Medieval Spanish Literature: Lyrics, Epics, and Prose
Medieval Spanish Literature
Lyrical Poetry
Jarchas and Cantigas de Amigo
The Mozarabic jarchas and Galician-Portuguese cantigas de amigo, along with Castilian songs, share lyrical patterns common across the Iberian Peninsula. As oral literature, their exact composition dates are unknown. We know these lyric forms through medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. The jarchas date from the mid-11th to the first half of the 14th century. The cantigas de amigo date from the late 12th to the late 14th century. These compositions typically express a woman’s lament over the absence of her beloved. The girl often confides in her mother, sisters, or friends. In the cantigas de amigo, nature (trees, birds, etc.) also plays a role. The cantigas de amigo consist of stanzas with a parallelistic structure.
Epic Poetry
Mester de Juglaría and Mester de Clerecía
In the mester de juglaría, the speaker is a minstrel, performing for a largely illiterate audience. The minstrels aimed to inform about events and entertain the public, using a casual and spontaneous technique. The clergy spread the mester de clerecía, also to an illiterate population. Their mission was to teach and moralize society, using a rigorous style that followed metrical rules.
Prose
Alfonso X
Alfonso X, “the Wise,” is considered the true creator of Castilian prose. He standardized spelling, created syntactic structures and new conjunctions, and enriched the lexicon.
Poem of the Cid
The Poem of the Cid is preserved in a manuscript copied in the early 14th century by Per Abat, but written much earlier, around 1140. Its authorship is debated. The poem exalts the Castilian hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, “the Cid,” who, banished by King Alfonso VI of Castile, conquers Valencia. He is later reconciled with the king and marries his daughters to the Infantes of Navarre and Aragon. The poem’s theme is the hero’s journey from dishonor to the recovery of his honor and high social standing.
Ballads and Later Poetry
Old Ballads (Romances)
Romances are short epic-lyrical compositions derived from the fragmentation of ancient epics. Transmitted orally during the 15th century, they were collected and compiled in songbooks (romanceros) during the 16th and first half of the 17th centuries. Themes include:
- Historic/National: exalting heroes
- Romantic/Lyrical: created by popular imagination
- Frontier/Moorish: relating military episodes on the border between Moorish and Christian kingdoms
- Carolingian: focusing on Charlemagne
- Breton: inspired by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
The Coplas of Manrique
Jorge Manrique’s Coplas por la muerte de su padre is a prime example of moral reflection in poetry. Manrique uses the copla manriqueña, a six-line stanza with eight-syllable verses (except the 3rd and 6th). The rhyme scheme is ABCA BC / DEFD EF. The work is divided into three parts:
- A doctrinal statement
- Examples of figures from the past
- A eulogy to his father
Manrique explores personal themes like fortune, time, and death. He rejects the idea of blind Fortune, depicting it as a volatile wheel. Time is fleeting and impossible to hold. Death is portrayed as powerful, democratic, unpredictable, inescapable, and cruel. Fame is the persistence of one’s name after death. The ubi sunt motif illustrates the transience of worldly goods.
La Celestina
Published in Burgos in 1499, La Celestina consists of 21 acts of varying length. It was written by Fernando de Rojas, a converted Jew. However, scholars believe the first act may be by an anonymous author. The play begins with Callisto falling in love with Melibea. Rejected, he hires the bawd Celestina, who, with the help of Callisto’s servants, secures Melibea. Celestina’s greed leads to her murder by the servants. Callisto dies accidentally, and Melibea commits suicide.