Jean Racine

Jean Racine (born Jean-Baptiste Racine, December 22, 1639-April 21, 1699) was a French playwright who focused primarily on tragedy. He is best known for his plays Phaedra, Andromaque, and Athalie. Racine's plays were characterized by simplicity, with as few characters as possible, very little on-stage action, and very limited vocabulary. Strongly influenced by fatalism, the idea of inevitable downfall is evident in his work.