Showing results for "Horace" in European

Along with Virgil, Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) was the greatest poet produced by Rome, and in many ways his work has had arguably an even greater impact. His brilliant expression and astonishing acumen continue to amaze readers today, either in their original Latin or in innumerable worldwide translations. Shakespeare's debt to Horace is incalculable, and it is difficult to read his Sonnets today without immediately being reminded of the famous Odes.

On the day of his wedding, Conrad, heir to the house of Otranto, is killed under mysterious circumstances. His calculating father, Manfred, fears that his dynasty will now come to an end and determines to marry his son's bride himself, despite the fact he is already married. But a series of terrifying supernatural omens soon threaten this unlawful union, as the curse placed on Manfred's ancestor, who usurped the lawful Prince of Otranto, begins to unfold.

La pièce, dont l'action se situe à l'origine de Rome, débute dans une ambiance tragique : la famille romaine des Horaces est unie à la famille des Curiaces.

Les circonstances : depuis 1636, la France et l'Espagne se disputent l'hégémonie européenne dans une guerre sans merci. Les deux États ont la même religion, le même régime politique et social ; les deux rois ennemis sont doublement beaux-frères ; les officiers qui se font face sont souvent proches les uns des autres par le sang ou les alliances, l'amitié, les conceptions de la vie... Ils s'entretuent quand même. Corneille, lui, après deux ans de silence, écrit "Horace" et le dédie à Richelieu.