ABSTRACT
Pierre Corneille, master of waters and forests in the viscounty of Rouen, and Marthe Le Pesant, a lady of noble family, were the parents of the poet, Pierre Corneille, / surnamed the great. They had two other children: Thomas, who followed his brother’s career, and was a dramatic author: and Marthe, who also shared the talents of this illustrious family. The real interest of the play, resting on the position of Rodrigo, who, despite his affection for Ximena, avenges his father, and of the miserable daughter, who feels her attachment for her lover survive the death of her parent, and the mutual struggles that ensue, overpowers these minor defects, aided as it is by powerful language and energy of passion. The tragedies that followed “Cinna” continued to sustain the reputation of the poet. “Polyeucte,” which succeeded to it the following year, is, perhaps, the most delightful of all his plays.
