The Fatal Legacy, a Tragedy

play by Racine

Also known as: “La Thébaide ou les frères ennemis”

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July 14, 2026

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"The Fatal Legacy, a Tragedy," also known as La Thébaïde, is an early play by Jean Racine, first performed in 1664. It is a grim depiction of the mutual hatred between the sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polynices, and their struggle for control of Thebes.1

Racine's tragedies are characterized by a sense of fatalism, where characters are often controlled by overwhelming passions and face inevitable catastrophe. His plays typically feature a simple plot with a small cast of characters locked in intense conflict due to their desires and ambitions.1

While La Thébaïde is an early work, Racine later achieved greater fame with plays like Andromaque, Britannicus, and Phèdre, which explored themes from Greek legend and Roman history with his signature style of elegant language and profound psychological depth.23

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Jean Racine
Life
…Molière’s troupe of his play La Thébaide; ou, les frères ennemis (“The Story of Thebes; or, The Fratricides”) at the Palais-Royal Theatre on June 20, 1664. Molière’s company also produced Racine’s next play, Alexandre le grand (Alexander the Great), which premiered at the Palais Royal on December 4, 1665. (It…
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…Molière’s troupe of his play La Thébaide; ou, les frères ennemis (“The Story of Thebes; or, The Fratricides”) at the Palais-Royal Theatre on June 20, 1664. Molière’s company also produced Racine’s next play, Alexandre le grand (Alexander the Great), which premiered at the Palais Royal on December 4, 1665. (It…
Read More

French literature
Racine’s fatalism
…with the first performance of La Thébaïde (The Fatal Legacy, a Tragedy), a grim account of the mutual hatred of Oedipus’s sons; this was followed by Alexandre le Grand (performed 1665), his only attempt at the manner of Quinault. The masterpieces date from the highly successful Andromaque (1667), another subject…
Read More
…with the first performance of La Thébaïde (The Fatal Legacy, a Tragedy), a grim account of the mutual hatred of Oedipus’s sons; this was followed by Alexandre le Grand (performed 1665), his only attempt at the manner of Quinault. The masterpieces date from the highly successful Andromaque (1667), another subject…
Read More

Molière
Harassment by the authorities
…Jean Racine’s first produced play, La Thébaïde (“The Story of Thebes”); in 1665 Racine transferred his next play, Alexandre le Grand, to a longer-established theater while Molière’s actors were actually performing it, which turned the two men against each other. Molière was constantly harassed by the authorities, especially the ecclesiastical…
Read More
…Jean Racine’s first produced play, La Thébaïde (“The Story of Thebes”); in 1665 Racine transferred his next play, Alexandre le Grand, to a longer-established theater while Molière’s actors were actually performing it, which turned the two men against each other. Molière was constantly harassed by the authorities, especially the ecclesiastical…
Read More