A skillful translation of the classical French tragedy about the captivity of Hector's wife after her abduction by the son of Achilles. The rhymed couplets retain the simplicity of form and powerful language of the original. " This translation] is a striking tour de force" (Hudson Review). Drawings by Igor Tulipanov.

Phaedra is consumed with passion for Hippolytus, her stepson. Believing her husband dead, she confesses her love to him and is rebuffed. When her husband returns alive, Phaedra convinces him that it was Hippolytus who attempted to seduce her. In his interpretation, Racine replaced the stylized tragedy with human-scale characters and actions. Introduction by Richard Wilbur.