Œuvres de P. Corneille, Tome 07

This newly edited volume gathers a seldom‑performed tragedy by the great 17th‑century dramatist, together with extensive scholarly apparatus. The editors have restored original spelling, compared early prints, and added variants, notes, and a lexical guide that illuminate the playwright’s language. Readers also receive a portrait of the author, a facsimile of the 1666 title page, and contextual essays that place the work amid the fierce competition with a rising contemporary. The careful restoration invites listeners to experience the play as it first appeared on the stage of the Hôtel de Bourgogne.

The drama opens in Ephesus, where the Spartan king Agésilas must decide how to balance his ambition with the demands of his allies and rivals. Among the key figures are the proud captain Lysander, the foreign king Cotys, and the charismatic Persian Spitridate, each urging the monarch toward war or peace. The playwright weaves political intrigue with personal loyalties, exploring how honor and desire clash in a world of shifting allegiances. As tensions mount, listeners are drawn into the moral dilemmas that defined the age of classical tragedy.