Cecilia Pigozzi s0996966 Question 3

Discuss the structural function and the dramatic role of the Gods in Phèdre.

In this essay I will analyse the role of Gods in Racine’s Phèdre, both in structural and dramatic senses.First I will present the different Gods that are in the play, who they are and the relationship between them.Then I will analyse a few quotations from the text where the characters invoke gods, say why do they do that and what does it mean for the plot.
The dramatic role of Gods in Racine’s tragedy Phèdre must not be underrated.It may be that at the first read one could think that the action is completely human and that gods participate only to be uselessly invoked by the different characters, however this is definitely not true. Analysing the story we can find out how the Gods’ world, emotions and fightings are totally reflected on earth and on human lives and how almost nothing through the plot is due to spontaneous will of humans even if they often believe or hope that. The notion of predestination can be felt through the whole tragedy and through this, Racine expresses the jansenist theory thinking that redemption can be only given by God and humans can’t do anything for it.
Through the whole play, the Gods are defined sometimes generally, as a whole entity, and often personally: let’s take a look at which are they and to what’s their role through the Olympus mountain. The first and most important for the action of the tragedy is Venus: she is the goddess of beauty but above all of passion and seduction, which she uses to take revenge on all the women who dare to fall in love with her many lovers. She is the most powerful of the gods because only Minerve, Diane and Vesta’s hearts – because of their purity - are not at her feet.Venus is absolutely cruel and has never mercy for anyone of her victims – and in this case with Phèdre neither. The other active god through the play is Neptune, easily irritable god of the sea, probably descendant