''The Death of Pompey'' (''La Mort de Pompée'') is a tragedy by the French playwright

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...

on the death of Pompey the Great. It was first performed in 1642, with

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

played by Molière. Like many of Corneille's plays, it is noted for the high tones of its heroine, Cornelia, who admits that her enemy is noble and generous but warns him when he releases her that she will continue to seek his death. Louis Auchincloss, ''False Dawn'' p 4 In 1724 Colley Cibber wrote an English-language play '' Caesar in Egypt'' inspired by Corneille's original. It was staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane with Barton Booth as Julius Caesar and

Anne Oldfield Anne Oldfield (168323 October 1730) was an English actress and one of the highest paid actresses of her time. Early life and discovery She was born in London in 1683. Her father was a soldier, James Oldfield. Her mother was either Anne or Eliz ...

as Cleopatra.

References

1642 plays Plays by Pierre Corneille Plays set in ancient Rome Plays based on real people Cultural depictions of Pompey Depictions of Julius Caesar in plays Tragedy plays {{17thC-play-stub