Hernán Cortés’ Tears in the Historia verdadera by Bernal Díaz del Castillo

Abstract

This article analyzes the function of Hernán Cortés’ tears in the Historia verdadera by Bernal Díaz del Castillo. Some critics have read Cortés’ weeping as a sign of weakness. Actually, the tears of the hero are a manifestation that links the figure of the conqueror —and by extension the whole text— to the classical epic tradition, as well as to an incipient concept of tragedy.