Le Cid

“Love is a tyrant which spares no one.”

The Infanta confides in Leonora about her secret love for Rodrigo and the pain she feels in knowing that it is socially unacceptable to pursue him. The line expresses the ironic mix of romance and tragedy that runs throughout the play; love, a typically positive emotion, gives rise to fierce conflicts and insoluble dilemmas for several of the characters.

“In the happiness of others I seek my own.” 

Knowing that Rodrigo can never be hers, the Infanta resolves to bring Rodrigo and Chimène together for the sake of her friendship with Chimène. This line expresses her kind, unselfish nature, which contrasts with Chimène’s drive for vengeance.

“[M]en may reduce me to live without happiness, but they cannot compel me to live without honor.” 

Spoken by the Count, this line expresses the central concern for honor among most of the characters in the play. To live with honor, dignity and self-respect is the primary value, more important than life itself. The Count here defies the consequences of insulting Diego, which he sees as an act of defending his own honor.