Essays in English by French, Irish and German academics, which explore the relevance and interest of the tragic theatre today of the French dramatist, Jean Racine (1639-99).

The Racinian hero and the classical theory of characterization, Georges Forestier; Racine's use of maxims, Jean-Louis Backes; women and power in "Britannicus" and "Berenice": the battle of blood and tears, Christian Biet; gender, power and authority in "Alexandre le Grand" and "Athalie", Derval Conroy; constructions of identity: mirrors of the "Other" in Racine's theatre, Jane Conroy; Racine's "Jacobite" plays: the politics of the Bible, Edric Caldicott; les freres ennemis: Racine, Moliere, and "la querelle du theatre", Robert McBride; Voltaire, women and reception: Racine in the 18th century, Marc Serge Riviere; pleasure in Racine, Louis van Delft; the magic and pleasure of "Berenice" today, Jean-Michel Delacomptee; Esther: prototype of an oratorio? The collaboration of Racine and Jean-Baptiste Moreau, Susanne Hartwig and Berthold Warnecke; Moreau as teacher: the impact of his vocation on the composition of "Esther", Grainne Gormley; Racine and the three vanities, Alain Viala.