SOURCE: Todd, Bonnie E. “Racine's Use of Typology in Athalie.” CLA Journal 40, no. 1 (September 1996): 72-81.

In the following essay, Todd analyzes the various components of Athalie from a typological point of view, that is, by looking at the use of figurative elements, in order to reveal Racine's unique use of dramatic irony.

Racine's critics have generally divided themselves into two camps in their interpretations of his Biblical play Athalie. Some of the best-known critics, Jean Orcibal for one and Raymond Picard for another, have interpreted the play through citing its topical allusions. In his critique on Athalie, Picard indicates parallels between the characters in the play and members of the court of Louis XIV.¹ Picard makes a good case for his interpretation, yet it does little to explain the immense appeal that the play held for its patron, Madame de Maintenon, the actresses and audience (that is, the...