Phaedra as a Tragic Heroine in Jean Racine's "Phaedra"

The Aristotelian tragic hero is defined as a "lifelike" person who demonstrates both good and bad qualities through speech and action in a consistent manner. Moreover, the tragic hero, due to a personal error in judgment or tragic flaw, is the cause of the tragedy in a play. In Jean Racine's "Phaedra", three characters exhibit these characteristics; however Phaedra most responsible for the calamity making her the tragic heroine. The tragic hero manifests both good …

…the tragic ending, it was Phaedra's error in judgment that caused the tragedy. Theseus' would not have exiled his son had it not been for Phaedra's malevolent acts. Reflecting all of the qualities associated with Aristotle's idea of a tragic hero, Phaedra is clearly the tragic heroine in Racine's Phaedra. Source: Racine, J. "Phaedra". The Norton Anthology of World Literature Second Edition Vol. D. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York, NY: Norton & Company, 2002. 364-402.