About
Pierre Corneille, born in Rouen in 1606, is a major figure of French classical theatre. After studying law, he worked as a king's lawyer before dedicating himself to theatre. His comedy Mélite (1629) launched his career, but it was Le Cid (1637) that made him famous, despite the controversy of the Académie française. His tragedies Horace, Cinna, and Polyeucte established the genre's standards. Elected to the Académie française in 1647, he stopped writing for the theatre after the failure of Pertharite (1651), then returned with Œdipe (1659). His work explores the conflict between passion and duty, in alexandrine verse.
* 1606-06-06 — † 1684-10-01
Major works
- Le Cid (1637)tragicomedy
- Horace (1640)tragedy
- Cinna (1641)tragedy
- Polyeucte (1643)tragedy
- Mélite (1629)comedy
Key milestones
- 1637Performance of Le Cid, which sparked the Querelle du Cid.
- 1647Election to the Académie française, seat 14.
- 1659Return to the theatre with Œdipe.
Themes
conflict between passion and dutyhonorheroismgenerositypolitics
Sources: academie-francaise.fr · catalogue.bnf.fr · id.loc.gov