About the work
"Cinna, or The Clemency of Augustus" is a five-act tragedy by Pierre Corneille, first performed in 1641 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris and printed in 1643. Set in ancient Rome, it examines the question of legitimate rule.
Plot
To avenge her murdered father, Émilie drives her lover Cinna and his friend Maxime into a conspiracy against Emperor Augustus – her marriage to Cinna is made conditional on the plot's success. When the plan is discovered, Augustus wavers between revenge and forgiveness. In the end he pardons all the conspirators, winning their loyalty.
Cultural significance
Augustus's famous line "I am master of myself as of the universe" made "Cinna" a classic model of courtly self-mastery and clemency, and it has remained one of Corneille's most frequently performed tragedies since the 17th century.