"For Him neglect wife, property, and rank.
And for His glory risk and suffer all."
— Nearchus to Polyeuctus, Act I
STORY
In Pierre Corneille's play Polyeuctus (1642), a Roman nobleman secretly converts to Christianity and plots to destroy the Roman temple's pagan idols. In the empire the punishment for apostasy, let alone defiling a Roman holy place, is death, but the play's hero Polyeuctus is sincere in his new-found religion.
His wife Paulina, a devout pagan born and raised in Rome, has no idea of her husband's plan to commit treason, but she suffers from a recurring nightmare that puts him in danger. In it, Paulina sees three events:
The nightmare is an impossible situation though: Severus was killed in battle in the Near East years ago, and Felix loves Polyeuctus (Felix chose him over Severus for a son-in-law). But still, Paulina is convinced he's in some sort of danger, and does everything she can to stop Polyeuctus from leaving the palace. The protagonist placates her enough to leave with his Christian brother, Nearchus, to go and be secretly baptized.
After they leave, Paulina's father Felix arrives with urgent news for his daughter: Severus, her past lover, was not in fact killed in battle — but captured by the enemy Persians, after sacrificing his life to save Rome's Emperor Decius from being killed. The Persian king though, learning of his prisoner's courageous sacrifice, attempts to bribe him to join his army. Severus refuses the offer even if that means a life in in prison or torture or death, but instead the Persian king releases him unharmed. And so, now the war hero travels to see Paulina, aware of her new marriage.
A great celebration will be held the next day at the Roman temple in Severus' honor — the perfect opportunity, Felix fears, to seek revenge on the would-be-father-in-law, for denying his and Paulina's love and instead marrying her to Polyeuctus. Paulina fears more for her new husband's life though, thinking it's he who will be the target of Severus' vengeance. Meanwhile, unknown to Felix, Paulina, and Severus, the temple's celebration is also the perfect opportunity for Polyeuctus to defile the pagan temple and testify for Christ...
His wife Paulina, a devout pagan born and raised in Rome, has no idea of her husband's plan to commit treason, but she suffers from a recurring nightmare that puts him in danger. In it, Paulina sees three events:
- Her past lover, Severus, return to her
- Her father, Felix, raise a knife at Polyeuctus
- Polyeuctus dead in a pool of blood
The nightmare is an impossible situation though: Severus was killed in battle in the Near East years ago, and Felix loves Polyeuctus (Felix chose him over Severus for a son-in-law). But still, Paulina is convinced he's in some sort of danger, and does everything she can to stop Polyeuctus from leaving the palace. The protagonist placates her enough to leave with his Christian brother, Nearchus, to go and be secretly baptized.
After they leave, Paulina's father Felix arrives with urgent news for his daughter: Severus, her past lover, was not in fact killed in battle — but captured by the enemy Persians, after sacrificing his life to save Rome's Emperor Decius from being killed. The Persian king though, learning of his prisoner's courageous sacrifice, attempts to bribe him to join his army. Severus refuses the offer even if that means a life in in prison or torture or death, but instead the Persian king releases him unharmed. And so, now the war hero travels to see Paulina, aware of her new marriage.
A great celebration will be held the next day at the Roman temple in Severus' honor — the perfect opportunity, Felix fears, to seek revenge on the would-be-father-in-law, for denying his and Paulina's love and instead marrying her to Polyeuctus. Paulina fears more for her new husband's life though, thinking it's he who will be the target of Severus' vengeance. Meanwhile, unknown to Felix, Paulina, and Severus, the temple's celebration is also the perfect opportunity for Polyeuctus to defile the pagan temple and testify for Christ...
WHY I LOVE IT
The central conflict in Polyeuctus is established right out of the gate — a nobleman, newly married to a senator's daughter, recants the state religion and plots to destroy the local temple's false idols, sacrificing his life if necessary. It's a clearly-drawn philosophical play, but one fused with action and consequence.
For me what integrates all of the characters' choices and spotlights their meaning is the theme of integrity. Polyeuctus' faith in his new religion drives him from being a closet-Christian to publicly testifying his fait and to destroy Rome's false idols, as is commanded by Christian scripture. His mind drives his body. He chooses. He walks the talk, even, and especially when not doing so would be easier. Christianity is illegal, but he's willing destroy his standing as a Roman citizen, his new marriage, and perhaps his life for its sake.
