Cornélie

Cornélie is a Play of Robert Garnier, played Paris in 1568 and published in 1574. It is a Tragédie in five acts of 1934 worms.

Summary

~ 46 before J. - C.

Act 1 : Cicéron denounces the ambition which ruins Rome. Freedom does not exist any more, tyranny settled.
Act 2 : deploring the loss of her two husbands, (Crassus Fouls) and Pompée, Cornélie, which is judged some responsible, wants to die. In the name of piety, Cicéron rejects the suicide.
Act 3 : Cornélie fears the death of his/her father, Scipion (Metellus Scipion), which fights in Africa and Spain. Indeed, in dream, the phantom of Pumped, recommended to him to take care of its coffin and that of his/her father-in-law. Cicéron hopes that César will be assassinated. One brings to Cornélie ashes of Pompée.
Act 4 : Cassy tells the death of Scipion. César makes in the same way near Antoine which vainly recommends to him to kill its potential enemies.
Act 5 : a messenger tells with Cornélie the splendid suicide of Scipion in Thapse (Thapsus). After having begged the hells to come to seek it, Cornélie is solved with living.

Context

Cornélie is the second Roman part of Robert Garnier. It will be followed of Marc Antoine (1578).

By still treating civil wars of Rome, Garnier always speaks with its contemporaries about the wars of religion. The tragedy “puts in scene the double misfortune of heroin éponyme: the death of Métellus Scipion, his/her father, is added to that of Pumped, her husband. With the disappearance of these two large captains the end of the values is announced for which they fought. To the heroes of the freedom whose Rome of the triumphing Republic was enorgueillissait and who had réincarnés themselves in Pumped, Scipion and Caton opposes the liberticide César, “cruel Tarquin”. Outburst of the “Malicious Ambition”, from this thirst for being able results the destruction the “large ones quote” invited to become “large stony heaps”. If the destruction of Troy or Carthage were ascribable with the action of the Fortune which lowers necessarily what it raised, as any tragedy exposes it, the ruin of Rome and of France of the Valois last is explained by the cupido regni and “the ambicieux discord of its Citizens”. Such is the lesson that Garnier does not have of cease to repeat, raising the question of the good government” (4th of cover of the Champion edition).

Dramaturgy

As in Porcie , the influence of Lucain is large there: the style of Garnier is a vehement style and the subject is that of the civil wars. Concerning the model dramaturgic itself, it is “sénéquien”.

Modern editions

Lucien Pinvert , " Complete works of Robert Garnier" , Paris, Garnier, 1923, volume I.
S. Turzio , " The Tragedy at the time of Henri II and Charles IX" , 1st series, vol. 5 (1573-1575), Florence-Paris, Olschki-P.U.F., 1993.
Jean-Claude Ternaux , Cornélie , critical edition, Paris, Champion, Texts of the Rebirth n° 53,2002.

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