Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, aka El Cid, was a medieval knight/mercenary in Spain during the late 11th century. During his lifetime he served as vassal under Sancho, son of King Ferdinand, Alphonso VI of Castille, and during his exile he worked as a mercenary for the Moors. His military prowess and influence played a crucial role in Alphonso VI’s rule, and in one of the crusades. Although Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar may have played such an important role as a historical figure, his actions inspired a notable epic poem: The Song of El Cid. The Song of El Cid tells a romanticized story of El Cid. It omits some of the bit unpalatable to the sensibilities of the time and embellishes the aspects considered heroic. The El Cid presented in The Song of El …show more content…
Firstly, El Cid reflects the Christian sentiment of the time by fighting in the crusades for the Christian side. El Cid fights against the Count of Barcelona who employs moors. The moors rallied under the prophet Muhammad, while Cid’s troops were Christian. Cid and his followers served the cause of Christianity like chivalrous knights were expected. Along with serving Christianity, Cid becomes incredibly rich from his plundering and conquest. He shows off his wealth through lavish gifts , and he pays his followers and conscripts well. In fact, along with paying his conscripts abundantly, he fears that some of them may leave after making quick money. In order to prevent deserters he employs punishments typical of the time for heretics; this implies that those deserting were “deserting” Christianity’s cause. As punishment, anyone leaving without first asking permission was punished by confiscation of earnings, then by hanging or impalement. Another example is how El Cid’s bravery in the battlefield is emphasized, as well as working together with his vassals for mutual honor and glory. Two men, Minaya and Jerome, are mentioned in the poem. The former serves as a messenger, and during a battle bravely rushes in dangerously. The latter, Jerome, is mentioned exclaiming his wishes to kill moors and fights on the front lines alongside Cid. Cid’s actions in battle and his men’s actions exemplify chivalric
In Carlos Fuentes novel “Aura”, many things could be considered experimental. One of the most striking and obvious moments of this is his use of second person point of view and the narrative style. Second person point of view lends a dreamy, distanced effect to the text, and also works to remove an additional layer of identity from the characters as well. There are so many individual interesting aspects to this novel, that combined together they create something that reads off the page as absolutely unique. A mixture of the disassociation of time that seems to be taking place in the story, elements of religious imagery that seem twisted into a concept of the occult, a duality and blending of the characters, and a clouding gothic atmosphere.
Nobles showed through his actions that he might not have been a man without sin but a man
Aligning with Anna Comnena’s overall bias, the details in The Alexiad harbor a great deal of disdain for crusaders. The East versus West mentality is evident in the narrative through Comnena’s description of the Crusaders. She uses the names “Celt” and “Norman()” as derogatory describing the Crusaders as uncultured and “riotous().” With Byzantine bias she singles out the Normans especially with respect to Nicea where they “behaved the most cruelly to all (251).” Alexius, himself is written to fear their “unstable and mobile character (248)” which reiterates battles against Normans earlier in his life.
The character of Demetrio Macias proves to be quite ironic. One facet of his character reveals his determination to find Pancho Villa’s army, while the other side of his character parallels the extraordinary qualities Pancho Villa had as a hero. People viewed Pancho Villa as a revered hero who pushed out foreign "proprietors" and fought for the common man. On one hand, there is the compassionate man who helped those in need and rescued orphans providing them with food, education, and a home. On the other hand, there was the ferocious general who destroyed villages and killed innocent victims. Villa was generous and helpful to his followers, of which he insisted on loyalty and trust, but to those who violated his trust and authority, he was merciless and cruel. We can clearly see the similarities of these two leaders when we analyze their noble actions. Demetrio’s reluctance to stop ...
Elena Poniatowska escrita durante una epoca de cambio en Mexico. Antes de sus obras las mujeres mexicanas eran sometidos, docil, y pasivo. En la tiempo de sus obras las mujeres estaba tratando salir de los estereotipos de antes. Esta problema social tomo un afecto en Elena. Aunque ella no viene de un movimiento literatura directamente, ella escrita con el concepto de compremetido. En su narrative El Recado ella crea un mujer estereotipical que no puede controlar sus emociones. La titula es eso porque ella viene a ver su amante, pero el no esta, asi ella escribe las cosas que sentia. La perspectiva es de un personaje y ella nunca interacta con otros personajes. En facto la unica descripcion de un personaje otro de la protagonista es de su amante Martin. Habla de otros personajes, pero solamente de sus acciones. Porque ellas es la unica perspectiva que tenemos es sencillo a sentar compasion para una protagonista de quien nombre no aun sabemos. Ella da la descripcion de toda que vea, y mas importante todo que se sienta. Tambien tropos y figuras retoricas dan un tono significante al poema. Estos sentimientos de la portagonista y el tono emocional de la narrativa transporta una tema de una mujer estereotipical y debil quien quiere ser reconocido.
When Maurice Keen set out to write a book on the components and development of chivalry, he did not know it would be “the last word on a seductive subject,” as stated by one Washington Post reviewer. Instead, Keen was merely satisfying a curiosity that derived from a childhood fascination of stories filled with “knights in shining armour.” This juvenile captivation was then transformed into a serious scholarly interest by Keen’s teachers, the product of which is a work based upon literary, artifactual, and academic evidence. Keen’s Chivalry strives to prove that chivalry existed not as a fantastical distraction, as erroneously portrayed by romances, but instead as an integral and functional feature of medieval politics, religion, and society. The thirteen chapters use an exposition format to quietly champion Keen’s opinion of chivalry as being an element of an essentially secular code of “honour” derived from military practices.
