French dramatist, poet, and historiographer best known for his mastery of the French classical tragedy, particularly through his adept use of the alexandrine line, a prominent feature of the poetic meter of seventeenth century French tragedy. He is also renowned for his characters, crafted through the Racinian view of humanity as driven by a need for acceptance in order to compensate for consuming feelings of inadequacy. Among his many works, a few of Racine's most notable ones include Andromaque (1668), Britannicus (1670), Bérénice (1671), Bajazet (1672), Phèdre (1677), and Athalie (1691).