Phaedra (originally Phedre et Hippolyte) is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677. In Phaedra, Racine chose once more a subject from Greek mythology, already treated by Greek and Roman tragic poets, notably by Euripides in Hippolytus and Seneca. In the absence of her royal husband Theseus, Phaedra ends by declaring her love to Hippolytus, Theseus' son from a previous marriage. Jean Racine; baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine (22 December 1639 - 21 April 1699), was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France (along with Moliere and Corneille), and an important literary figure in the Western tradition. Racine was primarily a tragedian, producing classically inspired plays such as Phedre, Andromaque, and Athalie, a comedy, Les Plaideurs, and a muted tragedy, Esther, for the young."