The blank verse translation by John Cairncross has lots of energy, but I can only assume the French has more interesting imagery or something else that couldn’t be brought across, because I found these plays quite dull and one-dimensional. The characters just seem to take turns saying what they mean; there’s little subtext or double meaning here, just ideas being opposed and worked out to a formula. The Cid and Cinna are untragic tragedies; The Theatrical Illusion a mild and inoffensive comedy. Glad to have read some Corneille, I suppose. ( )

I give it the 4 stars for Theatrical Illusion, which is very funny, and the Cid, which is gorgeous melodrama. Cinna, to me, is less exciting -- in real life, political forgiveness is a good thing, but it does not make for high tragedy ( )