El Cid: An Epic Poem of Honor, Exile, and Triumph
The single epic poem is almost complete, preserved in a manuscript of 3730 verses kept in the National Library of Madrid. The manuscript is dated 1207 and signed by Per Abbat, presumably a mere copyist. Past studies have proposed a date of composition around the end of the 12th or beginning of the 13th century. Early authorship agreements suggest it could be the work of a cultured poet, drawing on both epic oral traditions and literary sources.
Argument
The poem is structured in three parts:
Song of Exile (Verses 1-1084)
King Alfonso VI banishes Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, El Cid Campeador, who departs with his friends and vassals into exile, leaving his wife and daughters, Jimena, Elvira, and Sol, in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña. El Cid and his followers engage in battles in Moorish lands, prevailing in the battle of Alcocer and plundering protected lands near Barcelona, which causes a confrontation with the Count of Barcelona. This section ends with the release of the count, ashamed of his defeat.
Song of Conquest (1084-2276)
El Cid conquers Valencia after a two-year siege. The hero enriches himself and earns the king’s pardon, which allows the reunion of his family. Another victory against the troops of the Emir of Morocco provides El Cid with even greater power and wealth, attracting the greed of the heirs of Carrion, nobles from León. They ask for the hands of El Cid’s daughters in marriage. The king approves the weddings.
The Offense of Corpes (2276-3730)
The story begins with the incident of the lion, which reveals the infants’ cowardice. Outraged, they leave Doña Elvira and Doña Sol in the oak grove of Corpes. El Cid demands justice in the courts convened in Toledo, exposing the contempt the nobles of León feel for El Cid. He succeeds in his claim, and his men defeat the infants in combat. This completes the process of the hero’s recovery. New weddings are arranged for the daughters with the heirs of Navarre and Aragon.
Themes
The central theme is the honor of the protagonist, lost and recovered after overcoming many obstacles and disadvantages. He regains his honor and moves up the social ladder.
Structure
The poem is organized around the ultimate triumph of the hero, maintaining a unity of tone and style, meticulous organization, and solidarity to enhance the figure of El Cid Campeador.
Metrics
It is written in verses of irregular measure, around 16 syllables, with assonance rhyme. The verses share the same rhyme, but the rhyme changes at the beginning of the next run. The number of lines in each run varies greatly, from 3, 4, to 200.
Narrative Art
The author’s narrative art is rich and complex, using various perspectives, alternating direct and indirect styles, varying tenses, and accelerating or slowing the pace of the narrative at will. Humorous elements are introduced to lighten moments of transition. In descriptions of places or characters, conciseness and simplicity are favored.
Stylistic Features
* Archaic attitudes in the use of language. * Dignifying epithets or epic phrases exalting characters and places. * Predominance of juxtaposed and coordinated prayers. * Lexical adjustment to the different situations that appear in the poem. * Rhetorical figures such as parallels, comparisons, and pleonasms, but always within sobriety and austerity.