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Four French Plays: Cinna, The Misanthrope, Andromache, Phaedra

Four of the greatest French plays, in new translations

Here are four plays that continue to define French theater over three centuries after they were written. Corneille’s Cinna (1641) explores absolute power in ancient Rome. Molière’s comedy The Misanthrope (1666) sees its antihero reject society for its hypocrisy. Racine’s Andromache (1667) recounts the tragedy of Hector’s widow after the Trojan War, and his Phaedra (1677) shows a mother crossing the boundaries of love with her stepson. This edition features new verse translations undertaken with performance in mind, and a wealth of supplementary materials for students and actors.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.