De L’interrogation Rhétorique dans Britannicus

Abstract

The use of interrogatives is a stylistic process favored in Racine's Britannicus. This study aims to try to clarify the different forms and functions of rhetorical questions in this play. the questioning is "rhetorical" or "figurative" since it is considered a figure of speech according to the different definitions that we have found. As part of this research, we will examine the questions in the play from the point of view of classical rhetoric based mainly on the work of Fontanier (1968) and Borillo (1981). We will only examine "formal" questions which do not solicit information or opinions from the interlocutor.