Andromaque ou ‘La Veuve d’Hector’: Etude des noms propres et des périphrases onomastiques dans la pièce de Racine

Abstract

This article revisits Racine’s use in Andromaque of onomastic periphrases and proper names by showing, with the support of numerical data, that far from being used in an ornamental way, proper names and onomastic periphrases carry key meanings. Proper names brought to life the rhetoric of hammering force, and periphrases acted as tools used to correct, reinforce, or define the identity of Racine’s protagonists.