Paulina, the daughter of Felix, the Roman governor of Armenia, was quite in love with the gallant Severus, but his lack of distinction prevented her father from consenting to their becoming wed. Severus having been reported dead in battle after great feats of heroism, Paulina married instead her father's choice, Polyeuctus, a noble Armenian youth. As it transpired, however, Severus survived, the Persian foe having honored his valor by nursing him back to health and returning him to the Romans with offers of lasting peace. So Severus, now high in the esteem of the emperor, returns to Armenia to renew his suit, not knowing that the woman he loves is already married to another. Polyeuctus, meanwhile, has secretly converted to Christianity, and his newfound faith will inevitably bring him into conflict with pagan Rome, ultimately costing him everything he loves in this world.
The conventional view on Polyeuctus, as represented by Cairncross' introduction, is that the drama of the thwarted romance of Paulina and Severus is far more interesting than that of Polyeuctus' zeal for his newfound faith. This is sadly to be expected of conventional critics for whom such zeal is alien and frightening, of course, but even the summary above reflects it. Although it is Polyeuctus with whom the play begins and it is his decisions which drive the main conflict, his character is not where our attention naturally rests. The tale of Paulina and Severus is one of passion barely subjected to reason, that of Polyeuctus a story of the straightforward martyrdom of a fanatic. Yet it is Polyeuctus' supreme devotion to the highest Good that demonstrates the goal to which the pagan virtues of the other characters aspire, a truth that is beautifully consummated at the conclusion of the play.
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