Joseph Anthony Vaeth

“ This Catalan romance of chivalry may have been conceived in accordance with the taste of Martorell’s times, but conditions have changed. The standards by which we measure the actions of men now are not the same as they were then. If an author wishes us to become enthusiastic in our admiration for his hero, the latter must conform to our standards. We insist that the protagonist be, above all, heroic from a moral standpoint. If he lacks that attribute we cannot give him a full measure of appreciation. An immoral hero is a paradox, an impossibility with us of the present day ”

“ And then as a climax to these occasional disparaging portrayals, he endows his hero with a low, immoral nature.
Tirant lo Blanch is pictured to us as a noble, generous, religious, intrepid, valiant, and invincible military leader. He is admirable in all respects but one—he is morally a weakling. This inconsistency, together with other incongruities, has led a scholarly critic [80] to declare that Tirant lo Blanch is a parody on the romances of chivalry and that “the animus of the whole narrative is satire.” ”

“ The King of Egypt accordingly challenged Tirant to mortal combat. In the challenge this king stated that he had made a vow to his lady-love that he would engage in a combat à outrance with a king or a king’s son, or with the best captain of the Christian army, and that it was his intention to send her the head of Tirant to show that his vow had been accomplished. He also suggested that each one of them should champion the cause of a lady, and then the combat should also determine which one of these ladies excelled in beauty, dignity, virtue, lineage, grace, and wisdom. ”

“ He and Plaer de mi Vida continued to act as intermediaries in Tirant’s relations with the princess. One day Carmesina, in order to prove her love for the Capita Major, took his right hand in her own and spoke these words: “I, Carmesina, give myself to you, Tirant lo Blanch, as your faithful wife, and accept you as my loyal husband.” Then she took a formal oath that she would never leave him for any other man in the world, and that she would always be true, faithful, and without blemish. ”

“ His one dominant purpose was to obtain from the princess the “compliment de amor.” He made strong and repeated efforts to attain his end, but she was firm. She loved him with all her heart, but she would not sacrifice her honor. Tirant had helpful allies in Plaer de mi Vida, Stephania, and Hypolite, but their arguments, plans, and schemes availed him naught. [51] Carmesina was young and in love with him whom she considered the only person that could save the empire. She was human and could not force herself to forbid him to approach her. ”

“ When the emperor heard of the quarrel between the duke and Tirant, he went to the camp to settle the dispute once for all. The princess accompanied him, and with her went Stephania, Viuda Reposada, Plaer [45] de mi Vida, and other ladies of the court. While they were in camp, the greatest battle of all that had been fought up to this time took place. It was waged fiercely on both sides, from early in the morning until late in the afternoon. The contending foes fought with determination and desperation. Tirant wielded his battle-ax wherever help seemed to be needed most. ”

“ It is possible that the campaigns of the Portuguese against the African Moors attracted the attention of Martorell, and, seeing that a similar undertaking would provide an excellent field in which his hero might win additional laurels, he determined to write and plan an imaginary account of a conquest of that territory. But if this feature owes its origin to Portuguese history, would it not be natural to expect in that account traces and reminders of the military activities of the kingdom of Portugal? ”

“ That conclusion is based on a study of its principal sources and on the nature of its contents. A truly Catalan atmosphere pervades by far the greater part of it. The court and military life of the Catalonians and Aragonese, their political problems and aspirations, their hopes and fears,—all these are vividly reflected in this romance of chivalry. Their history and their literature are so closely interwoven with the story of Tirant lo Blanch, that we can scarcely conceive it possible that it is not a Catalan production. ”

“ But he came to Tirant and asked him for permission to use his arms and steed. He begged so well that Tirant was unable to refuse. In this contest the youth slew the Senyor de Escala Rompuda. The king chided him for having entered the lists without permission, but the young Constable answered that it was not right that he should be denied the privilege of following the footsteps of his valiant father, William, Earl of Warwick. The Countess sent for Tirant and begged him never again to do anything that might cause her to lose the only joy and comfort that she had in this life. ”

“ Bugron saw that he could offer but feeble resistance against the ambition of his brother. So he sent messengers to King Peter to inform him that he wished to become a Christian and a subject of the crown of Aragon. This message brought great joy to the heart of the king, who immediately began to build many ships to transport a large army to Africa. So extensive were his preparations that the lords and princes, Christians as well as Saracens, who held territory along the seas, became alarmed, for he told no one what he intended to do. ”

“ Tirant’s wonderful sense of organization and his ability to cope with any and all difficulties were not long in revealing themselves. His army arrived at the city of Pelidas, which was only a league and a half from the camp of the Turks who were besieging the city in which the forces of the Duke of Macedonia had sought refuge. The sultan and the Grand Turk, who were in command of the troops of the enemy, knew that a Greek army had entered Pelidas, but they were little concerned, for of the ten parts of the emperor’s dominion they already held nine and one-half parts. ”

