Polyeucte

"Polyeucte" by Pierre Corneille is a powerful tragedy about an Armenian nobleman at odds with his society. The play examines faith, love, and sacrifice as its core themes. Polyeucte struggles between his growing Christian faith and his duties in a society that persecutes those beliefs. Key relationships with his wife, Pauline, her former lover, Severus, and his father-in-law, Felix, reveal the difficult choices between personal bonds and devotion to something greater. The play opens with Polyeucte expressing his love for his wife as a friend encourages him to embrace baptism and Pauline is frightful that his growing faith will place him in terrible danger. His determination to announce his faith despite the risk creates tension between his passions, his wife's fears, and the threats from Roman authorities, foreshadowing a tragedy.