Mithridate

Mithridate by Jean Racine plunges listeners into the tormented court of the King of Pontus, where loyalty, love and political ambition converge in a devastating classical tragedy. Racine remodels the life of Mithridates VI—the formidable ruler who resisted Rome—into a tightly woven drama of family rivalry and moral conflict. Set on the Bosphorus in a royal port, the play centers on Mithridate, his declared queen Monime, and his two rival sons, Pharnace and Xipharès, surrounded by confidants and conspirators. Racine draws on ancient history to stage scenes of shifting allegiance, calculated deception and overwhelming jealousy, capturing both the public stakes of war with Rome and the private torments of a man torn between fatherhood and kingship. The language is charged, the psychology acute, and the tragic momentum relentless, reflecting seventeenth-century French neoclassical craft while evoking the grandeur of Roman-era politics. Ideal for listeners who love classic literature and theatre, students of French drama, or anyone drawn to tightly constructed historical tragedies, this audiobook offers a powerful blend of political intrigue and human passion—an essential encounter with Racine’s mastery of tragedy.