“ He suggested that since the Moorish king was a strong and hardy man, [11] and the English king young and feeble, some one who was more likely to win over such a formidable adversary should fight in place of England’s king. Moreover, he proposed that the Duke of Lancaster, the uncle of the king, should be the person to represent him in the combat. But immediately three dukes, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Bedford, and the Duke of Exeter, protested loudly that, since they were more closely related to the king, the honor of representing him should devolve upon them. ”

“ The following day the funeral rites were performed with an equal splendor and solemnity in honor of the princess, and on the third day, Tirant, the late Caesar of the Greek empire, was honored by ceremonies no less magnificent than the preceding. The body of the emperor was laid in a beautiful tomb, but the bodies of Tirant and the princess were enclosed in a casket, and with an escort of forty galleys they were taken to Brittany and placed in a magnificent tomb in the principal church of the city of Nantes. ”

“ Since fortune has ordained and wills it so, my eyes will never more be gladdened, but I will go to seek the soul of him who used to be my Tirant in the blissful places where his soul reposes if I can find it: and indeed I wish to be thy companion in death. ”

“ The same mind and the same heart are always in evidence. The different characters, when laboring under intense emotion, speak and act in practically the same way. Martorell has stamped his work with a strong individuality, and his characteristics are revealed throughout. All these facts tend to indicate that Tirant lo Blanch is the work of one author and one only. If it were not for the statement to the contrary, we feel certain that no one would ever doubt that the whole book was written by Martorell. ”

“ And yet Roger de Flor was so efficient a sea captain that the officers of the Temple intrusted him with their largest ship. If the author had intended to represent him, surely he would not have denied him the honor of those exploits. It is obvious that he did not regard his hero as an experienced mariner. The hero he had in mind was a knight whose duty called him to the battlefield. Tirant lo Blanch bears a far stronger resemblance to Guy of Warwick than to Roger de Flor. The striking points of similarity of these characters have already been noted. ”

“ Tirant’s ambition now was to conquer all Barbary. In order that the conquest might be accomplished as rapidly as possible, Senyor Dagramunt set out with an army to capture the cities, towns, and castles on the other side of the mountains. The expedition met with no serious opposition until it came to a city named Montagata, which belonged to the daughter of a Moorish king who had been slain in battle. When the inhabitants of this place learned that the Christian army was near, they sent the keys of the city to Senyor Dagramunt. ”

“ The troops of the sultan and the Grand Turk were on the shore ready to attack the Christians if these should attempt to land, so Tirant took his whole fleet, together with the captured vessels, out to sea, and when darkness fell he turned about, came back, and landed at a very advantageous point only four leagues distant from the Moorish army. The next day the Moors saw themselves surrounded by an army vastly superior to their own in numbers. ”

“ At the request of the emperor, Diaphebus gave an account of the festivities connected with the General Court of the King of England. He told of the great deeds of Tirant, and showed them the document signed by the King of England, in which Tirant lo Blanch was proclaimed the best knight. All those who heard of the hero’s exploits were filled with admiration for him. ”

“ The character of Tirant is admirable in almost all respects, but in the pursuit of his immoral desires it is detestable. In our amazement and disappointment we ask ourselves why the author endowed his hero with such low and immoral cravings. [128] Tirant’s conduct towards the princess reminds us of a passage in the English romance wherein the treacherous steward, Morgadour, falsely accuses Guy of having dishonored the daughter of the Emperor of Constantinople. ”

“ The giant’s blows were powerful. Once they forced Tirant to his knees, but at that very moment he wounded his opponent in the groin. In the violence of the fight the big knight let fall his ax. Tirant told him that he would permit him to pick it up, if he would retract his false accusation of treachery. Thomas de Muntalba did so, and recovered his ax. Then the combat began again and it became more furious than before. Finally the gigantic adversary had difficulty in breathing, and was becoming weak from loss of blood. Tirant made a desperate effort to put an end to the fight. ”

“ Another winter came on, and the Caesar spent it with his troops at Gallipoli. After the Christmas festivities he returned to Constantinople to confer with the emperor in regard to affairs of the empire. As a result of this consultation the whole territory of Anatolia and the islands of Romania were placed in his hands. He was to distribute the cities, towns, and castles among vassals, who were to furnish armed men and horses in return.
But before going to Anatolia he felt it his duty to take leave of Xor Miqueli, who was at Adrianople, five jornadas from the imperial city. ”

“ Tirant was in full command of the forces of the emperor. Morgadour cherished hopes of marrying the daughter of His Imperial Majesty, harbored envy and ill will against Guy, and tried to bring about his death; the Duke of Macedonia was one of Carmesina’s suitors, hated Tirant, and treacherously attacked him from behind in the midst of battle. ”

“ Finally the huge army embarked and sailed for Sicily, where it was joined by King Philip with his forces. Within a few days the expedition arrived near Constantinople, the port of which was blockaded by the Moorish fleet. The army could not land until the hostile ships were dispersed or captured. Tirant’s fleet attacked the enemy at break of day, coming upon them so suddenly that they could not make a strong resistance. Some Moors leaped into the water and succeeded in reaching the shore, but all those who remained on the vessels were slain. ”