Athalie
| Athalie | |
|---|---|
Actress playing the role of Athalie, 1850s. | |
| Written by | Jean Racine |
| Chorus | Daughters of the tribe of Levi |
| Characters | Athalie Joad Josabet Salomith Abner Azartah, Ishmael, priests and Levites Mathan Nabal Agar Nurse of Joad |
| Date premiered | 1691 |
| Original language | French |
| Genre | tragedy |
| Setting | Jerusalem Temple, a vestibule of the High Priest's apartment, c. 835 BC |
Athalie ([a.ta.li], sometimes translated Athalia) is a 1691 play, the final tragedy of Jean Racine, and has been described as the masterpiece of "one of the greatest literary artists known" and the "ripest work" of Racine's genius. Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve deemed it comparable to Oedipus Rex in beauty, with "the true God added." August Wilhelm Schlegel thought Athalie to be "animated by divine breath"; other critics have regarded the poetics of drama in the play to be superior to those of Aristotle.