L'Illusion Comique

L'Illusion comique
title page from the 1639 edition
Written by	Pierre Corneille
Characters	Alcandre Pridamant Dorante Clindor Isabelle Géronte Matamore Adraste
Date premiered	1634
Original language	French
Genre	comedy
Setting	A grotto in Touraine (Act I) Bordeaux (Acts II-IV) Paris (Act V)

L'Illusion comique is a comedic play written by Pierre Corneille in 1636. In its use of meta-theatricality (plays-within-the-play), it is far ahead of its time. It was first performed at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in 1636 and published in 1639.

Corneille wrote this piece at the age of 29 and had already written seven other plays. L'Illusion comique marks a turning point in his career. This piece can be regarded as the end of an apprenticeship during which the author demonstrates his literary prowess. In this work, Corneille makes use of all theatre genres: the first act is a prologue that is inspired by the pastoral style, and the next three acts are an imperfect comedy with the farcical character Matamore at the center. The fourth and fifth acts evolve into a tragicomedy with their episodes of rivalry, imprisonment, and even death. L'Illusion comique is therefore a summary of a theatrical universe, and it is in this play that Corneille shows his mastery of theatre as a whole.

L'Illusion comique plays with the idea of theatre within the theatre and has many layers of representation:

The complex structure of the play, based on a mise en abyme and a play on appearances is designed to confuse the reader. The game of illusions is found in the Baroque idea that life is a theatre; and Corneille exploits this idea by mixing the real life of Clindor and the role that he plays. Disguise and changing identity are marks of the Baroque in this play. The grotto can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the theatre and its spectators.

The linearity of the story is broken several times, and numerous digressions interrupt actions that overlap and are often incomplete. The principal story is interlaced with many subplots. The inconsistency of the plot is reinforced by the amorous inconsistency of the characters. This instability is present again at the end when Pridamant and the reader cannot distinguish between reality and fiction.

Corneille seems to disregard the three unities of classical theatre:

L'Illusion comique was written during a period of transition from the Baroque to the Classical, and it can be seen as both a homage to the Baroque theatre as well as a satire of the same.