Bajazet (play)
Encyclopedia
Bajazet is a tragedy by Jean Racine
in five acts (composed of 4, 5, 8, 7, and 12 scenes, respectively), in Alexandrian verse, first played at the Hotel de Bourgogne
, on January 5, 1672, after Berenice
, and before Mithridate
. Like Aeschylus
in The Persians
, Racine took his subject from contemporary history, taking care to choose a far off location, the Ottoman Empire
. In 1635, the sultan Murad IV
(Amurat, in the work of Racine) had his brothers and potential rivals Bajazet and Orcan executed. Racine was inspired by this deed, and centered his play on Bajazet. Racine also develops several romantic subplots in the seraglio. The action is particularly complex, and can only be resolved by a series of deaths and suicides.
The initial success of the play was not prolonged. Today, it is one Racine's least played pieces. The character of Bajazet in the opera of the same name by Antonio Vivaldi
is not the same as the protagonist of Racine. The play was translated into English by Alan Hollinghurst
. This translation was published by Chatto & Windus in 1991. In 2011 Pennsylvania State University Press published an English translation of the play by Geoffrey Alan Argent in iambic pentameter couplets.
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
in five acts (composed of 4, 5, 8, 7, and 12 scenes, respectively), in Alexandrian verse, first played at the Hotel de Bourgogne
Hôtel de Bourgogne
Until the 16th century, the Hôtel de Bourgogne was the name of the Paris residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. Today, the last vestige is the Tour Jean sans Peur, 20 rue Étienne Marcel, in the 2nd arrondissement.-Theatre:...
, on January 5, 1672, after Berenice
Berenice
Berenice or Berenike is the Ancient Macedonian form for Attic Greek Φερενίκη , meaning "bearer of victory", from φέρω "to bear" + νίκη "victory". Berenika priestess of Demeter in Lete ca. 350 BC is the oldest epigraphical evidence. The name also has the form Bernice...
, and before Mithridate
Mithridate
Mithridate, also known as mithridatium, mithridatum, or mithridaticum, is a semi-mythical remedy with as many as 65 ingredients, used as an antidote for poisoning, and said to be created by Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus in the 1st century BC...
. Like Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
in The Persians
The Persians
The Persians is an Athenian tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. First produced in 472 BCE, it is the oldest surviving play in the history of theatre...
, Racine took his subject from contemporary history, taking care to choose a far off location, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. In 1635, the sultan Murad IV
Murad IV
Murad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
(Amurat, in the work of Racine) had his brothers and potential rivals Bajazet and Orcan executed. Racine was inspired by this deed, and centered his play on Bajazet. Racine also develops several romantic subplots in the seraglio. The action is particularly complex, and can only be resolved by a series of deaths and suicides.
The initial success of the play was not prolonged. Today, it is one Racine's least played pieces. The character of Bajazet in the opera of the same name by Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
is not the same as the protagonist of Racine. The play was translated into English by Alan Hollinghurst
Alan Hollinghurst
Alan Hollinghurst is a British novelist, and winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty.-Biography:Hollinghurst was born on 26 May 1954 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the only child of James Hollinghurst, a bank manager, and his wife, Elizabeth...
. This translation was published by Chatto & Windus in 1991. In 2011 Pennsylvania State University Press published an English translation of the play by Geoffrey Alan Argent in iambic pentameter couplets.
Summary of the play
- Act 1 - Osmin brings news of the sultan Amurat to ByzantiumByzantiumByzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
: they appear to be at the point of abandoning the siege of BabylonBabylonBabylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
. Acomat, grand vizir, wishes to take advantage of this failure by encouraging the Janissaries to revolt. He has already refused to execute Bajazet as the sultan commanded. Finally, Acomat believes Bajazet and Roxane, the sultan's favorite, are in love, and he wishes to rely on them while marrying Atalide. In reality, Bajazet is in love with Atalide; he only returns the love of Roxane in order to become king. - Act 2 - Roxane wants to dethrone Amurat by wedding Bajazet. He is reticent, which infuriates Roxane. Acomat, and then Atalide push Bajazet to accept, and he considers it.
- Act 3 - Bajazet and Roxane make up, while Atalide wishes to die, having saved the man she loves. Bajazet comes to tell her that he has only made vague promises to Roxane. Roxane overhears this conversation, and begins to realize Bajazet and Atalide's relationship.
- Act 4 - Orcan, the sultan's servant, has come home to announce that, against all odds, Amurat has taken Babylon. Roxane receives evidence of the love between Bajazet and Atalide, and it is these two elements which force Roxane into action: she will kill Bajazet in order to please the sultan. Acomat, who up until now has conspired with Bajazet and Roxane, has decided to act from now on without them.
- Act 5 - After one final interview with Bajazet, Roxane has him hanged. After this, she is assassinated by Orcan, who is acting under a secret order of the Sultan. The conspiracy of Acomat is run aground, and Atalide kills herself on stage.