Polyeucte

Corneille, Pierre, 1606-1684Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 89K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Polyeucte by Pierre CorneilleAuthor: Corneille, Pierre, 1606-1684,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 4, 2006

Editor's review

Polyeucte is a tragedy written by Corneille in the seventeenth century, based on the legend of an Armenian nobleman's martyrdom under the Roman Empire. The play's core lies not in the intensity of external conflict but in the tension among faith, love, and political loyalty: Polyeucte's insistence on converting to Christianity entangles his wife Pauline, his father-in-law Félix, and Sévère, who loves Pauline, in situations where no choice is without cost. Corneille unfolds debate-style dialogue within a rigorously classical structure; the characters repeatedly weigh duty against emotion, and the power of the will is presented together with its price. For readers familiar with French classical drama, this is an important work for understanding Corneille's shift from heroic tragedy to religious subject matter; for newcomers, it is also an entry point for observing how the seventeenth-century French stage handled questions of faith. As you read, note the logic of each character's arguments in every scene rather than following only the plot.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers studying French classical drama
Those interested in conflicts between faith and duty
Researchers examining shifts in Corneille's creative phases
Readers with experience in drama who can accept long dialogues

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer action scenes and fast-paced plots
Readers uninterested in religious martyrdom
First-time readers unaccustomed to debate-style dialogue in classical drama

Reading tips

Read the plot summary and character relationships first before entering the text, so dense dialogue does not discourage you.
Go through act by act, noting each debate's positions on both sides and jotting down the core disagreement in one sentence.
Focus on comparing the choices of Pauline, Félix, and Sévère, and observe how Corneille distributes sympathy.
If reading an English translation, compare wording across different translations to appreciate the difficulty of classical French rhetoric.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What conflict is this play mainly about?

The core conflict revolves around Polyeucte's refusal to sacrifice after converting to Christianity, which affects his wife Pauline's feelings, his father-in-law Félix's political position, and Sévère's old love. The tension between steadfast faith and family and power constitutes the play's dramatic force.

Can I read it without a foundation in French classical drama?

Yes, but some preparation helps. It is advisable to first learn the basic conventions of seventeenth-century French classical drama, such as the unities of time, place, and action, and then read the character relationships and plot summary; this makes it easier to enter the rhythm of debate-style dialogue.

Is this edition in English or French?

According to the cataloging information, the book's language is marked as English and it is a public-domain electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg. Readers encounter an English translation rather than the French original; the specific translator can be confirmed on the front pages.

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About the author

Corneille, Pierre, 1606-1684 Author

Pierre Corneille (1606–1684) was a major playwright of the French classical period, and ten of his works are held in this collection. Because public information is limited, details of his education, official posts, and specific biography are not elaborated here; this introduction focuses on the works themselves. Judging from the works in the collection, his output was mainly dramatic, with the representative play Le Cid and the multi-volume Œuvres de P. Corneille presenting the range of his writing. Corneille's plays often draw on history and legend and center on conflicts between honor, duty, and personal feeling. His characters are strong-willed, and his dialogue is dignified and argumentative, forming a distinctive style of classical tragedy. His works had a profound influence on the later development of French drama and remain an important reference for understanding seventeenth-century French literature and theatrical tradition.