The Christian identity in The Poem of the Cid is one of complexity and war. As demonstrated by Cid’s military campaigns God can be on both the side of Muslims and Christians, “The Moors called on Muhammad and the Christians on St. James” which leads one to believe that the monetary value of raiding and plundering villages was what led these men to band together against a common foe (The Poem of the Cid 63). Moreover, as Cid continues his adventures he clearly gains the respect of the Moors who join him against the Count Ramon of Barcelona, so perhaps one could assume it was all for monetary gain. Regardless, Cid’s story is one of conquest, glory, and honor that parallels the stories of the crusaders and parades the idea of gaining wealth through war to the populace of Iberia.
...self. Nevertheless, Christ’s words were not cared for by the soldiers they only cared for the possession of Christ’s cloak. The audience’s role within the play is partly related to “All men that walk by way or street”; it is merely indicating the relation that Christians must reflect on between their daily work, and religious work.
Because Chretien’s narrative of Perceval’s epic remained unfinished, we don’t know how whether Perceval ultimately reaches his destiny of succeeding and been in other path, it seems to be the tension that author offered to audiences. By learning and applying all words in his life, and there is no doubt that Perceval becomes pure and holy. In this way, Perceval is not only to be a qualified knight, but also or more significantly to be a Christian knight who follow both the code for knighthood and Christian belief. In other words, Perceval’s behavior should cat under the name of god and the code of knighthood. Once going through this way, the dream of being a qualified knight is not far away from
To conclude, from the evidence that is portrayed in the tale of “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” is an example of disloyalty and Sir Gawain violated the code of chivalry and how serious it was taken in that age. Sir Gawain not keeping his word was almost seen as a sin because its did not follow this code which knights lived by. Also relating to “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” the tale of “The Wife of Bath” also has theme of disloyalty displayed throughout the tale. The Knight by not being honorable and courageous and by raping an innocent maiden violates the code of chivalry which the took seriously. Therefore it is fair to say that the theme of disloyalty is evident throughout both of these tales and that breaking the code of chivalry could
Julius Cesar was a man of many accomplishments. He was either loathed or loved, with no middle ground. His death came by the hands of his Senate, including people he trusted. There are no direct records of his assassination but there are “firsthand” accounts that were written after the event occurred. How he came to his death is known and stays consistent through many records. What greatly differs is how he is depicted in the reading, he was either a model politician or he was a selfish dictator.
In the General Prologue of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the Sergeant or Man of Law is portrayed as any lawyer might be. Chaucer notes in his opening lines about the Man of Law that he is “wise,” “well endowed with superior qualities and keen practical sense,” and “judicious and with much dignity,” which are all justifiable qualities of a good lawyer. Chaucer, therefore, creates a believable and realistic character with his descriptions. However, when the Man of Law tells his tale, a Christian Romance about Dame Custance, it may seem to be a tale more appropriate for a more religious pilgrim to tell, such as the prioress. Despite the apparent mismatch of the tale to its teller, the manner in which the Man of Law tells his tale greatly reflects his character.
The medieval period was a chaotic era in European history as it was a time of constant change and conflict. Set during the rule of Charlemagne, King of the Franks, as he aspired to expand the size of his empire into what ultimately becomes the Carolingian Empire. “The Song of Roland” presents Charlemagne as a decisive leader with genuine aspirations of expansion. His army looks up to him with the utmost respect while his enemies fear his might. The Pagans aim to keep command of their land. However, they are well aware of Charlemagne’s power. Going to war with the Franks is an unpleasant necessity in the eyes of the Pagans. To conclude, Charlemagne is presented as a willful ambitious leader that earns the respect of everyone around him, regardless if they are
The dream if a chivalrous and cultured warrior king always at the ready to defend a god-fearing civilisation from the wild barbarians is a potent concept, as relevant now as ever it was” (Jenner 69). People want an idea to believe in, and King Arthur grants them it. Chivalry, culture, and courage have always been dreams of those who grew up reading stories about knights in shining armor -- even for those who had not -- and the Arthurian myth is the epitome of the traits. The legend still exists simply because people still want to believe in the idea that anyone could embody the Arthurian ideals and save people from harms standing in their ways. The “warrior king” is a legend that could be forgotten; however, it will stay as a way for others to embrace a culture they wish they could have been a part
In of Lazrillo de Tormes the speaker commonly makes a case that he is a morally good person, while simultaneously undermining his high moral status. This is a theme that continues throughout the novel as the speaker continuously manipulates his knowledge of Christianity to dismiss any unethical actions from his past. The speaker’s tricky tactics are first seen, in great detail, during the Prologue of the novel. The speaker begins by stating that it is “a good thing” that he is telling the story of the “important events” he has gone through in his life (3). By doing so the speaker is saying that he himself is a good and important person. The speaker continues commenting on his story stating that “everybody should have the chance to read it”