Date of Award

Spring 6-14-2026

Document Type

M.A. Essay

First Advisor

Faith E. Beasley

Second Advisor

Carl B. Estabrook

Abstract

Previous scholarship on Joseph Rutter’s English translation of Pierre Corneille’s Le Cid (1637) has tended to focus on its performance and/or publication date and its literary merit as a translated play. To date, little attention has been paid to the changes that Rutter makes to the French original, let alone the motivations behind them. This essay examines Rutter’s translation decisions, from omissions of lines to changes in wording, in the context of Caroline court culture. The Cid neither replicates the French original to create a popular sensation in England as it did in France nor addresses the points of contention raised against the original in what was known as the querelle du Cid. Instead, Rutter’s translation caters to an ideology that was characteristic of the Caroline court. While Le Cid’s enormous success in France was most likely what first caught the attention of the English court, the determining factor behind its swift introduction into England was the potential alignment between its thematic content and English royal values. The Cid—with its emphasis on honor, decorum, and unity—responds creatively and pragmatically to antitheatrical sentiments like those expressed by William Prynne, enabling the English monarchy to achieve a subtle fusion of theater and politics, of art and life.

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