts adapted from Jean Racine s Britannicus Granite Hills Press 2009 ISBN 978 1 929468 14 0 Britannicus Lyric Hammersmith References editHochman Stanley editor 1984 McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama second edition 5 volumes New York McGraw Hill ISBN 978 0 07 079169 5 This article is partly based upon a translation of the corresponding article from the French Wikipedia External links editBritannicus original text in French at Wikisource Britannicus de Jean Racine Analysis Plot overview in French Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Britannicus play amp oldid 1099245527, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
