Athaliah

In this volume of Racine's plays we find "Athaliah," the last of twelve plays by the author. Considering that it was Racine's final work it may come as no surprise that it has been described as the masterpiece of "one of the greatest literary artists known." Revered by Voltaire who saw it as "perhaps the masterpiece of mankind" and by Flaubert who referred to it as an "immortal masterpiece of the French stage." The story itself concerns the biblical story of Athaliah, widow of the king of Judah who rules the country as Queen regnant. Believing that the rest of the royal family was been eliminated she abandons the Jewish religion for the worship of Baal.