| Athalie | |
|---|---|
 Actress playing the role of Athalie, 1850s. | |
| Written by | Jean Racine |
| Chorus | Daughters of the tribe of Levi |
| Characters | Athalie Joad Josabet Salomith Abner Azartah, Ishmael, priests and Levites Mathan Nabal Agar Nurse of Joad |
| Date premiered | 1691 |
| Original language | French |
| Genre | tragedy |
| Setting | Jerusalem Temple, a vestibule of the High Priest's apartment, c. 835 BC |
Athalie ([a.ta.li], sometimes translated Athalia) is a 1691 play, the final tragedy of Jean Racine, and has been described as the masterpiece[1][2] of "one of the greatest literary artists known"[3] and the "ripest work" of Racine's genius.[4] Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve deemed it comparable to Oedipus Rex in beauty, with "the true God added."[5] August Wilhelm Schlegel thought Athalie to be "animated by divine breath";[4] other critics have regarded the poetics of drama in the play to be superior to those of Aristotle.[5]
- ^ ""ATHALIE" PLAYED AT HARVARD; Racine's Masterpiece Produced Before a Brilliant Audience in Sander's Theatre -- Gov. Wolcott Present". The New York Times. 7 December 1897.
- ^ Mann, Albert (1929). "Racine's Biblical Masterpieces, Esther and Athalie by Jean Racine; James Bruner". The French Review. 3 (1): 55–57. JSTOR 379685.
- ^ Racine, J.; Eggert, C.A. (1909). Athalie. Heath. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ a b Racine, J. (1911). Athalie. D.C. Heath & Company. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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