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Pierre Corneille | |
|---|---|
 Detail from a portrait by Charles Le Brun | |
| Born | 6 June 1606 Rouen, France |
| Died | 1 October 1684 (aged 78) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Saint-Roch, Paris |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Nationality | French |
| Genre | Tragedy, comedy |
| Literary movement | Classicism |
| Notable works | Le Cid |
| Spouse | Marie de Lampérière |
| Relatives | Thomas Corneille |
Pierre Corneille (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ kɔʁnɛj]; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine.
As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage of Cardinal Richelieu, who was trying to promote classical tragedy along formal lines, but later quarrelled with him, especially over his best-known play, Le Cid, about a medieval Spanish warrior, which was denounced by the newly formed Académie française for breaching the unities. He continued to write well-received tragedies for nearly forty years.
