Renaissance Spanish Literature: Garcilaso, Italianate Lyric & Themes

Sixteenth-Century Renaissance Literature

The sixteenth century: During the Renaissance a vital attitude was established, inviting people to enjoy existence. This period exalts human capabilities and presents the ideal person who cultivates both physical and intellectual qualities: the Renaissance courtier, who masters arms and letters. There is confidence in the power of reason and the pursuit of knowledge, and this is a time of great geographical discoveries. The triumph of humanism encourages scientific inquiry and the works of classical authors are taken as models to be replicated, resulting in reform. Spirituality emphasizes inner feeling as opposed to merely external religious observances.

Characteristics of Renaissance Literature

Spanish literature undergoes renovation that affects style, form and themes. The style favors simplicity and clarity of expression and pursues naturalness. Spanish poetry incorporates the forms and stanzas of Italian poetry, especially endecasyllabic compositions such as the sonnet and the lira.

The Italianate Lyric

The Italian lyric had a decisive influence on European and Spanish poetry. The principal model is Petrarch, whose influence is felt in themes, metrics and genres.

Themes and Motifs

The main themes are love, in which the beloved is idealized; nature, seen as the harmony of divine creation and a confidante of the poet; and classical motifs from mythology. Common motifs include beatus ille ("the happy one") and locus amoenus ("idyllic place"), which extol withdrawal into nature, and carpe diem ("seize the day") which invites enjoyment of life. The Horatian exhortation Collige, virgo, rosas ("Gather, maiden, the roses") is one of the classical formulas that invite enjoyment of life.

Metrics and Forms

The principal metric is the hendecasyllable (endecasyllable). Typical stanza and poem forms include the sonnet (often following the two-quatrain and two- tercet structure), endecasyllabic poems with tercets, and the lira—a five-line stanza that combines eleven- and seven-syllable lines. These forms were adopted and adapted in Spanish poetry.

Garcilaso de la Vega

Garcilaso de la Vega represents the ideal Renaissance courtier: a man of arms and letters. He married Elena de Zúñiga, but his great love was Isabel Freire, a lady who inspired many of his verses. Garcilaso's poetic output includes 38 sonnets, 5 songs, 3 eclogues, 2 elegies, 1 letter, and some verses in eight-syllable lines.

Themes and Style in Garcilaso

The themes reflected in Garcilaso's poems are characteristically Renaissance: love, nature and mythology. The poet expresses the suffering caused by his impossible love for Isabel and his grief at her death. His style is based on careful selection of vocabulary and images in accordance with Renaissance principles of harmony and simplicity, producing a melancholic but gentle tone.

Summary of Literary Elements

• Historical context: Sixteenth-century humanism and discoveries.
• Major influences: Classical authors and Petrarchan models.
• Styles: Simplicity, clarity, naturalness, harmony.
• Forms: Sonnet, lira, endecasyllable, eclogue, elegy.
• Motifs: Beatus ille, locus amoenus, carpe diem, Collige, virgo, rosas.