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Pierre Corneille

Type Figure Region France Time 1606–1684 Also known as Corneille、Father of Tragedy

Pierre Corneille was the founder of French classical tragedy, establishing the three unities and themes of heroic ethics through works such as Le Cid…

Timeline

  1. 1606–1629Rouen · NormandyBorn in Rouen, he studied law and practiced as a lawyer while beginning to write comedies and tragedies; the success of Mélite in Paris in 1629 launched his theatrical career.
  2. 1637–1643Paris · Île-de-FranceThe 1637 controversy over Le Cid concerning dramatic rules established his status as master of French tragedy; he subsequently wrote heroic tragedies such as Horace and Cinna, and was elected to the Académie Française in 1637.
  3. 1643–1684Paris · Île-de-FranceBetween 1640 and 1643 he completed religious and political tragedies such as Polyeucte and Sophonisbe; though affected by the rise of Racine in his later years, he continued to write and revise earlier works, dying in Paris in 1684.

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