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Le Cid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Le Cid is a tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille and published in 1636. It is based on the legend of El Cid.
The play followed Corneille's first true tragedy, Medée, produced in 1635. An enormous popular success, Corneille's Le Cid was the subject of a heated polemic over the norms of dramatic practice known as the Querelle du Cid. Cardinal Richelieu's Académie Française acknowledged the play's success, but determined that it was defective, in part because it did not respect the classical unities.
The play focuses on Don Rodrigue and Chimène. Rodrigue is the young upstart general of mediaeval Spain, whereas Chimène's father is the successful current general, Comte Gormas and past his prime. Rodrigue and Chimène love each other, but any chance of marriage is brutally disturbed when Chimène's father insults Rodrigue's father, Don Diègue. Torn between his love for Chimène and his duty to avenge his father's honour, Rodrigue chooses the latter and faces the general in a duel in which Comte Gormas is killed. Without denying her love, Chimène asks the King for Rodrigue's head.
When the Moors attack, Rodrigue gets the chance to redeem himself in the eye of the nation, and, more importantly, gets a chance to win back Chimène with honour still satisfied.
The play is the basis for the opera Le Cid by Jules Massenet.