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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. PlotThe play focuses on Rodrigo and Chimena. Rodrigo is the young upstart general of mediaeval Spain, whereas Chimena's father is the successful current general, and past his prime. Rodrigo and Chimena love each other, but any chance of marriage is brutally disturbed when Chimena's father insults Rodrigo's father and Rodrigo has to face the general in a duel. When the Moors attack, Rodrigo gets the chance to redeem himself in the eye of the nation, and, more importantly, gets a chance to win back Chimena with honour still satisfied. |
