Time, Space, and the Question of Heroism in Sertorius

This article examines the exceptional role Corneille gives to the dimensions of time and space in Sertorius, one of the playwright’s later tragedies. In contrast to Corneille’s general dramatic practice, in which the two dimensions are relatively neglected, here they are foregrounded and serve as a framework for Sertorius’s tragedy. His relationship to time—he is essentially a man of the past to whom the future will be denied—and to space—immobilized in Nertobridge while aching to return to Rome—restricts him and prevents forward movement in either realm. Furthermore, time and space provide a vital key for unraveling the thorny issue of heroism as it pertains to both Sertorius and Pompée.