SOURCE: Conerly, Porter. “Largesse of the Epic Hero as a Thematic Pattern in the Cantar de mio Cid.” Kentucky Romance Quarterly 31, no. 3 (1984): 281-89.

In the following essay, Conerly examines the motif of largesse in Cantar de mio Cid, which, he argues, is a principal thematic pattern in the lord-vassal relationship and the related question of honor in the poem.

Recent criticism on the Cantar de Mio Cid has repeatedly demonstrated the complexity of the poem in its use of structural and stylistic patterns.¹ These clearly defined patterns, which are unlikely to be the result of chance, are found in the use of epic epithets, associative and contrastive elements, and symbolism. Individually and collectively, these patterns contribute to the dramatic movement of the poem; an awareness of them, undoubtedly, will raise our esteem for the poet and his craft.

The patterns that can be gleaned from the CMC [Cantar...