Phèdre by Jean Racine (1639-99) has long been considered one of the greatest glories of the French theatre. When the heroine, hounded by supernatural forces, falls tragically in love with her unresponsive stepson, her fate is sealed; but her struggle, conducted in a fearful atmosphere of vengeance and intrigue, is articulated in dramatic verse of the highest intensity.

Racine's Phaedra reminds us again that Derek Mahon, one of the finest poets of the age, is also an inspired translator.