Renaissance in Spain: Culture, Literature, and Art

The Renaissance in Spain

The Renaissance was a period of rebirth of classical Greek and Latin culture. It occurred in Spain in two stages:

• Reign of Carlos I: A time of political, economic, and cultural splendor. Relations with Italy facilitated the assimilation of Humanism and anthropocentrism.
• Reign of Philip II: Spain became a defender of Catholicism against Protestantism. This era of the Counter-Reformation saw an increase in religiosity, valuing Old Christians, honor, and purity of blood.

Renaissance Culture and Humanism

Female Humanism placed Renaissance culture at the center of the world: Anthropocentrism. Humanists were concerned with all forms of knowledge.

There was a strong admiration for classical Greco-Roman culture, including:

• Love of nature
• Mythology
• Beauty

The ideal Renaissance man was skilled as both a lawyer and a military man. Neoplatonic ideas of love considered physical beauty a reflection of the divine.

Renaissance Language

The language of the Renaissance emphasized simplicity. "I write like I speak," said Juan de Valdés.

The Rebirth of Lyric Poetry

Metrics: The use of the hendecasyllable (11 syllables) became prominent. Various stanzas employed the hendecasyllable, including:

• Sonnet: 14 verses, typically ABBA: ABBA: CDC: DCD
• Trio encadenados
• Lira: 7a, 11B, 7a, 7b, 11B
• Silva

Themes in Renaissance Lyric Poetry

• Love: Following Petrarch or Plato, love for the beloved leads to perfection. It can be unrequited and painful, stopping at the feelings of love, not necessarily carnal.
• Nature: An idealized place, locus amoenus. It may reflect the mood of the poet, appearing in eclogues and mimicking the landscapes of classical authors like Virgil and Sannazaro.
• Mythology: Abundant presence of myths and mythological characters, such as nymphs (Daphne) and Apollo.

Lyric Poetry in the First Half of the 16th Century: Garcilaso de la Vega

Garcilaso de la Vega was a prominent poet of this period. His works include:

• 3 Eclogues
• 38 Sonnets
• 5 Songs
• 2 Elegies
• 1 Epistle to Boscán

The Eclogues

• Eclogue I: Two shepherds, Salicio and Nemoroso, lament their unsuccessful loves. Nemoroso mourns the death of Elisa, while Salicio cries over Galatea's disdain.
• Eclogue II: (The first he wrote) The story of Albanio and Camila.
• Eclogue III: Four nymphs weave tapestries with love scenes, the first three being mythological.

Themes in the Poetry of Garcilaso

• Love: Painful, in a Petrarchan style.
• Nature: Emphasized in eclogues, taking the Castilian landscape as a model, such as the banks of the Tagus River.

Garcilaso's Style

His style is characterized by a simple lexicon. Archaic epithets appear frequently.