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dvolk's review against another edition
4.0
Les répliques d’Andromaque sont d’une beauté exceptionnelle.
clocss's review against another edition
4.0
« L’amour n’est pas un feu qu’on renferme en une âme
Tout nous trahit, la voix, le silence, les yeux ;
Et les feux mal couverts n’en éclatent que mieux. »
(« Pour qui sont ces serpents qui sifflent sur vos têtes ? »)
Tout nous trahit, la voix, le silence, les yeux ;
Et les feux mal couverts n’en éclatent que mieux. »
(« Pour qui sont ces serpents qui sifflent sur vos têtes ? »)
oph_rich's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wcharliebrown's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eb00kie's review against another edition
3.0
Recommended in [b:Landmarks in French Literature|1965502|Landmarks in French Literature|Lytton Strachey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348049656s/1965502.jpg|1968627] and my first Racine play, Andromaque is a robust play. Succinct and fast-paced, it is nonetheless very vibrant and the emotions its characters express are varied and follow seamlessly one after another.
One of its main advantages is that it builds upon [a:Homer|903|Homer|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1390672749p2/903.jpg]'s [b:The Iliad|1371|The Iliad|Homer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388188509s/1371.jpg|3293141] working with famous character and a renowned backstory. This spares this piece the drawbacks of exposition.
However, the most paradoxically delightful, yet unpleasant, element is that Racine fleshes out his characters; no more predestination, prophecies, hybris, disaster due to the unchanging human nature, no more human moonliths. His Andromache, for example, often praised as a model for all women, is still dignified, frigid and loyal, but conniving enough to bluff and outsmart both her captor and his country. Pyrrhus, the supposed barbarian driven by lust is still quite restrained in his behaviour to someone who is basically a slave, another personality anachronism.
Now, coming to the paradox, I like likeable characters (especially those you can always forgive and redeem). Their rise to fame was fed by the great Hollywood myth that the key to someone "taking control of his life" more or less instantly is changing his decisions and his perspective (or hers) after one usually day-long look at their respective selves. However most of them aren't real people. It is probably why monolithic characters are out of favour today - because they rose out of the art of writing "how badly life can suck, no can do" pieces.
These Andromaca and Pyrrhus act as a mix between who they were created to be and two members of the Ludovic court at the time of the play's premiere. This could almost read like fanfiction, except that there's no shipping and fanfiction isn't usually moralizing its audience. Don't misunderstand, this is still a light, pleasant read (the vocabulary is limited and it is a drama, not a tragedy) but the higher the degree of artistic license you take, especially for a published author, the more the reader is entitled to expect. We only have one theme here: how lucidity should dissect passion. That's not enough for me.
One of its main advantages is that it builds upon [a:Homer|903|Homer|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1390672749p2/903.jpg]'s [b:The Iliad|1371|The Iliad|Homer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388188509s/1371.jpg|3293141] working with famous character and a renowned backstory. This spares this piece the drawbacks of exposition.
However, the most paradoxically delightful, yet unpleasant, element is that Racine fleshes out his characters; no more predestination, prophecies, hybris, disaster due to the unchanging human nature, no more human moonliths. His Andromache, for example, often praised as a model for all women, is still dignified, frigid and loyal, but conniving enough to bluff and outsmart both her captor and his country.
Spoiler
I would have enjoyed the poetic justice element in the possible ending: he kills her husband, she would have killed his wife, how... cathartic. And what a red herring that was!Now, coming to the paradox, I like likeable characters (especially those you can always forgive and redeem). Their rise to fame was fed by the great Hollywood myth that the key to someone "taking control of his life" more or less instantly is changing his decisions and his perspective (or hers) after one usually day-long look at their respective selves. However most of them aren't real people. It is probably why monolithic characters are out of favour today - because they rose out of the art of writing "how badly life can suck, no can do" pieces.
These Andromaca and Pyrrhus act as a mix between who they were created to be and two members of the Ludovic court at the time of the play's premiere. This could almost read like fanfiction, except that there's no shipping and fanfiction isn't usually moralizing its audience. Don't misunderstand, this is still a light, pleasant read (the vocabulary is limited and it is a drama, not a tragedy) but the higher the degree of artistic license you take, especially for a published author, the more the reader is entitled to expect. We only have one theme here: how lucidity should dissect passion. That's not enough for me.
jerrica's review against another edition
4.0
Women, am I right? Always changing their minds, always taking so long to get ready, always telling you to kill someone for them and then when you do it they act all outraged. You can't win!
nino_xxi's review
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
littlepanda's review against another edition
3.0
J'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire surtout après avoir étudié la chute de Troie. C'est un livre qui se lit très vite et plutôt agréable.