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All major Western epics — from those of Homer to those from the end of the medieval period — tell of some form of confrontation between an established ruler and a younger hero. The ruler often shows weakness — either in character or in his handling of a particular situation; he is therefore in danger of being supplanted by the self-centered hero whose exclusive concern is with his own glory. In "The Hero and the King", W. T. H. Jackson examines this conflict between the unstable ruler and the challenging hero, a conflict which arose from the social conditions in which the epics were born. Epic poets developed the convention of expressing periods of turmoil and breakdown of social organizations in terms of the struggle between king and hero. Each epic hero, in his own way, Jackson explains, follows a set path of forces in and around the ruler. However, the epic simultaneously addresses a larger question — how the demands of freedom and order, of individuality and law, of youth and age, and of the search for a new world and a settled convention are balanced. Examining the "Iliad", the "Odyssey", the "Aeneid", "Beowulf", the "Waltharius", the "Chanson de Roland", the "Couronnement de Louis", the "Cid", and the "Nibelungenlied", Jackson shows how this essential conflict becomes such a strong structural determinant in the genre that the epic is inconceivable without it. He also determines the many ways this conflict is manipulated in the great epics to produce differing effects — grave wounds to a political cause in the "Iliad", danger to Christendom in the "Chanson de Roland", and the restoration of a kingship by a king playing the role of a hero in the "Odyssey". In "The Hero and the King", Jackson’s seemingly narrow theme expands to give a wide-ranging view of each text. Well known for his scholarship in the field of medieval literature, W. T. H. Jackson presents in his graceful style the products of a profound reading of these Western masterpieces.
E-Book Content
HE HERO AND THE KING AN EPIC THEME W. T. H. JACKSON All major Western epics—from those of Homer to those from the end of the medieval period—tell of some form of confrontation between an established ruler and a younger hero. The ruler often shows weakness—either in character or in his handling of a particular situation; he is therefore in danger of being supplanted by the self-centered hero whose exclusive concern is with his own glory. In The Hero and the King, W. T. H. Jackson examines this conflict between the unstable ruler and the challenging hero, a conflict which arose from the social condi tions in which the epics were born. Epic poets developed the convention of expressing peri ods of turmoil and breakdown of social organ izations in terms of the struggle between king and hero. Each epic hero, in his own way, Jackson explains, follows a set path of forces in and around the ruler. However, the epic simultaneously addresses a larger question— how the demands of freedom and order, of individuality and law, of youth and age, and of the search for a new world and a settled convention are balanced. Examining the Iliad, the O dyssey, the Aeneid, Beowulf\ the Waltharius, the Chanson THE HERO AND TH E KING AN EPIC THEME W. T. H. JACKSON HE HERO AND THE KING CAW/'D AN EPIC THEME NEW YORK C O L U M B I A U N 1V E RS IT Y P R E S S 1982 C lo th b o u n d e d itio n s o f C o lu m b ia U n iv e rsity P r e ss b o o k s a re S m y th -se w n a n d p r in te d on p e rm a n e n t a n d d u ra b le a c id -fre e p a p e r . Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Jackson, W. T. H. (William Thomas Hobdell). 1915The hero and the king. Bibliography: p. 1. Epic poetry, European— History and criticism. 2. Heroes in literature. 3. Kings and rulers in literature. I. Title. PN1303.J3 809.Γ3