Esther, a Tragedy Adapted and Partially Translated From the French of Jean Racine

by John Masefield, Jean Racine

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Genres: Theatre, Plays, Classics, France, Drama, French Literature, Fiction

78 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1689

About the author

Masefield was born in Ledbury, a rural area in England to George Masefield, a solicitor and Caroline. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Masefield was only 6 and he went to live with his aunt. His father died soon after. After an unhappy education at the King's School in Warwick (now known as Warwick School), where he was a boarder between 1888 and 1891, he left to board the HMS Conway, both to train for a life at sea, and to break his addiction to reading, of which his Aunt thought little. He spent several years aboard this ship and found that he could spend much of his time reading and writing. It was aboard the Conway that Masefield’s love for story-telling grew.

In 1894, Masefield boarded the Gilcruix, destined for Chile. He recorded his experiences while sailing through the extreme weather. Upon reaching Chile, Masefield suffered from sunstroke and was hospitalized. He eventually returned home to England as a passenger aboard a steam ship.

In 1895, Masefield returned to sea on a windjammer destined for New York City. However, the urge to become a writer and the hopelessness of life as a sailor overtook him, and in New York, he deserted ship. He lived as a vagrant for several months, before returning to New York City, where he was able to find work as an assistant to a bar keeper.

For the next two years, Masefield was employed in a carpet factory, where long hours were expected and conditions were far from ideal. He purchased up to 20 books a week, and devoured both modern and classical literature. His interests at this time were diverse and his reading included works by Trilby, Dumas, Thomas Browne, Hazlitt, Dickens, Kipling, and R. L. Stevenson. Chaucer also became very important to him during this time, as well as poetry by Keats and Shelley.

When Masefield was 23, he met his future wife, Constance Crommelin, who was 35. Educated in classics and English Literature, and a mathematics teacher, Constance was a perfect match for Masefield despite the difference in age. The couple had two children (Judith, born in 1904, and Lewis, in 1910).

In 1930, due to the death of Robert Bridges, a new Poet Laureate was needed. King George V appointed Masefield, who remained in office until his death in 1967. Masefield took his appointment seriously and produced a large quantity of verse. Poems composed in his official capacity were sent to The Times. Masefield’s humility was shown by his inclusion of a stamped envelope with each submission so that his composition could be returned if it were found unacceptable for publication.

On 12 May 1967, John Masefield died, after having suffered through a spread of gangrene up his leg. According to his wishes, he was cremated and his ashes placed in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. Later, the following verse was discovered, written by Masefield, addressed to his ‘Heirs, Administrators, and Assigns’:

Let no religious rite be done or read
In any place for me when I am dead,
But burn my body into ash, and scatter
The ash in secret into running water,
Or on the windy down, and let none see;
And then thank God that there’s an end of me.

Reviews

[Camille]

Racine on ecstasy

[Jeanne Eléonore · Rating 3 out of 5]

La langue et le texte sont splendides, amusants à déclamer, mais c'est du Racine, donc personne n'est surpris.
En revanche l'histoire est vraiment passable, rien de notable ne se passe. Bref, une pièce de théâtre écrite pour les colombes du Roi Soleil, pour mettre ces dernières en valeur, sans pour autant les faire trop réfléchir (le tout en restant pieuses).

