Horace by Pierre Corneille
"Horace" is a tragedy written by Pierre Corneille, first performed in 1640, set against the backdrop of war between the cities of Rome and Alba. The narrative revolves around the conflict faced by two families—one Roman and one Alban—where the fates of individuals are intertwined with deep-seated themes of patriotism, loyalty, and familial ties. Central to the story is Horace, a Roman warrior, who must confront the tragic implications of a combat trial in which he faces his wife's brothers, challenging the bonds of love and family loyalty.
The play explores the emotional turmoil of the characters, particularly Sabine, Horace's wife, and Camille, the betrothed of Horace's adversary, Curiace. Both women are caught in a web of conflicting loyalties as they grapple with the impending violence that will determine their loved ones' fates. The themes of duty to one's city versus devotion to family and the tragic consequences of war are paramount, leading to profound moral dilemmas.
As the narrative unfolds, the play delves into the aftermath of the combat, revealing the devastating impact of the conflict on personal relationships and the harsh realities of victory and loss. The culmination of these events forces Horace to confront the heavy price of his actions, as he struggles with the repercussions of patriotism that results in familial tragedy. Overall, "Horace" is a reflection on the complexities of honor and the often painful choices that individuals must make in the name of loyalty.
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Horace by Pierre Corneille
First produced: 1640; first published, 1641 (English translation, 1656)
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Tragedy
Time of plot: Antiquity
Locale: Rome
Principal characters
Horace , the most courageous of the Roman soldiersSabine , his Alban wifeOld Horace , his father, formerly a soldierCamille , Horace’s sisterCuriace , Sabine’s brother, in love with CamilleValère , a Roman soldier in love with CamilleJulie , the confidant of both Sabine and CamilleTulle , the ruler of Rome
The Story:
The cities of Rome and Alba are at war, although they were united by ties of patriotism and blood, for Alba is the birthplace of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Sabine, the wife of Horace, is divided in her loyalties between the city of her birth, where her brothers still live, and the city of her famous warrior-husband. The victor is to be decided by armed combat between three heroes from each side. Sabine draws little comfort from that resolution, for it means the defeat either of her kinsman or of her husband. Camille, the betrothed of Curiace, the Alban warrior-brother of Sabine, feels her loyalties divided between her beloved and her brother Horace. Even though the oracles have been favorable toward her coming marriage, she envisions the imminent horror in her dreams.
Before the battle takes place, Curiace visits Camille at the home of her father, Old Horace. He declares his abiding love for her, though as an Alban patriot he remains loyal to his city. They comment on the oracles and wish for a lasting peace. When the two warriors meet, however, Horace is insistent on the outcome of the trial by combat. Curiace, who stresses the need for peaceful understanding, is dismayed to hear that his prospective brothers-in-law are to represent the Romans. He is even more oppressed in spirit when a messenger announces that he and his two brothers are to defend the honor of Alba. Horace wants no sympathy from Curiace, though he bears him no personal ill will, but Curiace sees love of wife and family as superior to Horace’s kind of patriotism.
Horace allows the lovers a moment together before the battle. Camille, mindful of the fact that she is the daughter and sister of famous warriors, denounces the patriotism that makes her choose between love of family and of her future husband. She begs Curiace to avoid a battle that can only end in tragedy. His first duty, however, is to his country, as he tells her brutally. Sabine and Camille then beg for the cause of love of home and family, while Horace and Curiace defend honor and patriotism. The women are unsuccessful in their suit, and as the young men go off to prepare for the combat, Old Horace comforts them. Young Horace, loving to his sister and kind to his aged parent, seeks glory in battle; Curiace, no less patriotic, feels that he has lost wife, brothers, and brothers-in-law by a grim turn of fate.
Sabine, given at first to confusion and later to bitterness, laments her sad position as the sister of the Alban warriors and the wife of their adversary. When she inquires of her friend Julie whether her husband or her brothers are vanquished, she is told that no resolution has been reached; the king has only just arranged the combatants and charged them to fight to the death, that the fate of the two principalities might be determined. Camille, wearied by her solitary wonderings and fears, joins the discussion. She renounces the deceptive oracle, and neither the wife nor the prospective bride can find solace for her anxiety and grief. Sabine declares that a wife is the most bereaved, to which Camille replies that her sister-in-law has never been in love. For the moment the controversy is resolved by Old Horace, who declares that Rome suffers most; all else is in the hands of the gods.
