The Cid, Clerecía, and Love: A Literary Journey Through Medieval Spain
The Cid
Infanzones vs. Ricoshombres
The Cid exalts the figure of the Infanzón, a knight of lesser noble lineage, who is valued for their loyalty and effort. In contrast, the Ricoshombres, higher-ranking nobles, and their sons (Infantes) are depicted as degraded and cowardly. The Cid, a valiant knight, is portrayed as a careful husband, a loving father, and an exemplary Christian subject. The Infantes, on the other hand, are characterized by cowardice, greed, and treachery. This work likely reflects the social tensions between the established nobility and the rising class of knights during a period of social mobility in Castile.
The Cid’s Character
The protagonist, the Cid, embodies moderation, wisdom, shrewdness, and cunning. He is capable of controlling his displeasure and anger.
Poetic Form
The Cid is an irregular poem with lines of 10-20 syllables divided by a caesura into two hemistiches of unequal length. Verses are grouped into sets or stanzas, most commonly of three lines, with assonant rhyme. The poem employs literary devices such as prolepsis, ellipsis, and an omniscient narrator. It largely respects chronological order and utilizes dramatic speech, reproducing the characters’ words. Oral formulas, groups of regularly appearing words, serve as mnemonic devices.
Key Story Elements
- Vivar: Cid’s sing-game and banishment.
- Barcelona: Victory and wedding.
- Carrion: Levantine marriage campaign and the affront to the Cid’s daughters (Corpes).
- Leon: Ending scene of the Cid’s triumph and the restoration of his honor.
Clerecía
Overview
The Clerecía comprises thirteen works, including Apollonius, the anonymous Alexandre poem, and Fernán González. These works are written in couplets of short lines, often featuring debates, such as the Disputed Jerusalem and the Debate Between the Soul and Body.
Gonzalo de Berceo
Gonzalo de Berceo, an anonymous Castilian poet, departs from traditional texts to address the educational needs of both clergy and laity, as determined by the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215. His poems, primarily hagiographies, Marian works, and doctrinal pieces, are directed towards monks who preached Christian doctrine in the vernacular.
Marian Works (12th-13th Centuries)
The growing cult of the Virgin Mary during this period, marked by frequent pilgrimages to Marian shrines, influenced both iconography and literature. Miracles of Our Lady exemplifies this trend.
Miracles of Our Lady
This collection of 25 stories presents Mary as a merciful intercessor before Christ. The stories reward or punish characters based on their devotion to Mary, who is portrayed in human terms: strong, severe, maternal, and authoritarian. The earthly characters are often individuals connected to the Church.
Libro de Buen Amor (The Book of Good Love)
Structure and Themes
This autobiographical work centers on failed love affairs, mediated by a go-between or procuress. The “gift of the melon” and the extended episode with Doña Endrina are key examples. The work parodies courtly love conventions, particularly the pastourelle genre. Didactic and moralistic digressions interrupt the amorous episodes, aiming to guide the reader towards proper love (love of God). The work draws on the thought of St. Augustine, offering two possibilities (earthly and divine love) and emphasizing the importance of choice.
Style
The vernacular style is evident in the use of proverbs, rhetorical questions, sexual euphemisms, anaphora, bimembrations, metaphors, antitheses, hyperbole, and puns. The work is written in cuaderna vía, a 16-syllable verse form, with a prose prologue that sets the didactic and poetic intentions of the author.