[Jacob Hurley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esther est un étrange livre du Bible; l'analyse d'historiens est tout d'accord que rien de ses contents ont arrivées dans actualité, et même la tradition pieuse pense que ce ne soit qu'un rêve phantastique. Les Qabbalistes disent que c'est le livre qu'on lit après (si) on va au ciel. Bref, dans la dernières parties du carrière de Racine, Louis XIV a devenu plus pieux, et son theatre du court a abandonné la tragédie érotique pour des drames religieuses. Racine l'a organisé, dans l'introduire prosaique et la preface en alexandrines (dans la gorge de quelque genre de prophete) comme une drame, plus noble et plus pur, qui guerira son audience, et fait voire la gloire et majeste de Dieu. En fait, le drame, qui est plus comme comédie, est dans trois-actes et plus court; l'attention est sur l'empereur Persien et son lieutenant, un antisémite extreme, tous les deux vraiment obtus. Le personnage du titre n'a qu'un seul moment d'anxiété qui est plus ou moins arbitraire -- elle ne sait pas comment elle va protéger les juifs, mais il n'y a pas des raisons que son plan ne parvenirais pas, et bien sur ne personne dans l'audience sentirais aucun tension ... Plus interessante, c'est la chorus (qui n'est pas dans des alexandrines!), chansons ou plutot masques, qui racontent les Israélites en désespérée, mais puis en réveillé au espoir encor; c'est un effort plus authentique, un traduction de la langue d'Ancien Testament en poesie Racinien. Quand même, c'est un drame plaisante lire.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dans le genre court et avec presque un seul couple, je préfère Bérénice et ses bien plus belles tirades, ses enjeux et ses personnages beaucoup plus forts... C'était intéressant simplement pour la mise en rapport avec Albertine (je l'avais aussi étudié dans un corpus de Racine par rapport à l'objet de la porte, bien sûr il y a toujours autant de choses à dire à propos des pièces raciniennes mais juste not my favourite)

[Richard Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really strong Racine, in my opinion.

[Maddy MacLeod]

Classic Madame de Maintenon commissioning this play

[aaron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ça pue tellement sa mère que j'ai skip des scènes entières tellement il s'y passe RRRRRIEN. Ah et le gros méchant vilain pas beau perd à la fin

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

استر، تراژدی راسین، تراژدی نویس قرن هفده فرانسه است که برخلاف معمول تراژدی ها در سه پرده (و نه پنج پرده) نوشته شده. شرح زندگی استر از کتاب مقدس یهودیان، همان بخش "عهد عتیق" انجیل گرفته شده. استر از زمره ی اسرای یهودی بوده که پس از فتح "بابل" توسط کورش، آزاد شده اند. پدر و مادرش از دست می روند و او تحت سرپرستی عمویش "مردخای" بزرگ می شود. هنگامی که همسر خشایارشا به علت نافرمانی به قتل می رسد، استر طی مراسمی سنتی به همسری شاه در می آید و ملکه ی پارس می شود. تا آن که "هامان" وزیر ایرانی شاه، به علت نافرمانی مردخای، دستور قتل یهودیان را می دهد. استر نزد شاه شفاعت می کند و شاه سبب نجات عده ی بی شماری یهودی از مرگ می شود. به روایتی مراسم عید "پوریم" نزد یهودیان، جهت سپاس از این موهبت برگزار می شود. این همه در "کتاب استر" بخشی از "تورات" یا همان عهد عتیق انجیل، آمده است. تراژدی راسین با تفاوت های جزئی، شرح مصائب استر و یهودیان در سرزمین پارس است، و قهرمانان تراژدی با همان نام های عبری کتاب مقدس، در تراژدی آمده اند؛ آهاسوئروس (خشایارشا)، استر، مردخای، هامان، افسران شاه، همدمان ملکه استر، گاردهای شاه و دسته ی همخوان دوشیزگان بنی اسرائیل

[Iara Luzia · Rating 3 out of 5]

É um pouco complicado avaliar esta obra de Racine. Por um lado, a forma como é escrita, através da musicalidade do texto, suas rimas, etc, é fascinante. Por outro lado, os elementos do trágico não estão presentes, aliás, é questionável até que ponto a história bíblica de Ester é um tema para uma tragédia, segundo os preceitos de L'art poétique de Boileau.
É um bom texto, mas não para uma tragédia francesa do século XVII.

[Allan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just wanted the Jews to kill the king and they never did it for me. In my opinion, not one of Racine's greatest works.

[Daniel Gómez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nadie para el patetismo como los franceses.