La fonction du confident dans la tragédie racinienne
The function of the confidant in Racine’s tragedy

Summary/Abstract: The character of the confident has a very important function in the structure of Racine’s tragedies. We have tried to highlight all the processes that are hidden behind the image of the confident who, at first glance, may seem a character without complexity. The most important function of the confident is perhaps the one of defining the tragic hero. He is a prestige social factor for the noble character of the play, and he also represents a dramaturgy utility throughout all his roles of informer, psychological revealer and adviser. He opposes the Reason to the hero’s passion and finally, as a non tragic element, he stimulates, paradoxically, the tragic nature of the play. In the case of “special” confidents, their actions sometimes influence the course of the piece.

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