Myth, the marvelous, the exotic, and the hero in the Roman d’Alexandre

Description

In the Roman d'Alexandre, Alexandre de Paris generates new myth by depicting Alexander the Great as willfully seeking to inscribe himself and his deeds within the extant mythical tradition, and as deliberately rivaling the divine authority. The contemporary literary tradition based on Quintus Curtius's Gesta Alexandri Magni of which Alexandre de Paris may have been aware eliminates many of the marvelous episodes of the king's life but focuses instead on Alexander's conquests and drive to compete with the gods' accomplishments. The depiction of his premature death within this work and the Roman raises the question of whether or not an individual can actively seek deification. Heroic figures are at the origin of divinity and myth, and the Roman d'Alexandre portrays Alexander as an essentially very human character who is nevertheless dispossessed of the powerful attributes normally associated with heroic protagonists. His encounters with the marvelous repeatedly demonstrate his inability to overcome the fears and weaknesses afflicting common mortals; Alexandre de Paris fills his text with elaborate descriptions of exotic tents, horses, palaces, tombs and terrifying marvels in order to project his work into the realm of legendary myth, but either the sharp contrast with his protagonist's decidedly un-heroic demeanor or ambiguous elements within the marvelous and exotic features themselves ultimately undermine Alexander's self-avowed objective of entering the ranks of demigods and powerful death-dealers. Fundamentally, the character of Alexander within the Roman is quite unlike the traditional heroes of both Antiquity and the contemporary literature of the time. He is not a one-dimensional champion like a Roland or an Achilles; indeed Alexander may be one of the first instances of a recognizably human character within the medieval literary corpus. Remarkably identifiable motivations drive him, not the least important of which is a natural curiosity to uncover the earth's