Abstract
Pierre Corneille's Le Cid (1636) was responsive to a public enthusiasm for nobility in love and honor, and for aristocratic glory in general. The play, which is in itself glorious for vigor and invention, locates its heroic action in the romantic world of medieval Spain, at a time of transition between feudal custom and royal power. It is the rival claims of throne and family which animate the plot, and confront the noble natures of Chimene and Rodrigue with their tragic choices. A play which contains much passionate eloquence, and so often takes place within a royal court, requires its translator to use some lofty language; but I have found, in striving for a faithful transparency, that Le Cid contains no hollow sonorities and that something urgent is always being said. I hope that the following excerpts will convey something of the flavor and story-line of Corneille's great play. Translator's Note
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