Pierre Corneille’s Birthplace

“To conquer without risk is to triumph without glory.” Does this ring a bell for anyone? Classic French theater buffs, this is your time to shine! This is a quote from Pierre Corneille’s most famous work, “Le Cid”. This play brought him national acclaim, though not without its share of controversy. Born to a well-educated middle-class local family back in 1606, Pierre Corneille grew up in this charming house at number 4, Pie Street. He was a bright pupil and attended the Jesuit College, where he discovered a passion for theater alongside the priests there. But he grew up in a family of magistrates serving King Louis XIII, so he had no choice but to follow in their footsteps and study law. Not exactly the dream job for a shy, quiet man like him. He eventually quit giving defense speeches, and continued his legal career while pursuing his true passion: poetry, writing, and theater. In 1629, he wrote his first dramatic work, entitled Mélite. This was the start of a long and successful career as a playwright. He began with comedies that subtly mocked his life and the people around him, but gradually shifted towards tragedy, or more accurately, tragicomedy, for not all of his stories had an unhappy ending. After a few plays in a more classical literary style, he wrote his masterpiece, “Le Cid”, in 1637. It was an instant hit, but also stirred up a storm of criticism from those who claimed he’d broken the rules of classical theater. This became known as the “Quarrel of ‘Le Cid’.” Corneille was left discouraged and eventually gave up theater, overshadowed by the young and talented Racine. He was quickly forgotten and died in poverty in Paris in 1684. His childhood home in Rouen, where he lived for 56 years and wrote “Le Cid” and most of his masterpieces, is now open to the public. You can explore his library, see his old ebony cabinet, and learn about his theatrical career. So what do you say? Shall we go in? Don’t overthink it – it’s free!