Great Plays
Le Cid
by
Great Plays presents a radio adaptation of Pierre Corneille’s Le Cid, the classic French tragedy of love, honor, and duty. The story centers on Rodrigue and Chimène, whose devotion to one another is tested when a family feud forces Rodrigue to choose between his love and his obligation to defend his father’s honor.
Listeners encounter the play through dramatic performance, with its conflicts and emotional turns carried by dialogue rather than narration. Corneille’s tale draws on the tension between private feeling and public reputation, as its characters struggle to reconcile personal loyalty with the demands of family and society.
The result is a formal, impassioned drama shaped by questions of courage, sacrifice, and the cost of honor. Its central dilemma gives the story a lasting intensity, while the radio format brings the characters’ choices and confrontations directly to the listener.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
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