While the play does compare and contrast the story's competing religions, (in Act III, Paulina declares, "Tortures to [Christians] are what [Pagan's] pleasures are."), I think it's an over-simplification to think the play is merely a glorification of Christianity and a denunciation of the Pagans. Corneille's inclusion of Severus is telling, the Roman soldier who saved the Emperor in battle against the infidel Persians.
Severus' motivation to expand the Roman Empire through combat, to honor his Emperor and his own gods, is on full display in Act I and II. In fact, it was his courage and integrity — refusing to be bought by the Persian king and switch sides once captured — that makes Severus a moral equal to his rival Polyeuctus. One champions a new god, the other the old gods, but both champion their values in thought and action. Corneille even includes the Persian king, a Muslim, respecting Severus' courage and integrity so much that he lets him go, heralding him as an enemy, but one he profoundly respects.
Corneille's heroes, Christian, Pagan, Muslim, and those oscillating between religions, are depicted as agents of their own values, their own actions, and bear the consequences bravely and uncompromisingly. As an atheist, I don't admire martyrdom, but I love the fierce loyalty to principles that the characters of Polyeuctus preach and practice. {JG}
For me what integrates all of the characters' choices and spotlights their meaning is the theme of integrity. Polyeuctus' faith in his new religion drives him from being a closet-Christian to publicly testifying his fait and to destroy Rome's false idols, as is commanded by Christian scripture. His mind drives his body. He chooses. He walks the talk, even, and especially when not doing so would be easier. Christianity is illegal, but he's willing destroy his standing as a Roman citizen, his new marriage, and perhaps his life for its sake.
While the play does compare and contrast the story's competing religions, (in Act III, Paulina declares, "Tortures to [Christians] are what [Pagan's] pleasures are."), I think it's an over-simplification to think the play is merely a glorification of Christianity and a denunciation of the Pagans. Corneille's inclusion of Severus is telling, the Roman soldier who saved the Emperor in battle against the infidel Persians.
Severus' motivation to expand the Roman Empire through combat, to honor his Emperor and his own gods, is on full display in Act I and II. In fact, it was his courage and integrity — refusing to be bought by the Persian king and switch sides once captured — that makes Severus a moral equal to his rival Polyeuctus. One champions a new god, the other the old gods, but both champion their values in thought and action. Corneille even includes the Persian king, a Muslim, respecting Severus' courage and integrity so much that he lets him go, heralding him as an enemy, but one he profoundly respects.
Corneille's heroes, Christian, Pagan, Muslim, and those oscillating between religions, are depicted as agents of their own values, their own actions, and bear the consequences bravely and uncompromisingly. As an atheist, I don't admire martyrdom, but I love the fierce loyalty to principles that the characters of Polyeuctus preach and practice. {JG}
FAVORITE QUOTES
{ * } "Desire increases when the deed's delayed." — Polyeuctus, Act I (46)
{ * } "What's postponed is half-prevented." — Nearchus, Act I (47)
{ * } "For Him neglect wife, property, and rank. And for His glory risk and suffer all." — Nearchus to Polyeuctus, Act I (47)
{ * } "Tortures to [Christians] are what [pagan's] pleasures are." — Paulina, Act III (86)
{ * } "This godlike and high-hearted figure [Polyeuctus] is not worthy of Paulina or to live. Gone is the husband who entranced you so. He is an enemy of the State and gods, wicked, rebellious, infamous, and false, a villain, scoundrel, coward criminal, to all right-thinking men a loathsome scourage, an impious knave; in short a Christian." — Stratonice, Paulina's confidante, Act III (78)
{ * } "What's postponed is half-prevented." — Nearchus, Act I (47)
{ * } "For Him neglect wife, property, and rank. And for His glory risk and suffer all." — Nearchus to Polyeuctus, Act I (47)
{ * } "Tortures to [Christians] are what [pagan's] pleasures are." — Paulina, Act III (86)
{ * } "This godlike and high-hearted figure [Polyeuctus] is not worthy of Paulina or to live. Gone is the husband who entranced you so. He is an enemy of the State and gods, wicked, rebellious, infamous, and false, a villain, scoundrel, coward criminal, to all right-thinking men a loathsome scourage, an impious knave; in short a Christian." — Stratonice, Paulina's confidante, Act III (78)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684) wrote over thirty plays, of which I've now read six. Polyeuctus, El Cid, and Cinna (reviews here) are my favorites. Both Napoleon and Voltaire were big fans of his, though they lived after Corneille's time. Voltaire, a dramatist and philosopher himself, created a comprehensive anthology and literary criticism of Corneille's works — in French. If you can find an English translation, please let me know!
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