SOURCE: Raulston, Stephen B. “Poetic Craft and Dramatic Tension: The Climax of the Poema de mio Cid.” La Corónica 26, no. 1 (fall 1997): 203-23.

In the following essay, Raulston argues that the climax of the Cantar de mio Cid—the court scene that has been regarded by many critics as unsatisfactory—can be better appreciated when one has some understanding of medieval Spanish juridical institutions.

Literary criticism has consistently praised the Poema de mio Cid (PMC) as a work of art, for its unity and concision, for its creative departures from the epic tradition. Despite this acclaim, however, the poem's climax and conclusion have proved less than satisfying, even irksome, to some modern scholars. There is something about the court scene and the scene of judicial combat with which the work closes that has offended the modern sense of dramatic structure: the real denouement—the satisfaction of the hero's...