Sing of my Cid
El Sing of my Cid is an anonymous medieval epic that recounts heroic adventures loosely inspired by the last years of the life of the Castilian knight Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar el Campeador. According to most of the current academy, the work was composed around the year 1200. On the other hand, records indicate that it is the first poetic compilation of Spanish literature. Dec
The only thing that has been lost from this work has been the first page of the original text and two others from inside the codex, so it is considered that the To sing from my Cid It is the only epic song that has been almost completely preserved. This, especially, because the missing content can be deduced thanks to chronicle prosifications.
Argument of the work
El Sing of my Cid is about the complex process of recovering the hero's lost honor by him. In the end, this redemption involves the acquisition of a level of honor greater than that degenerated at the beginning of the work. The author implicitly leaves a harsh criticism of Leonese high society, both blood and courtly. Meanwhile, he praises the work and merit of the lower nobility.
Throughout the book, It is implied that this section of the population has achieved its status thanks to its contributions to the kingdom, so its position has not been inherited in any way. In this sense, the lower nobility always tries to obtain honor and honour, this is part of their life, their daily lives as human beings, because for them there is nothing more worthy than recognition.
The beginning of a long journey
The poem begins with the exile of the Cid, this being the first cause of his disgrace. The tragedy occurs because of the legal figure of royal wrath, which is very unfair, since it has been provoked by scheming and lying people. In addition to everything that happened, El Cid is stripped of his inheritance in Vivar, as well as the parental authority of his family and his material assets.
However, Thanks to his cunning, his prudence and the courage of his arm, he manages to conquer Alcocer, Castejón, the defeat of Count Don Remont and, in the end, the conquest of the kingdom of Taifas and the city of Valencia, which leads him to obtain royal forgiveness and, with it, a new inheritance. This is the Señorío de Valencia, which joins its recently restored old site.
Ratification of the status
To resume the Cid's status as lord of vassals, he arranged weddings with the most prestigious lineages, which would take place with the infants of Carrión. However, it is this last achievement that produces the new fall of the protagonist's honor. What happens is that the infants of Carrión confer on the Cid the outrage of his two daughters, who are harassed, lashed, mistreated and abandoned.
These women are left to fend for themselves in the Corpes oak grove so that the wolves can eat them. The fact supposes, according to medieval laws, the repudiation de facto by those of Carrión. To try to get out of this mess, El Cid appeals to the legality of these marriages in a trial presided over by the king. During the process, the criminals are exposed and publicly removed from royalty.
The hero's prize
As a reward for all the hardships that have occurred, the Cid's daughters are assigned as husbands to two kings of Spain. This gesture allows the protagonist to obtain the greatest possible social promotion. In this way, the internal structure of the work is made up of curves that can be measured as: obtaining and loss, loss and restoration and, finally, loss and resurgence of the hero's honor.
There is a first moment not reflected in the work where the Cid is a good knight of his king, honorable and with inheritances in Vivar. The exile with which the poem begins is, precisely, the first loss. On his part, the main restoration is the king's forgiveness and the marriage of his daughters. The second curve begins with the loss of honor of his progeny and is built before judgment.
The Cantar de mio Cid as an intellectual discipline
During 1869th century Spain, Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1968-XNUMX) began the study of Sing of my Cid as part of the Philology program, where the collection of poems was applied for the first time using a critical historical method that, at the same time, was responsible for inaugurating the Spanish philological academy.
It is likely that the original title of the text was “gesta” or “sing”, since these terms were used by the author to describe his work in verses 1085 —»Here begins the deed of my Çid el de Bivar», beginning of the second song”— and 2276 –»the couplets of this song here are ending”, almost at the end of the second—, respectively.
About Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar
Also known as the Cid Campeador, fHe was a Castilian military leader who lived between 1094 and 1099. He is recognized because he came to dominate, at the head of his own retinue, the east of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 11th century as a lordship, autonomously from the authority of any king. He was also conqueror of Valencia, where he established an independent lordship.
This lasted from June 17, 10944 until his death. After, His wife, Jimena Díaz, emerged as his heir, maintaining the lordship until 1102., when it returned to being part of Muslim rule. His ancestry is still disputed by academics, but it is known that he was the grandfather of King García Ramírez of Pamplona, the firstborn of Cristina, his daughter.
5 best phrases of Sing of my Cid
- “Men get tired sooner of sleeping, of loving, of singing and dancing than of waging war”;
- “Well, the songbird never stops to sing in a tree that does not bear flowers”;
- “That person was like the rooster, because he thought that the sun rose to hear him sing”;
- “People need, in addition to a singer, to channel their need for a leader of ideas, but I am not a politician, I sing, it is my job”;
- “My job is to sing all that is beautiful, to ignite enthusiasm for all that is noble, to admire and make admire all that is great.”