qu'il n'ose exécuter. Cette résistance à Hermione, ainsi que l'amitié que lui a vouée Pylade, voilà ce qui nous attache à ce personnage." 1574 parricide: could be used rhetorically not only of the murder of a father, but of any peculiarly repulsive and horrifying crime. 1586 à main forte: this verse is cited in the dictionaries as an example of the obsolete use of the phrase in the sense of à main armée' armed,' figuratively 'violently.' The absence of the hyphen is also ancient. In his "Abrégé de l'Histoire de Port-Royal," composed 1690-1695, Racine uses the modern form à main-forte. 1590-1592 It has been noted that Pylades overlooks the most obvious motive of all, namely, that these are the men whose errand is the immediate death of her son. This is probably due to Racine's original conception of the play in which he shows Andromache won to Pyrrhus by his death for her. See note to scene iii of this act. It is probably not due to an oversight, however, that the words were retained after the elimination of the verses in which this revulsion of Andromache is at least strongly suggested. A mention of Astyanax here would have detracted somewhat from the tensity of the final catastrophe. 1606 qui courait: frequently used for the English present participle; 'running.' 1609 cet objet: i.e. cette vue.· Racine has not forgotten that Pylades is ignorant of what has transpired in the last scenes to show the love of Hermione for Pyrrhus; and so the motives of her actions, which he sees from a distance, are obscure to him. Hence the rather uncertain nature of his description. The audience sees better what has happened than he who has really seen it. It is a bit of conscientious realism entirely in harmony with the methods of the modern masters of the French realistic school. 1620 Hé bien! je meurs content: "Il faudrait avoir vu Le Kain prononcer ces mots, pour comprendre tout ce qu'ils ont d'effroyable dans la bouche d'Oreste," says a contemporary of Le Kain. 1625 See verse 17, and note. 1636 In the phantasmagory of his madness, the image of Hermione dissolves, so to speak, into the forms of the avenging furies, the Eumenides or Erinnyes, who are represented by the Greek poets as covered with black robes, with serpents twined in their hair and blood dripping from their eyes. According to tradition, they drove Orestes to madness after he had murdered his mother. 1638 Note the onomatopoeic s sounds to suggest the hiss of the serpents. à to, at, in, by, for, from; ~ (mes, ses, vos) yeux before abaisser: s' stoop, lower one's self abandonner abandon, forsake, give up; s' give one's self up, yield abattement m. dejection, discouragement abattre overthrow, cut down, kill abattu prostrate abhorrer abhor, detest abîme m. abyss abominable abominable abord m. approach, arrival; ď~ adv. first, at first, first of all abréger cut short, cut off absence f. absence absolu absolute, imperious; être ~ have absolute power absout pp. absolved abuser abuse, take advantage, deceive, delude accabler overwhelm, crush, afflict accepter accept accommoder accommodate, fit, harmonize accompli accomplished, complete, perfect accomplir accomplish accorder accord, grant; obs. betroth; s' exist in harmony accroître increase accuser accuse acheter buy, purchase achever finish, complete, consummate, conclude, carry through; achèverait de sortir would finally depart from Achille Achilles acquitter: s'en fulfill one's obligations acte m. act acteur actor, character; pl. drama tis personæ action f. action adieu farewell admirer admire, wonder at adorer adore, love, worship adoucir soften, tone down; s'~ be appeased, relent adresser address, speak; s' turn adulé pampered, made of affaiblir enfeeble, weaken affecter affect, feign affliger afflict, distress affreux fearful, frightful, atrocious, awful agrément m. charm aïeul m. ancestor, forefather aigrir embitter, irritate ailleurs elsewhere; d'o moreover aimer love, care for, be glad ainsi thus, so, like this; que as well as air m. air, appearance; avoir l' seem aisé easy ajouter add alarme f. alarm, trouble; pl. alarm alarmer alarm allégresse f. joy alléguer allege, plead aller go, be about to; allons ! come; il y va de is at stake, it is a question of; il n'y a pas là contre there's no getting around it allié m. ally allumer kindle, light, arouse, stir up, cause alors then altérer change, alter altesse f. highness amant -e m. f. lover, suitor, sweetheart ambassade f. embassy ambassadeur m. ambassador âme f. soul, heart amener bring, lead, conduct, take ami m. friend as gallantry; inclination; a disease; -passion love as a passion amoureux enamored, amorous, in love, of love; sb. lover amuser amuse; s' waste one's time an m. year analyser analyze ancien old, ancient, former animer animate, give life to, encourage, impel annoncer announce, proclaim antique ancient antiquité ƒ. antiquity apaiser appease, soothe, calm appareil m. train apparence ƒ. appearance ; en ~ apparently appeler appeal, call, summon apprendre learn, teach, inform, tell, let know apprêter prepare; s'~ be prepared, be made ready, be in course of preparation approcher (de) approach, draw near appui m. support, aid, protector appuyer support, sustain, base, lay stress upon après prep. after; adv. afterward; que conj. after arbitre m. arbiter, ruler, judge (de over) ardent ardent, burning, in flames ardeur f. ardor, fervor, love, zeal, passion argument m. argument Aristote Aristotle arme f. arm, weapon armer arm, charge arracher wrest, tear, snatch (à from) arrêt m. decree, sentence arrêter stop, stay, hold back, hinder, restrain, prevent, delay, engage, hold; s' stop, confine one's self, fix (à on) arrivée f. arrival arriver arrive, take place, happen artifice m. art, artifice, deceit artiste m. artist Asie f. Asia asile m. refuge, retreat, shelter aspirer aspire assassin m. murderer, assassin assassinat m. murder, assassination assassiner murder, assassinate asservir enslave, subject, reduce to servitude assez enough, sufficiently, quite, very, well, well enough, quite clearly assiéger besiege, beset associer associate, join assuré sure, certain assurément assuredly, certainly assurer assure, insure, make sure, strengthen, fortify atroce atrocious attacher attach, join; s' apply one's self, endeavor attaque f. attack, assault attaquer attack, assault atteindre reach, attain, affect attendre await, wait for, delay, expect, look for; s'~ (à) expect attester attest, call upon, call to witness attirer attract, draw, bring down, win attrait m. charm attribuer attribute aucun any; ne... ~ no, none audace f. audacity, daring audacieux audacious, bold, daring au-dessous de below, inferior to, beneath au-dessus de above, superior to; élevé far above augmenter: s' increase aujourd'hui to-day, now auprès de beside aussi as, thus, so, therefore; ~ bien besides aussitôt immediately, thereupon, directly austère austere, severe autant as much, so much, so many, as many; d' plus as many more, so much the more |