ABSTRACT
Jean Racine was born, in December 1639, of a family of local officials and lawyers established at La Ferte-Milon, a small town fifty miles north-east of Paris. Orphaned in infancy, he was brought up by pious relatives who took him to be educated in the Jansenist community of Port-Royal. Racine began by trying his hand at two or perhaps three plays which were not acted and have not survived. His first play to reach the stage, the tragedy of La Thebatde, ou les freres ennemis, was produced by Moliere in June 1664. The direct Greek influence on La Thebaide was therefore small and at most an indication of a road to be taken later in Racine’s career. Possibly he already had some acquaintance with the Greek dramatists and was trying to adapt his student knowledge to the different climate of the contemporary theatre.
