El Cid: Origins, Structure, and Themes of the Epic Poem

Posted on Mar 4, 2025 in Latin

Origin of Spanish Epic Poems

The origin of the epics has been linked to various sources: carmina maiorum (heroic songs of the Visigoths on the Germanic ancestors), the French epic, epic Arab-Andalusian, and popular folklore. The Spanish epics are part of the literary tradition of mastersingers or the art of the troubadours, so they are anonymous. We know of many ballads and songs thanks to the prosifications of medieval chroniclers.

Cycles of Songs

The epic poems related to the history of Castile are grouped into three major cycles: the Counts of Castile, the Cid, and Charlemagne.

Poem of Mio Cid

Poem of Mio Cid is an epic poem that was composed during the height of the medieval Spanish epic period, between the second half of the 12th and the first century of the 13th century. It exists in a single manuscript.

Manuscript, Authorship, and Date

The codex containing Poema de Mio Cid has 3730 verses and is incomplete. Ramón Menéndez Pidal’s thesis suggests a noble origin for the poem: the poet from San Esteban de Gormaz was responsible for the first and second parts, and some of the third, excelling in informational aspects. The poet of Medinaceli, a reviser, is credited by Menéndez Pidal with the most novel features, achieving a more poetic and dramatic work. Per Abbat was simply a copyist. Regarding its date of composition, it is placed at the end of the 12th or early 13th century, between 1201 and 1207.

Structure of the Poem

Poema de Mio Cid has a great story, based on a number of elements, all related to Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, the protagonist. The book is divided into three parts: Song of Exile, Song of the Marriage of the Daughters of the Cid, and Song of the Reproach of Corpes. The second song is the poetic center of the poem.

Lines of Argument

Poema de Mio Cid has two lines of argument:

  • The first refers to the adventure that follows the banishment of the Cid, resulting in the conquest of Valencia, the recovery of lost honor, and reconciliation between lord and vassal.
  • The second line tells of the weddings of the daughters of the Cid, the reproach of Corp, and the pursuit of glory for the protagonist.

Metric, Language, and Style

Poema de Mio Cid is an epic poem, a narrative poem in verse, which follows the metrical scheme of mastersingers. Its metric is characterized by verses of irregular anisosyllabism (between 14 and 16 syllables), with a caesura that divides it into two hemistiches. The rhyme of the verses is assonance, and those with the same rhyme are grouped to form a roll, not a verse.

Poem of the Cid was written between the 12th and 13th centuries, in a dialect of Castilian with the presence of Aragonese influences. Some of its features are:

  • The shortage of adjectives, which are reserved for the descriptive passages of greatest impact.
  • The verbal movement, where the narrator jumps from a narrative point of view, in the past, to the present dialogue.
  • The prevalence of juxtaposition and coordination of sentences over subordination.
  • The concrete lexicon, along with everyday terms, includes many terms relating to laws, war efforts, etc. There are archaic words, Latino home church, and Arabic terms.
  • Word of mouth and improvisation.
  • The simplicity, clarity, and straightforwardness of language are characteristic of the realistic style.
  • Formulaic expressions, such as the epic epithet, used to draw attention to the quality of a character.
  • Expressions of thanksgiving.
  • Calls to attention to the audience by the narrator.
  • Parallels, exclamations, comparisons, antithesis, and redundancy.
  • The weight of the dialogue, often introduced by the verb dicendi.

Themes

The most important issues are the unjust exile, the good soldier, vassalage, war as a means to get wealth, honor and fame, envy, revenge, justice, and royal favor. Above all lies the issue of the recovery of lost honor.