The Song of the Cid: Epic Heroism and Honor

The Song of the Cid

It recounts the exploits of a hero. In this case, the protagonist is a nobleman who has been unjustly banished and must fight to regain his honor. Throughout the story, the hero emerges as a model gentleman.

The Document

The Cantar de Mio Cid is a typical minstrel manuscript of the fourteenth century. It is signed by Per Abbat, a copyist, and the date of composition is situated in the early thirteenth century.

The Author

The work is anonymous. It has been speculated that there was more than one author and there is debate regarding its origin or the culture of the poet who composed it; however, it is considered that the author was someone educated and knowledgeable of the laws.

Argument

The work is divided into three parts:

• Cantar of Exile: The hero leaves home because he has been unjustly banished, leaving his wife and young daughters in a monastery. He sets out to conquer land to prove his faithfulness to the king and to regain his honor. After winning many battles, he gains prestige and sends messengers to the king with gifts to reaffirm his loyalty.
• Cantar of the Weddings: El Cid conquers Valencia and receives the royal pardon. The monarch allows his wife and daughters to meet with him. Furthermore, the king asks the Cid to marry his daughters to the Infantes of Carrión; the Cid agrees because he cannot deny anything to his master.
• Cantar of the Affront at Corpes: The cowardice of the Infantes of Carrión is revealed. As vassals of the Cid, they mock him, take their wives to Corpes, leave them naked, abused, and abandoned. El Cid asks the king for justice and convenes the Cortes of Toledo. The representatives of the Cid win, and the Infantes of Navarra and Aragón ask to marry his daughters, thus completing the social promotion of the Cid.

Themes and Characterization

• Theme: The main theme is the recovery of lost social honor, as well as the honor of a father and husband.
• Protagonist: A model gentleman and a family man who seeks the welfare of his family and subjects.

Historicity and Style

The style is characterized by:

• Epic epithets.
• Versos de arte mayor (16 syllables) divided into two hemistichs by a caesura.
• Assonant rhyme.
• Direct style and use of dialogue.
• Appeals to the audience (the listener).
• Use of archaic language (historicism).
• Beginning in medias res.
• Figures of speech such as pleonasm and anaphora.