207,380 profiles ranked

Pierre Corneille

French tragedian (1606-1684) · France · Writers · Died at 78

Pierre Corneille is read about 630 times a day, in 77 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.

Something wrong?
Compare

He wrote the play that broke the rules so hard the Académie française denounced it - and kept writing tragedies for four more decades anyway.

WritersWriter / AuthorTheatrePoetryLiteratureLawEarly Modern Era

A life in dates

1684Died1 October 16841643“Il faut bonne mémoire après qu'on a menti.”In their wordsIt takes a good memory to keep up a lie.

1642“À force d'être juste on est souvent coupable.”In their wordsOne is often guilty by being too just.

1636“À vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire.”In their wordsTo conquer without risk is to triumph without glory.

1606Born6 June 1606

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Pierre Corneille 2Pierre Corneille 2Charles Antoine Coypel - Rodogune et CléopâtreCharles Antoine Coypel - Rodogune et CléopâtreFirst page of Corneille's Eulogy by BaillyFirst page of Corneille's Eulogy by BaillyFrançois Boucher (587 × 675) Antoine et Cléopâtre - d'aprés Rodogune de Pierre Corneille- Collection GoncourtFrançois Boucher (587 × 675) Antoine et Cléopâtre - d'aprés Rodogune de Pierre Corneille- Collection GoncourtFrontis, showing Act V, scene IV of Rodogune LCCN2005692049Frontis, showing Act V, scene IV of Rodogune LCCN2005692049Hist. de France. P. Corneille. - Landon direx.t. ; Masne del.t - btv1b10051552dHist. de France. P. Corneille. - Landon direx.t. ; Masne del.t - btv1b10051552dJean Joseph Taillasson - "Seigneur^ Voyez ces yeux" (Cleopatra Discovered by Rodogune to Have Poisoned the Nuptial Cup) - 1981.79 - Museum of Fine ArtsJean Joseph Taillasson - "Seigneur^ Voyez ces yeux" (Cleopatra Discovered by Rodogune to Have Poisoned the Nuptial Cup) - 1981.79 - Museum of Fine ArtsListe des personnages d'AndromèdeListe des personnages d'Andromède

In their own words 3

,
Pierre Corneille
,
3 statements, newest first

  1. Il faut bonne mémoire après qu'on a menti.

    1643, It takes a good memory to keep up a lie., Own words

  2. À force d'être juste on est souvent coupable.

    1642, One is often guilty by being too just., Own words

  3. À vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire.

    1636, To conquer without risk is to triumph without glory., Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

In their orbit 3

About this person

Pierre Corneille was born on 6 June 1606 in France, and as a young man he secured the patronage of Cardinal Richelieu, who was backing formal classical tragedy. Then came Le Cid, his best-known work - a play about a medieval Spanish warrior that the newly formed Académie française attacked for violating the dramatic unities. The quarrel with Richelieu followed, but Corneille didn't stop: he continued writing well-received tragedies for nearly forty years. By the time he died on 1 October 1684, he'd secured his place as one of the three great French dramatists of the 17th century, alongside Molière and Racine.

Country
France
Category
Writers
Type
Writer / Author
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1606 to 1684 · aged 78

Writers from France 6

Paul Verlaine71.6Jean Cocteau70.9Ivan Bunin71.8Frédéric Mistral70.7Alexandre Dumas fils72.0Eugène Ionesco70.2

Fame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.