Hierarchical Authority In 'Le Cid'

What is the role of authority, be it monarchical, paternal, religious, aesthetic or indeed moral, in the texts that you have just read?
Authority is defined as ‘the power to enforce laws, extract obedience, command, determine, or judge’1. It can be interpreted in many ways, and for different people authority means different things. Throughout French cultural and literary history, there are thousands of examples of authority in plays, poetry and emblems and, in many cases, these authorities are inextricably linked.

Hierarchical authority is not laid out in black and white; it is a complex power. In Corneille’s Le Cid, the audience is introduced to the power of hierarchical authority before even beginning to read
Corneille, arguably, exemplifies the power of this hierarchical authority best via the character of Infanta. Her love for Rodrigue cannot be pursued due to her nobility as a princess, and his as a man of lower social status. Similarly, in Marie de France’s Bisclavret, the audience experiences the same hierarchical authority, demonstrated by Bisclavret himself. In the scene in which the king and his companions enter the forest to hunt, the image is of hierarchical authority. The king (of the highest nobility) is on horseback, thus above everyone else. His companions are on foot – lower than the king, and, through imagery, demonstrating this hierarchy. Finally Bisclavret is on the ground – demonstrating that he is the lowest in the hierarchy, as werewolves were considered to be repulsive and worthless creatures at this time. Furthermore, French emblems of this time exemplified this hierarchical authority. In an emblem titled La fin nous faict tous égaulx, by Corrozet2, this hierarchy is demonstrated by the king playing chess alone. At first it appears just that
However, in Ronsard’s work, it may be classed as one of the more dominant themes. Coming from a childhood spent in the country, Ronsard refers to nature in many of his works. Take À La Forêt de Gastine – the title immediately tells the reader that the poem is about nature. Ronsard refers to these natural images with a sense of fondness, indicating that they hold good memories for him. In this particular work, he speaks of ‘ta belle verdure’ and ‘l’abri de tes bois’. The role of Mother Nature’s authority in Ronsard’s work is to allow him to compare things with nature whilst stressing the inevitability of nature’s law. He managed to like beauty to that of a rose, as mentioned, and the torment he feels to the volatile nature of a storm. It allows him to describe his thoughts through imagery and imagination, juxtaposing the fragility and vulnerability of nature, against the harsh, often unyielding facts of life. Likewise, there are many emblems that encompass the same authority. In one particular emblem3 by Guillaume La Perrière, we see a crow eating a snake. The message the artist is trying to portray here is not to jump into things too quickly. By eating the serpent, the crow (who at first enjoyed the taste) will be left poisoned and dying. It could be argued that the crow has been used to illustrate the potential dangers of nature, because it is black – the colour of death. The role of this