Citation

Albanese R. Studi Francesi 2018; 2018(186): 415-424.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Phèdre illustrates the problematic of the Law and its repression. The protagonists find themselves in a universe governed by moral anarchy and are therefore prompted to subvert the Law. Since they define themselves in terms of their transgressive behavior, Hippolyte, Phèdre and Thésée struggle with the radical impossibility of controlling their desire. To the extent that the legal system weighs on their conscience, they are vulnerable to intense feelings of guilt. Given that Phèdre highlights various paradigms of the Law (= purity) and its violation (= impurity), the protagonists must confront an irremediable conflict between their libidinal desire (= concupiscence) and their conscience (= superego). Through the intermediary of social taboos designed to repress sexual passion, the emergence of the Law results in the subjection of the individual, and it is useful to shed light on the mediation of sexuality within the confines of the Law: the patriarchal order seeks above all to repress sexual excess. A multiplicity of laws have a negative impact on the protagonists (legislation against suicide and incest, on marital fidelity and duties towards the well-being of children). Such an undifferentiated mass of laws obsesses, in varying degrees, Hippolyte, Phèdre and Thésée, who are confronted with the central question of whether or not these laws should be violated. This article examines both the complementary and the mutually-exclusive relationships between Law and Desire in Phèdre. It also demonstrates the broad lexical implications of the Law and criminality in Racine's final secular tragedy. © 2018, Rosenberg and Sellier. All rights reserved.

Language: fr