Bayardo+San+Roman+--+Alexandria+Sheng


 * **Character Name** || Bayardo San Román ||
 * **Role in Plot** || Bayardo San Román, the fiancé of Angela Vicario, is not a native of the Colombian village where the novel takes place; rather, he arrives there six months prior to their wedding “looking for someone to marry” (25). Everything about Bayardo, from his strange arrival to his enigmatic background and “enchanting” appearance, sparks an aura of mystery and the villagers do not discover his “true” identity until his family arrives (by request of Pura Vicario) and his father is identified as General Petronio San Román, a “hero of the civil wars of the past century” (33). Bayardo, who is “swimming in gold” (26), utilizes his wealth and charm to woo Angela’s family and they encourage the marriage despite the fact that Bayardo’s love is unrequited; Angela regards him as “stuck-up” and “too much of a man”. However, Angela’s protests are disregarded and Bayardo continues the planning and execution of an extravagant wedding costing some eighteen thousand pesos. Despite the festive mood and merry celebrations of the wedding, the night of their marriage is marred with tragedy as Bayardo discovers that Angela is not a virgin and returns her to her family. Following the episode, Bayardo is later found unconscious as a result of alcoholic intoxication and collected by his mother and aunts. Angela realizes a new-found obsession for Bayardo and over a course of 27 years, writes him weekly letters that are never reciprocated. However, one day Bayardo returns to the village carrying “a suitcase with clothing in order to stay and another just like it with almost two thousand letters that [Angela] had written him…all unopened” (96). ||
 * **Significance of Name in Work** || **BAYARD:** Bayard (French: “Bayard”, Italian: “Baiardo”, Dutch: “Beiaard”) is a mythical bay horse in the legends derived from //chansons de geste//, epic poems that appear at the dawn of French literature. Bayard, a “redhead with a heart of gold and the mind of a fox”, is renowned for his spirit, his comprehension of human speech, and the supernatural ability to adjust his size accordingly depending on his riders. Despite the many legends that revolve around Bayard’s skill and power and the chivalric and heroic connotations associated with his name, by the late 13th century “Bayard” became a generic term for any bay horse (reddish-brown coat with black mane and tail). Gradually Bayard lost his luster as a magical horse and became associated with a clownish, blind horse; Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales also alluded to him as a visually impaired and foolish horse: //“Though you search afar, you shall never find it; Be you as bold as Bayard the blind, that blunders forth and perceives no peril.”//


 * ANALYSIS:** In //Chronicle of a Death Foretold//, Bayardo can be associated with both the heroic supernatural and the blindly foolish. Bayardo comes from a wealthy and prestigious family and is the son of the famous war hero General Petronio San Román; there is little that his financial capacity and bewitching charm cannot obtain. Given his strange arrival and apparent ability to manipulate the world based on his desires, Bayardo is depicted as a somewhat godly, supernatural character. However, despite his heroic aura, Bayardo is also foolishly blinded by his love for Angela, and refuses to believe that his feelings for her may not be reciprocated and never once doubts her virginity. His high expectations lead to a crushing episode in which he discovers that Angela is not a virgin, and as a result, he returns her to her family and attempts to drown his own sorrows in drink. The quote from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales can accurately portray Bayardo's personality, as a "blind" man "that blunders forth and perceives no peril".


 * SAN ROMAN:** There are several references to "San Román", including [|Francisco de San Roman], [|Miguel de San Román] and [|Iglesia de San Román], but the most significant connection seems to derive from another of Márquez's works //One Hundred Years of Solitude//. General Petronio de San Román, a character present in both //Chronicle of a Death Foretold// and //One Hundred Years of Solitude//, is the father of the groom Bayardro San Román (//Chronicle of a Death Foretold//) and a war hero of the past who ordered the death of Gerineldo Márquez (//One Hundred Years of Solitude//). Interestingly, this same character is present in both of Márquez's works, with similar cultural and historical settings. ||
 * **Student's Name** || Alexandria Sheng ||