Julie brings word that the Alban brothers are victorious, that two of Old Horace’s sons are dead, and that Horace has fled the battlefield. The old man is appalled that his son could see his brothers die without drawing new courage from such defeat and either go down to death or glory. Camille feels some relief that both her lover and her brother are for the moment spared, and Sabine is content that her husband is alive. Old Horace can share in none of these sentiments, for he is concerned above all for honor, country, manliness.
Valère, dispatched by Tulle to bring comfort to Old Horace, tells of the outcome of the battle. He says that Horace retreated as a ruse in order to attack the Albans at a disadvantage and that he killed all three. The old man, his family honor vindicated, rejoices in the face of Camille’s great sorrow. Left alone, she laments the death of her two brothers and her lover and reviles Rome as the symbol of patriotic infamy.
Into this scene of unrestrained grief comes the victorious warrior accompanied by his faithful soldier-in-arms bearing the swords of the vanquished brothers. Displaying the arms, now the spoils of war, that killed their brothers, he taunts Camille with the glory of Rome, but she responds that his deed is murder. When he accuses her of disloyalty, her replies inflame him to murder, and with the sword of Curiace he kills his sister, a deed he defends as an act of justice. Sabine is shocked by her husband’s bloody deed, and he crudely tries to comfort her, feeling that he has performed an act of patriotism justified by the insult to his country. The deeds of heroism he recounts only heighten the despair of his wife, who declares that her only wish is to die.
Old Horace, proud of his son’s achievements but saddened by his vindictiveness, is distressed over the turn of events, which might now deprive him of his last offspring. The fate of his son he must now leave to his king. Tulle, in response to the eloquent plea by Valère, allows Horace to speak for himself. The hero and murderer wants most to die, knowing that his past glory is dimmed by the murder of his own sister. Sabine begs the king to kill her that her husband might live; Old Horace wishes the king to save the last of his sons. Tulle, after he hears all the pleas, feels that Horace’s fate rests with the gods, that a king can only pardon that which he cannot condone.
Bibliography
Abraham, Claude. Pierre Corneille. New York: Twayne, 1972. An excellent introduction to Corneille’s plays. Thoughtful analysis of the ethical and moral conflicts in Horace, a tragedy in which characters must choose between their loyalty to the state and their love for family members.
Brereton, Geoffrey. French Tragic Drama in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. London: Methuen, 1973. A general introduction to French tragedies of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Also contains two long, lucid chapters on Corneille. Brereton analyzes Corneille’s skill in using historical sources to create powerful conflicts among his characters.
Ekstein, Nina. Corneille’s Irony. Charlottesville, Va.: Rookwood Press, 2007. A detailed examination of the use of irony in Corneille’s plays, describing the different types of irony he employs and how it functions in specific plays. Chapter 5 includes an analysis of Horace.
Elmarsafy, Zid. “Freedom in Chains: Corneille and the Erotic Contract.” In Freedom, Slavery, and Absolutism: Corneille, Pascal, Racine. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, 2003. Argues that the works of Corneille and his two contemporaries depict a sovereign’s absolute authority as the only form of government that can ensure freedom for its citizens.
Harwood-Gordon, Sharon. Rhetoric in the Tragedies of Corneille. New Orleans, La.: Tulane University Press, 1977. Very clear rhetorical analyses of Corneille’s major tragedies. In her discussion of Horace, Harwood-Gordon effectively contrasts the passionate speeches of Sabine with the insensitive arguments of the two Horaces.
Longstaffe, Moya. Metamorphoses of Passion and the Heroic in French Literature: Corneille, Stendhal, Claudel. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 1999. Maintains that the works of Corneille, Paul Claudel, and Stendhal share a common aspiration for human dignity. Compares the writers’ treatments of the ideal of the heroic and the relationship between men and women.
Margitic, Milorad R. Cornelian Power Games: Variations on a Theme in Pierre Corneille’s Theatre from “Mélite” to “Polyeucte.” Tübingen, Germany: Narr, 2002. Analyzes Corneille’s first twelve plays, including Horace, showing how each demonstrates a particular strategy of power. Margitic concludes that Corneille’s universe is a highly manipulative and political place and his characters are complex and changing.
Muratore, Mary Jo. The Evolution of the Cornelian Heroine. Potomac, Md.: Studia Humanitatis, 1982. Explores the evolution in Corneille’s representations of heroines in the tragedies he wrote between the 1630’s and his retirement in 1674. Muratore contrasts Sabine and Camille, the leading female characters in Horace.
Nelson, Robert J. Corneille, His Heroes and Their Worlds. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1963. Examines the changing meaning of heroism and the conflicts between love and duty that Corneille’s male characters face. Discusses the ethical and moral dimensions in Horace.