Pierre Corneille

Pertarito, King of the Lombards Pierre Corneille

Pierre Corneille's play Pertarito, King of the Lombards (Pertharite, roi des Lombards), written in 1651, was given one performance in Corneille's lifetime. The critical reception was so negative that Corneille withdrew from writing for the theatre for several years. The action takes place in Milan in the seventh century. Pertarito, king of Milan, has been overthrown by a usurper, Grimoaldo, and is believed dead, though his death is not a certainty. Grimoaldo, who had promised to marry Pertarito's sister, Eduige, wishes instead to marry Pertarito's supposed widow, Rodelinda, the mother of Pertarito's son. Pertarito is discovered and brought to the royal court, but Grimoaldo treats him as an impostor. Italian adaptations of Corneille's play were used as libretti for two operas in the eighteenth century, with Rodelinda as the title character, one by Giacomo Antonio Perti in 1710, and a more famous one by George Frideric Handel in 1725.