El Cantar de Mio Cid - How Reliable Are the Described Events - Essay Example

Cantar de mio Cid El Cantar de Myo Çid, also referred to as The Lay of Cid, is ranked as one of the greatest epic poems of medieval Spain. It is the only Spanish document to have survived the adulterations in truth rendered over time. The poem constituted a part of the famous trend referred to as the mester de juglaría by Ramón Menéndez. This tradition was characterized by the relation and passing on of renowned poems from one generation to another, making the poems liable to modifications in the process. Despite the fact that the Cantar del Mio Cid was written decades ago, the poem has not withered considerably by the tides of time in terms of its originality. Mester de juglaría included those poems that were famous amongst the cultural setup and were popularly narrated in public and were presented by the performers with their own alterations. On the contrary, some critics are of the view that the poem was written by Per Abbad, who also put down his name on the only existing copy of the original poem existing today; however most of the critics are of the perspective that he was only the copier and not the writer of the poem. The poem is regarded as the only Spanish cantar de geste, or the song of heroic deeds, to have made through the fabrications of performers and minstrels. The poem is 3,730-lines long and relates the account of the Cid, derived from the Arabic word sayyid meaning master; the Cid was also known as the Rodrigo (Ruy) Díaz de Vivar in the poem. He was the commander under King Alfonso VI of Castile and becomes famous for his heroic deeds of winning the Southern part of the Spain back from Islamic invaders for the purpose of pleasing the King. The works of the Middle Ages are characteristic of being plundered in their truth with the passage of time, and even though Cid is based on a historical character, many parts of the real event have been altered in the poem in order to create a more idealized delineation of the leading character and to create more emphasis on his bravery and faithfulness (Cantar de mio Cid). The aim of this paper is to analyze how the poem has departed from the historical truth and whether this has added more interest to the story or has detracted from the story as a whole. The current version of Cantar de mio Cid has been attributed to Ramon Menendez Pidal. Pidal is of the perspective that there are several parts in the poem where it becomes surprisingly akin to the historical chronology of events of the hero in real life. This connection is not a common phenomenon cited in epic poems. Usually epic poems are characterized by legend and fantasy and present an adorned version of reality, which appeals to the public. These versions tend to block out the real life events of an epic hero, and present a fictionalized picture of his deeds long before the story is committed to written form. As a result, it is rare to find an epic poem that absolutely corresponds to the real life chronicles of the hero. However, Cantar de mio Cid can be considered an exception to the discrepancy that is rife in epic poems. There are many portions in the poem, particularly the first third of the poem, where there is a striking similarity of the events described to real life events; the initial parts of the poem accurately describe many of the deeds that Cid did in his life without any undue exaggeration or distortion of the truth. Since the poem is the only existing epic narrative that is relatively intact, it has been the subject of many studies based on Spanish epic prose and literature. Most of the aspects of the poem have been the topic of debate amongst scholars. There are different views regarding the differences between the text and the original events. According to Diego Catalán, the large number of differences in the second part of the poem is a result of the different eras in which the prosifications of the chronicle were penned (Webber 347). The poem has spurred much debate over its historical and geographical relevance. A point to be noted is that despite all the debates over the time when the original poem was written, it has been well-established that the poem was penned soon after the original chronicles of Cid as compared to the centuries of time difference in the real events and their written form as is the case for historical heroes like Fernán González, Charlemagne, and Roland (Webber 349). Menéndez Pidal believed that Cantar de mio Cid was a poem that was successful in safeguarding the traces of the past, which would otherwise have not been remembered, via oral transmission. The poem is attributed for showing a far greater degree of similarity than many other epic poems, there are still many characters and episodes in it which cannot be traced down to any instances from history of Cid, and is proposed to be the result of oral transmission (Webber 349). Most of the scholars do not regard the poem to be a historical manuscript. For the traditionalists, the notion that Cid can be converted into a heroic epitome is natural and easy to understand. Although the poem does not wholly encompass