Medieval Literature: Lyric and Narrative Poetry Analysis

Medieval Literature: Lyric Poetry

Traditional Lyric Poetry

Songs that people sing to accompany domestic work and other activities. The main topic is anonymous love. These compositions are transmitted orally.

Cultured Lyric Poetry

Refined lyric poetry composed by troubadours. The theme of courtly love in the south is exemplified by the jarchas (the earliest lyrical expressions). In the northwest, there's the Galician-Portuguese lyric (12th century). In the northeast, there are the cantigas de amigo, influenced by Provençal troubadour poetry. In the middle of the peninsula, the metrical form used is the villancico, where a traditional chorus is repeated with stanzas.

Lyric Poetry in the Fifteenth Century: Jorge Manrique

Jorge Manrique, born in 1440 and died in 1479, is a significant poet. He wrote 49 poems.

Metrics

Jorge Manrique uses the copla de pie quebrado, a stanza of 6 verses grouped 2 by 2.

Themes

• The transience of worldly things
• The instability of fortune
• The power of death

Content

Thoughts on life, death, and the fleeting nature of worldly possessions.

Medieval Narrative Poetry

Minstrels (Juglares)

Minstrels were men who made a living touring villages to entertain people. Their performances, known as chansons de geste, also included acrobatics and games. All these works belong to the Mester de Juglaría (minstrel's profession).

Characteristics

• Anonymous authorship
• Heroic themes
• Belonging to the epic genre
• Irregular metrics
• Frequent use of typical oral expressions

Cantar de Mio Cid (The Song of My Cid)

The most important work is the Cantar de Mio Cid. It is preserved in a manuscript copied in 1307 by Per Abbat and consists of 3730 verses. The author's name is unknown. The poem's metric is irregular. The poem sings of the deeds of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar.

Structure

The poem is divided into three parts (cantares):

Cantar del Destierro (The Song of Exile)

El Cid is banished by Alfonso VI of Castile. After crossing towns, he separates from his wife and daughters with the promise to return for them. He targets Muslim lands, where he achieves military successes.

Cantar de las Bodas (The Song of the Wedding)

El Cid conquers Valencia and offers it to the king, who then allows the Cid's daughters to marry noblemen from Carrión.

Cantar de la Afrenta de Corpes (The Song of the Affront at Corpes)

The Infantes de Carrión decide to return to Castile, but on the way, they mistreat and abandon their wives. El Cid takes revenge on them, and his daughters remarry, this time to the Infantes of Navarre and Aragon.