Cinna

Cinna, play in five acts by Pierre Corneille, produced in 1641 and published in 1643. Subtitled “The Clemency of Augustus” and based on a passage in De clementia by Seneca the Younger, the Neoclassical tragedy recounts a plot to assassinate the Roman emperor Augustus and the mercy he shows to the conspirators after their arrest. It is noted for its elevated language and powerful characterizations.