the complete details of the life of Cid, there are various instances in the poem where one can explicitly identify traces of traditional narrative plots embedded in conventions typical of folkloric literature. The parts where Cid is exiled and then returns gloriously as well as the relatively compassionate depiction of the king are two of the myths in the poem that have been identified by Peter N. Dunn in his article Theme and Myth in the Poema de Mio Cid (Webber 349). Hamilton and Deyermond (257) state that the fidelity that the poem has shown to the real life events of Cid cannot be considered as a literary merit on its own. The way that the author has penned the poem takes preponderance over the link that the poem has with history. The stylistic conventions used by the author as well as the artful way with which the author utilizes the material that he has, juggled the chronological order of the events and devised fictitious characters and scenes are regarded as more important by some critics as compared to the historical relevance of the poem (Hamilton and Deyermond 257). This comes to follow that the parts of the poem which the author has crafted from his own imagination and embellished them with evidences from history are representative of the intent of the writer in construing a heroic depiction of the deeds of Cid. The main theme of the poem is the interactions between Cid and the King and how the nature of these interactions affects the deeds carried out by Cid. One of the most major divergences that are present in the poem is the account of the two banishments that Cid had been subjected to by Alfonsa in the years 1081 and 1089. In was in the 1087 when some degree of truce was struck between the two parties. However in the poem, the writer juggles the chronological order of these banishments. In the poem, the truce has related to occur after 1094, after the capture of Valencia by Cid and his victory over Yucef, representing a time period more than seven years later than the real happening (Hamilton and Deyermond 257). By juggling the order of the events and by presenting an excluded version of the banishments that took place, the author has piqued the curiosity of the reader with regard to the nature of the relationship between the King and Cid. Critics have not reached a consensus whether the Alfonso was good in intent or was he a bad lord (Taylor and West 72). According to Joseph Duggan, the deviations that are present in the text of the poem are more important than the preservation of historical facts. Duggan observes that in the context of the main literary genres, the epic poem has largely been influenced by “nationalistic tendencies in scholarship” and reflects the attachment that people had to their national identity (2). For Castilian Spain, the events of history contributed to the eradication of the “quasi totality of medieval Castilian epic” (Duggan 2). The poem presents Cid as the ideal hybrid of exalted, Castilian traits. These traits include the traditional qualities ascribed to epic heroes such as fortitudo, or strength, mesura, a trait that blends patience, temperance and caution, and sapientia, or knowledge (Gies 77). The Cantar has been written in such a way that it gives room for the writer in using the materials that he has in a creative way. The division of the poem into three parts highlights the nationalist sentiments that are aroused when reading it. Critics regard the loss of honor of Cid and its subsequent restoration by Alfonso as an interpretation of the political aspects of the poem. This aspect of the poem first manifests itself in the exclamation cited in line 20 “Dios, que buen vassallo, si oviesse buen señor (God what a good vassal, if only he had a good lord!)”, and peaks in intensity when the writer describes Alfonso as a good Castilian king (Gies 77). However what needs to be noted is that these political events that the writer has narrated do not completely conform to life-time events. This also serves to highlight that many of the themes of the poem buttressing the central theme, which is the relationship between Cid and the King, depart from historical truth and yet are important aspects of the poem. There are some parts in the poem that are completely legend. In the poem, there is no reference or mention to any son of Cid. However in real life, Cid did have a son by the name of Diego Rodríguez, who lost his life at the Battle of Consuegra. It can be argued that the poet deliberately did not mention the son in the Cantor. His intent can be hypothesized to be traced down to the concept of filiafocality. It can be argued that, in the case of the missing son, the poet was aiming to create a greater emphasis on daughterhood. Another alteration that the poet brought to the original events was that he changed the name of the Cid’s daughters. In the poem, they were called Elvira and Sol whereas in real life, they were christened Cristina and María. Moreover historically, the daughters were not wedded to the Infantes of Carrión. The poem also displays a close relationship between Alvar Fáñez and Cid. Alvar Fáñez has been presented as a close and most