Spanish Renaissance Poetry and the Ballad Tradition

The Ballads: Traditional Narrative Poetry

The ballads (or Romancero) are narrative poems intended to be sung and are typically anonymous. They generally consist of eight-syllable lines with rhyming assonance in the even-numbered verses. The old romances originate from the Middle Ages and the 16th century; due to their anonymity and oral transmission, they are difficult to date. The new romances are those composed by poets from the late sixteenth century who imitated the shape and style of the ancients.

Themes of the Romancero

• Epic-medieval and French legends
• Historical and frontier fiction
• Greco-Roman mythology
• Biblical and religious subjects

The Renaissance Lyric and Italian Influence

The Renaissance lyric was heavily influenced by Italian poetry, which brought two major innovations: the hendecasyllable (eleven-syllable line) and enjambment. Common compositions in this Italianate style include:

• Chained tercets (tercetos encadenados)
• The lira and the octava real
• The sonnet and the sapphic stanza

The style responds to an expressive ideal of simplicity and naturalness. Themes and ideals were developed from the Neoplatonism of classical and Italian literature. The main theme often manifests as suffering for love or death, particularly regarding absent or unrequited love. The description of women follows a standard of beauty associated with nature, where the woman can be portrayed as a ruthless figure or the man as a loyal lover. Another constant theme is nature, where the landscape is in harmony with the mood of the author.

Evolution of 16th-Century Spanish Poetry

First Stage: Petrarchism

In the first half of the sixteenth century, the poetic renewal was produced by Petrarchism and the irruption of classical influences.

Second Stage: Spiritual Literature

The changes in the second half of the century correspond with the rise of spiritual literature, focusing on mystical, moral, and religious ascetic themes, notably by Fray Luis de León and San Juan de la Cruz. This lyric follows two paths:

• Asceticism: Seeks purification and perfection through a process that leads the soul toward God via three ways: the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive.
• Mysticism: Corresponds specifically to the mystical experience of the unitive way.

Garcilaso de la Vega: The Lyric Revolution

Garcilaso de la Vega (1501-1536) served as a courtier to King Carlos I. His work produced the most important revolution in Spanish lyric poetry and became the model for all subsequent poets. Love is his theme par excellence, expressed through melancholy and sadness due to the frustration or absence of the beloved. His work is also based on the locus amoenus (the idealized natural setting) and includes themes of friendship, fate, and fortune.

In his early poems, he was influenced by the songs of Ausiàs March, but after 1532, his contact with Petrarchan poetry increased. His major works include odes, elegies, eclogues, and epistles. His style is based on natural expression, utilizing epithets, metaphors, hyperbole, and personifications.