Analysis of Ramon Llull and Troubadour Poetry
To You, Virgin Mary, by Ramon Llull
Highlights and Discussion of Troubadour Poetry
Amorosa and Troubadour Poetry: The poem expresses Llull’s conception of love through the lens of troubadour poetry. The Virgin Mary is presented as a courtly love figure, the mayor damor, who embodies the ideal of love and guides the lover towards a virtuous path.
The Poet’s Offering: The poet offers gifts to the Virgin and requests a special favor. He implores her to strengthen the faith of those who claim to love Jesus Christ but fear death when faced with the challenge of preaching to non-believers.
Strophic Structure, Metrics, and Rhyme
Structure: The poem consists of three stanzas: two with eight verses and a final stanza with four verses that serves as a conclusion.
Meter and Rhyme: The poem exhibits a regular meter and rhyme scheme. The eight-verse stanzas primarily use decasyllabic and octosyllabic verses (10A-10B-10A-10B-10A-10A-10C-10C) with simple consonant rhyme, similar to popular poetry. Ramon Llull prioritizes content and focuses on creating a troubadour image of the Virgin to emphasize his message of evangelization.
Book of Ramon Llull: Apparel
The Lesson and Its Expression
The Lesson: The text presents a harsh view of humanity, stating that the most evil and false creature in the world is humankind.
The Use of Exemplum: Ramon Llull utilizes the exemplum technique to effectively convey his message. The narrative example captures attention and illustrates the concept of human evil while also presenting a contrasting example of a holy hermit who ultimately achieves justice.
Canso and Flattery by William Bergueda
Conception of Poetry
The Canso: The canso showcases William Bergueda’s poetic skill. In the first stanza, he expresses his intention to be accessible and understandable, aiming to reach a wide audience with his message, which includes insults directed at Pontius Mataplana. He adopts an ironic and engaging tone, seeking the complicity of his listeners.
Homosexuality and Teasing
Humor and Ridicule: The last two stanzas employ humor to reveal Pontius’s physical flaws and make jokes about him. The troubadour expresses mock sympathy for Pontius’s injuries and suggests a comical remedy for his wounded arm.
Accusation of Homosexuality: The troubadour concludes with an accusation of homosexuality, a grave insult in the masculine and feudal society of the time. William Bergueda’s literary and linguistic talent lies in his ability to express offense and mockery through vivid and incendiary language, often presented within a comical or ironic situation.
Videira (Truck Song)
Defects of Jana’s Future Husband
Character Flaws: The song criticizes the imposed husband, portraying him as ugly, foolish, and rude. It connects to a common medieval literary theme of the wrongly married woman. The troubadour highlights the husband’s negative qualities, particularly his inability to be a good lover, his falsehood, ignorance, and lack of proper behavior towards women.
Repetitive Grammatical Structures
Repetitive Character: The poem utilizes repetitive grammatical structures, a technique Viader learned from Galician-Portuguese cantigas de amigo. This repetition emphasizes the song’s simplicity and reinforces its message.
Jana’s Love and Escape
Verses of Hope: The last two stanzas offer a potential solution for Jana’s predicament with the lines “avetz better and more private” and “you can Vaira lamich.” These verses suggest an alternative path of genuine love and escape from the imposed marriage. This emphasis on Jana’s feelings and the possibility of a sincere relationship contrasts with the prevailing societal norms of marriage for convenience and the criticism of female autonomy.