Jean Racine

Jean Racine was born on December 22, 1639, in La Ferté-Milon, France.
* He was orphaned at the age of 3 and raised by his grandmother.
* He was educated at the Jansenist school of Port-Royal.
* He began writing plays in his early twenties.
* His first major success was the tragedy "Andromaque" (1667).
* He went on to write a number of other successful plays, including "Britannicus" (1669), "Bérénice" (1670), and "Phèdre" (1677).
* He retired from writing plays in 1677 and became a royal historiographer.
* He died on April 21, 1699, in Paris.
* He is considered one of the greatest French tragedians of all time.