Medieval Spanish Literature: Prose, Drama, and Poetry

Medieval Prose

The Middle Ages saw the birth of prose in Castilian (until the 13th century, works were written in Latin).

The Toledo School of Translators was an important institution responsible for translating books into Castilian from Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic.

During the 14th century, prose took on a didactic intent, epitomized by Don Juan Manuel. His most famous work is The Count Lucanor (51 short stories), which follows this schema: The Count, the employer, has a servant who tells a story to his master each time he seeks practical advice on something.

• Topics: Varied teachings that share a common goal.
• Characters: Also very varied, including historical or real figures.
• Structure: They begin with the formulation of a question, which is answered with a story or example, and end with a lesson in conclusion, presented in verse.

Medieval Drama

The first manifestations were religious in nature. The only play we maintain is the Auto de los Reyes Magos (Play of the Three Wise Men).

This religious drama was slowly replaced by another kind, which, over time, became a play as it left the courts of the church and was transferred to public places as an element of fun.

La Celestina (Fernando de Rojas)

Its literary genre is difficult to classify, but no one doubts the dramatic nature of the work because the key is dialogue.

The plot is as follows: Calisto, a young nobleman, falls in love with Melibea. Advised by his servant Sempronio, he uses an old matchmaker to help him overcome Melibea's resistance and win her love. Pármeno and Sempronio require the matchmaker to share the proceeds with them. They kill her. In one of Calisto's evening appointments, he dies by jumping the garden wall of Melibea. Upon learning of her lover's death, Melibea commits suicide by jumping from a tower.

The Mester of Clergy

It was the school where educated authors intended to persuade and educate the public about the doctrines of the church, imparting knowledge and Christian values.

• Topics: Clerics wrote about religious and romantic themes.
• Starring: Gentlemen, historical figures, saints, etc.
• Meter: The lines are regular, using the cuaderna vía (stanzas of four lines of 14 syllables with rhyme).
• Style: The language is careful and cultured, employing comparisons and metaphors.

Characteristics of Cultured Works

• Theme: Themes are love, death, and society.
• Meter: Characterized by the use of pentameter verse and the sonnet. The most used stanzas are the canción and the copla de pie quebrado.
• Style: There are many literary resources.

The Work of Jorge Manrique

His most notable work is Coplas a la muerte de su padre (Verses on the Death of His Father). It consists of 40 verses addressing various issues on the transience of life and the arrival of death.

• Part 1: Jorge Manrique reflects on the brevity of life and the inevitability of death.
• Part 2: Covers the same topics as the first part but refers to the lives of kings, nobles, and historical figures from the world of the court.
• Part 3: The end of the poem is dedicated to the praise and glorification of his father's life.