I finished reading Athaliah by Jean Racine (translated by John Cairncross), a play first staged in 1691.

Athaliah reads much like a Greco-Roman tragedy, although its subject matter and plot are derived from the Old Testament. I am not as familiar with the stories of the Old Testament as I am with many of the stories that reoccur in ancient drama. The action takes place in Jerusalem, and it was interesting to see the characters and setting rendered in a manner so akin to the stories told by playwrights such as Euripides and Aeschylus.

The bones of the plot are familiar—a child destined for an important role is hidden at birth, only to be revealed at a critical moment.

I enjoyed the language of the play, as well as learning more about some of the events and characters depicted in books of the bible. Racine wrote another tragedy with a similar setting, and I look forward to reading it as well.

“Midst cruel wolves ready to fall on me.”