Pierre Corneille, Cinna

Christopher Semk (Yale University)

Ed. by Julia Prest, University of St Andrews
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 1641

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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Pierre Corneille’s five-act tragedy

Cinna, ou la clémence d’Auguste

was performed at the Théâtre du Marais in August or September 1642 and published in January 1643. The tragedy was a great success and was performed throughout the seventeenth century. At the tragedy’s outset, Emilie, who blames the emperor Auguste for her father’s death, envisions taking revenge by having the emperor assassinated. Cinna, her lover and an advisor to the emperor, has enlisted a number of co-conspirators by promising to replace the monarchy with a republican government. Everything changes when Auguste considers abdicating. In order to remain faithful to Emilie, Cinna encourages Auguste to remain in power. Maxime, a co-conspirator, recognizes that Cinna’s motivation was personal, not political,…

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2661 words

Citation: Semk, Christopher. "Cinna". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 December 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6017, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Pierre Corneille, Cinna

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