Le Cid, Tragedie

1664

De Beer Fb 1692 C

Paris: Suivant la copie imprimée

One of the greatest 17th century French dramatists was Pierre Corneille (1606–1684). His first play was a comedy called Mélite, which gave him some success when it was performed in Paris in 1630. His El Cid, produced in 1636 and considered his masterpiece, broke theatrical conventions of unity of time, place, and action. This ‘tragicomedy’ was judged dramatically implausible and morally defective by Cardinal Richelieu and his ‘cultural watchdog’, the Académie française. Public performances of El Cid were suppressed. Later editions, like this 1692 publication, were termed ‘tragedy’ and printed as such.