Discuss the character of Oenone in Phèdre

Discuss the character of Oenone in Phèdre

Within the play Phèdre, the character of Oenone holds extraordinary and elevated stature, an attribute that is typically unconventional for the role of the confidant crafted within the genre of French Classicism. As opposed to just being a simple, passive and one-dimensional character, the identity of Oenone shifts from the traditional ‘nourrice’ figure to an intimate reflection of Phèdre - she is the nucleus around which the protagonist's guilt and catharsis revolve. The towering figure of Oenone manifests into an almost ‘second self’, and she therefore plays a crucial part in the unraveling of the tragedy. Arguably, Oenone is more than just a character, she becomes the dramatic tool which encapsulates the internal, tumultuous struggles of Phèdre’s character in all aspects.  

Racine presents Oenone as a character with an exclusive preoccupation with Phèdre, and thus, her destiny. As Racine opens his tragedy through the Preface, he obscurely declares that, "Phèdre nest ni tout 'a fait coupable, ni tout a fait innocente,". Immediately, the tension between being both innocent yet guilty is established, and Oenone plays the part of the catalyst in unrelentingly exposing the ‘guilty’ aspect of this dichotomy to the audience. In the opening scene, before Phèdre is bought onto stage, she is unmasked by Oenone speech and discourse for her incestuous, carnal thirst. In terms of stage directions, the audiences first perceptions of Phèdre are not shaped by the character herself, but rather the opinion and rhetoric of Oenone. The confidante states that “Elle meurt dans mes bras d'un mal qu'elle me cache.” The use of the verb ‘meurt’ coupled with the noun ‘mal’ suggests an incomprehensible evil, an evil that will relentlessly attack and dissect the being of Phèdre. The use of the verb construction ‘me cache’ allows Racine to evoke one of the fundamental themes of the play that exists not only between Oenone and Phèdre, but rather, each character. Thus, Oenone becomes an instrument to represent the theme of concealment, secrecy and disguise. Further, Oenone states that ‘un désordre éternel règne dans son esprit.’ Oenone’s description of a ‘désodre éternel’ implies an almost transcendental, divine punishment, and therefore introduces the idea of Phèdre being punished extensively, and relentlessly, by a higher being. Oenone’s use of the verb ‘règne’ is also painfully ironic. Indeed, Phèdre, in principle, acts as the Queen, her duty being to ‘règne’ over the land of Trézène, however this notion of governance, control and authority is subverted by Oenone – indeed, it is only the ‘les dieux’ who truly have dominion in this play. Even within the first scene, Oenone’s on stage presence comes as a harbinger for all aspects of the typical Racinian tragedy: Phèdre’s tragic self-contradiction, the symbolic contrast of light and shadow, the resentment of the gods and the inexorable slide towards fate.

Racine presents Oenone as the medium by which Phèdre realizes the existence of a higher order. This is most strikingly shown during Phèdre’s ‘aveu’ to Oenone, in which she states ‘Vous offensez les dieux auteurs de votre vie’. Indeed, it is Oenone who rips any agency or independence from the life of Phèdre. The use of the adjective ‘auteurs’ when describing ‘les dieux’ enforces their role as the creators of this tragedy. ‘Auteur’ is synonymous with an ‘écrivain’, and therefore Racine hints at the idea of predeterminism – Phèdre’s suffering is already prewritten by the authorial and all-knowing ‘dieux’. Bettina L. Knapp quite rightly labels Oenone as ‘the agent provocateur, a dynamic force.” Knapp’s idea of Oenone being a dynamic, forceful character is shown via her reactions to Phèdre’s confessions, ‘Quoi! vous ne perdrez point cette cruelle envie’. The use of the emphatic ‘quoi’ is charged with tension, doubt and disbelief, which is no doubt transmitted and felt by the audience. She is the injection of energy into an inert, motionless situation. Further, Oenone’s dialogue is filled with rhetorical questions and contrasting imagery, ‘à la vie / Faire de votre mort’, all which culminate in a fixation with ‘mort’ or death, foreshadowing Phèdre’s demise by the end of the play.

 Racine presents Oenone as actively participating in Phèdre’s inexorable slide towards her own self-destruction. Oenone is more than simply Phèdre’s ‘nourrice’, she is an integral part of her entire destiny. Her question that “Songez-vous qu'en naissant mes bras vous ont reçue ? / Mon pays, mes enfants, pour vous j'ai tout quitté,” underline Oenone’s total and utter devotion to Phèdre, so much so that she becomes completely interlaced with her destiny. Racine further develops this idea through his use of tenses. Whilst Phèdre is spoken about in the present, for example through the verb ‘naissant’, Oenone is crafted to speak about herself in the past, ‘mes bras... ont reçue’. Even from the point of conception, Oenone and Phèdre have been wound together. This archaic connection lends itself a certain enduring and perennial quality, and therefore emphasizes that Oenone has been interwoven with the very essence of Phèdre, even before her existence. Racine envelopes this with the simple intensifier ‘tout’, which completely encapsulates their interconnectedness. Not only does Oenone give away her ‘pays’ and ‘enfants’, but in fact she gives away everything or ‘tout’, for Phèdre, including her very own sense of self. The two are meshed, and thus, Oenone inevitably has a hand in the tragic story arc of Phèdre.

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