Quote:
"Et l'on peut me reduire a vivre sans bonheur,
Mais non pas me resoudre a vivre sans honneur."
Synopsis:
acte i: It's clear from the start that Chimene, although pursued by two men, prefers don Rodrigue. Meanwhile the father of don Rodrigue has been given authority and honors from the king, thereby snubbing the Comte (Chimene's father). For the king's slight, the Comte punishes don Diegue who is don Rodrigue's father. First the Comte insults him, then in turn is insulted by don Diegue. The verbal abuse culminates with the Comte slapping don Diegue -- an injury to the family's pride and honor, not taken lightly: Don Rodrigue must choose between his family allegiance or his romantic desires, because his father enlists him to right this wrong (in other words, kill the Comte). Don Rodrigue is virtuous and chooses the greater cause (honor over heart): "Je dois tout a mon pere avant qu'a ma maitresse."
acte ii: Don Arias tries to reason with the Comte to no avail. This interchange reveals how arrogant and stubborn the Comte is, which in part justifies don Rodrigue's subsequent murder. Of course, this act (performed by her lover) engages Chimene in a pursuit of her own familial retribution, requesting the blood of the man she loves.
Reader's response:
What an exposition! Corneille has set up an amazing situation where both don Rodrigue and Chimene must make choices that pit their passion and sentimental interests of the heart against honor. At this point it appears that honor will bear sway, but undoubtedly the playwright will try to put the imbalance of justice back into place. How will he accomplish this? It seems impossible at this point, but the unlikeliness gives us as readers earned respect for the author if he successfully pulls this off.
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5 comments:
I really enjoyed reading Le Cid! It's very interesting, and easy to follow. He really grabs your attention. And the style that he rights in makes it really fun to read. I love how the characters speak together. I don't know what it's called. One character will stop, without completing the rhyme, and the next will continue and finish it.
I also liked the Cid. The inner battle of Don Rodrigue between avenging his father and losing his love or losing his honor and keeping his love. I thought le Comte played a great antagonist. Corneille depicts great heroism through choosing ones honor over ones passions.
I also really liked the way in which it was written. The rhymes made it more enjoyable to read and made me wish I could see it acted out live on the stage.
I really liked the Cid. I had a little problem with scene three of Act 2 but after I reread it I got it better. My favorite part was when Rodrigue had the whole discussion with himself about what he should do. I really enjoyed being able to get that glimpse into his heartache. I am sure it was felt by the audience during the play. I also enjoyed the rhyming! It made it fun to read.
This was a great play. It was very entertaining the entire time and would love to read more work from Corneille. The choices they had to make were very life changing and would be so hard for me to make. I would love to see this play
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