Spanish Renaissance Poetry: Themes, Forms & Major Poets
16th Century Spanish Poetry: Renaissance Influence
In the sixteenth century, considerable diversity and poetic harmony existed between traditional folk poetry and the new Renaissance poetry. Starting in the 1520s, poetry from Renaissance Italy was introduced by Garcilaso de la Vega and Juan Boscán.
Key Renaissance Themes
The sources for Renaissance poets were often Latin poetry, exploring various topics and subjects:
- Collige, virgo, rosas: Urges the young to enjoy their youth and love before time destroys their beauty.
- Carpe diem: Refers to seizing the day, as life is short and fortune varies.
- Aurea mediocritas (Golden Mean): Praises a life detached from great ambitions.
- Beatus ille: Expresses a longing for the simple life in nature.
Mythology was important during this age, but the main theme was love, considered an elevating force for man, not merely a passionate feeling. Through love, man progresses from the material to the immaterial, beholding the beauty of God through feminine beauty. Love is often portrayed as courtly love (amor cortés), sometimes unrequited, expressed through antithesis. The love lyric developed themes like Collige, virgo, rosas and Carpe diem, while moral poetry focused on Beatus ille and the Golden Mean.
Poetic Forms and Subgenres
The most used verse was the hendecasyllable (11 syllables), sometimes combined with the heptasyllable (7 syllables). Common stanzas and forms included:
- Sonnet
- Lira
- Tercets (tercetos encadenados)
- Silva
Popular subgenres were the epistle, eclogue, ode, and elegy.
Major Authors
San Juan de la Cruz
Born in Fontiveros (Ávila) in 1542. He met Fray Luis de León while studying in Salamanca. He lived an austere life based on Carmelite rigor and purity, contributing to its reform, and was eventually incarcerated. He died in 1591. San Juan de la Cruz is a major figure in Spanish mystical poetry. His works include:
- Dark Night of the Soul: Uses the lira form to express the soul’s (the beloved) union with God (the Beloved).
- Spiritual Canticle: Also uses the lira, presenting a dialogue between the Lover (soul) and the Beloved (God).
- Living Flame of Love: Expresses the feelings of the soul when united with God.
He adapted Renaissance themes to express divine love.
Fray Luis de León
Born in Belmonte (Cuenca). His family had Jewish roots, which placed him under suspicion. He was a professor at the University of Salamanca but was jailed in 1572, partly for giving preference to the Hebrew Bible, which influenced his poetry. He died in 1591. His prose works include The Names of Christ and The Perfect Wife. His notable poetry includes:
- Ode to the Retired Life (written before imprisonment)
- Ode to the Serene Night
- Ode to Francisco Salinas (written after imprisonment)
He frequently used the lira form and emphasized the Beatus ille theme.
Garcilaso de la Vega
Born in Toledo in 1501. His life coincided with the reign of Charles I. He fell in love with Isabel Freire, a lady-in-waiting, whose later death in childbirth deeply affected him. He traveled to Italy, establishing connections with humanist circles. He died in battle in 1536. Garcilaso’s sonnets integrated Italian forms into Spanish literature, primarily focusing on the theme of love. His Eclogues are notable bucolic compositions featuring dialogues between shepherds:
- Eclogue I: Features the shepherds Salicio and Nemoroso lamenting unrequited love and the death of their beloved (Elisa, representing Isabel Freire).
- Eclogue III: Depicts nymphs weaving tapestries that narrate stories of love and death.
His work employs Petrarchan and Neoplatonic concepts of love, presents nature as an idealized, beautiful setting, and is characterized by a simple, sweet, and melancholic style.
Fernando de Herrera
Known as “El Divino,” Herrera wrote complex epic, patriotic, and love poetry.
Economy and Social Organization in 16th Century Spain
The 16th century saw a transition from a closed, class-based medieval society to a more open and competitive one. The local market economy was increasingly replaced by a cash economy. The medieval system, where peasants paid their lord with a portion of their harvest, gave way to urban labor. Cities grew, which impacted agriculture. The bourgeoisie emerged as a rising class, gaining influence and approaching centers of power. Politically, a centralist state was established, embodied by the absolutist monarchy. Nationalist ideologies also began to appear during this period.