Pierre Corneille, Le Cid [The Cid]

Alan Howe (University of Liverpool)

Ed. by Tim Unwin, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.03: French Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century: Classical and Baroque, 1600-1700.
Vol. editors: Heather Kirk (University of Western Ontario), Kathrina LaPorta (New York University), Polly Mangerson (DePaul University), Julia Prest (University of St Andrews), Allison Stedman (University of North Carolina, Charlotte), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

First circulation or publication Mar 1637

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play
Tragedy

Resources

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Recommended Reading

Regarded as one of the masterpieces of French theatre, Pierre Corneille’s

Le Cid

[

The Cid

, an Arabic title meaning “Lord”] enjoyed immense and immediate success both on the stage of the Marais theatre in Paris, where it was premièred in early January 1637, and in the bookshops, where three quarto editions appeared in that same year. Contemporaries coined a catchphrase which long survived, “beau comme

Le Cid

” [beautiful like

Le Cid

], and down the centuries the play has remained one of the most frequently published and performed works of French drama. Generations of theatregoers and readers have been moved and charmed by Corneille’s depiction of the feelings and conflicts of two idealistic young lovers, Rodrigue and Chimène, while many of the play’s pithy and elegant verses…

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3227 words

Citation: Howe, Alan. "Le Cid". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 June 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4092, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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Pierre Corneille, Le Cid [The Cid]

Dates

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