Le Cid

Le Cid is a retelling of the formative early life of the legendary Spanish hero El Cid, born Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. Thus, Rodrigo is the title character and central figure of the play. The plot deals with how he killed his fiancée’s father in a duel, then rose as a military leader and won back her love. Yet Rodrigo is not onstage from the very beginning of the play. Audiences first see him in Act I, Scene 6, as his father, Diego, enlists him to take vengeance on his behalf. Up to this time, Rodrigo and his virtues have been talked about by various characters; these comments establish him as a brave and valiant warrior, and subtly recreate El Cid’s status as a semi-mythic historical figure.

Rodrigo’s first soliloquy, in Act I, Scene 7, establishes several of his personality traits. Foremost among these is his moral conscience. Rodrigo has a keen sense of right and wrong and is able to analyze his moral situation in great depth. Rodrigo is also a man of strong feeling; he is torn by the choice he has to make. As he laments, “What fierce conflicts I experience! My love is engaged against my own honor” (11).