The Story Archive

Polyeucte

Pierre Corneille · 1643 CE · Play · French · Enlightenment

Newly married to the Roman governor's daughter in Armenia, a nobleman of the country is baptised in secret by a friend, then walks into the state sacrifice and breaks the idols in front of his father-in-law. His wife's first love has just arrived from Rome as the emperor's favourite, which makes her father's calculation about a son-in-law who wants to die much harder. Corneille worked from the Latin lives of the saint rather than any play, and produced the Christian tragedy the French stage had not managed before.

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