trusted advisor in the army in the poem, but according to the biographical details that are available, no such camaraderie and level of trust can be discerned. A fictitious character, Martín Antolínez, dominates a large part of the story. In his depiction of the character of Rodrigo himself, the poet does not completely present the array of activities that the hero was involved in. For instance, the poet does relate Cid’s excursions and his battle against the Christian Count of Barcelona. However, the poet fails to delve into details regarding the long period for which Cid served the Muslim leader of Zaragoza as well as some other debatable commitments. The fact that Rodrigo was a mercenary has not been highlighted by the poet and serves as another important deviation from the historical account of the hero (“Poema de Mío Cid: Spain’s Hero?”). A number of scholars support the notion that “historical accuracy, then, was less important than reshaping the Cid’s life in exile” (“Poema de Mío Cid: Spain’s Hero?”). The formation of a different version of his life in exile and the relationship that Cid held with Alfonso have contributed significantly in the making of an artistic literary piece that revolves around the sheer loss of Cid and its restoration. The poet has brought about this feat in two main stages. The first stage constituted the years representing the survival of Cid, resulting in Cid’s success over Valencia, the arrival of Cid’s daughters and wife in Valencia and the defense that Cid put up against the assault of the Almoravids. The second stage was concerned with the entry of Infantes de Carrión and the marriage to Cid’s daughters Elvira and Sol and the subsequent request of Sid to the King for the purpose of granting justice to the abuse that his daughters were subjected by the Infantes (“Poema de Mío Cid: Spain’s Hero?”). Although the first stage can be identified with real life events in the annals of history, the second stage deviates from reality. The modification of the second stage to include the atrocities Cid’s daughters are subject to can be an intentional maneuver by the poet to elicit feelings of compassion and add to the epic nature of the poem. The distortion of truth by the poet can be regarded as an intentioned maneuver in order to highlight the main theme of the poem. Most of the scholars are agreed on the notion that the central theme in the poem is the relationship between the King and Cid. The use of folk elements and dramatic conventions has served to strengthen the central theme, and to amplify the valor and chivalry of the hero, as is the purpose of epic literature in general. In the poem, Cid was instructed by the King to retrieve tribute money from the Moorish king of Seville. In the space of time that Cid was away on the King’s orders, the Leonese nobles brainwashed the King to believe that Cid was not being loyal to him and had not returned the complete amount of money that were collected. The nobles have been referred to as the enemigos malos of the poem and it is their wrong allegations that result in the exile of the hero. Although Cid was a remarkable warrior hero and was exiled, not once but twice by the King as mentioned above, as established in the annals of history, the aspect of construing and plotting nobles is a dramatic element used by the poet from his own imagination and is not based on historical facts. These poetic inventions are important in adding more drama to the relationship between the King and Cid. Also, the various opinions held by scholars about the real nature and intent of Alfonso is also important in drawing more attention to the central theme of the poem. The use of dramatic styles and exaggerated folk elements helps to amplify the image of Cid and presents the story in a way the “the original audience, who were listeners rather than readers, would have experienced it (ideally) as if in the Cid's presence” (“Commentary: introduction”). Therefore from the discussion, one can conclude that deviation of the truth is more important that the retention of facts. Moreover this helps to put the central theme into light, and provides an interesting take on the heroic deeds of Cid. The detour from historical narrative has augmented the story as a whole. Works Cited Cantar de mio Cid. enotes.com, 2011. Web. 3 Jan. 2011. Commentary: introduction. University of Texas, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2011. Duggan, Joseph J. The Cantar de mio Cid: Poetic Creation in its Economic and Social Contexts. Cambridge University Press. Print. Gies, David Thatcher. The Cambridge history of Spanish literature. Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print. Hamilton, Rita and A. D. Deyermond. Medieval Hispanic studies presented to Rita Hamilton. Tamesis, 1976. Print. Poema de Mío Cid: Spain’s Hero? Spain Then and Now, 2009. Web. 3 Jan. 2011. Taylor, Barry and Geoffrey West. Historicist essays on Hispano-Medieval narrative: in memory of Roger M. Walker. MHRA, 2005. Print. Webber, Ruth House. Hispanic Oral Literature: Accomplishments and Perspectives. Oral Tradition Journal. 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