Cancionero Poetry and Jorge Manrique in the 15th Century

Posted on Feb 15, 2025 in Latin

Lyric Poetry and *Cancionero* Poetry

Cancionero poetry refers to all thematically diverse compositions belonging to poets associated with the court, collected in large anthologies (books that compile many texts by different authors: Songbooks).

Themes in *Cancionero* Poetry

The themes developed are:

  • Love: Courtly love. The concept of love in the songbooks is consistent with the purest tradition of Provence (Southern France) and repeats the commonplaces of troubadour poetry: love as a service, the elusive attitude of the lady, the poet’s confusion in her presence, joyful suffering, and the wish for a liberating death.
  • Moral Reflection: Contemplations on the world, fortune (both good and bad luck), time, death, *ubi sunt* (where are they?), and fame (posthumous recognition of one’s deeds).
  • Satire: Social and political criticism and ridicule.

Meter in *Cancionero* Poetry

The meters used include eight-syllable verses and *versos de arte mayor* (verses of high art) and Castilian, his verses are the verses or the *copla manriqueña* (Manriquean stanza) of higher art.

Major Literary Figures of the 15th Century

The three major literary figures of the 15th century are the Marquis of Santillana, Juan de Mena, and Jorge Manrique.

Jorge Manrique and *Coplas por la muerte de su padre*

The most representative work of this poetic trend is the elegy (a tribute to a deceased person) Coplas por la muerte de su padre (Verses for the Death of His Father) by Jorge Manrique. This moral-didactic poem, written after the death of Master Don Rodrigo Manrique, evokes and praises his figure.

Manrique employs the *copla manriqueña*, a strophic variety of twelve verses grouped into two sextuplets with a broken foot. The verses are eight-syllable, except for the 3rd and 6th (four-syllables). The rhyme is consonant and follows the pattern: abcabc / defdef.

Structure of *Coplas*

The *Coplas* are divided into three parts:

  1. The first part is doctrinal, providing general reflections on the philosophical transience of human life and the inconsistency of worldly goods, subject to the destructive and unforgiving forces of fortune, time, and death.
  2. The second part reinforces the prior exposition with examples of prominent figures from the past, victims of these three agents.
  3. The third part contains the eulogy of the deceased and his encounter with death.

Themes in *Coplas*

The themes are topical (very common) and universally accepted in the Middle Ages. Jorge Manrique, from his own human experience, recreates these themes, resulting in a work that moves us with its authenticity and emotion:

  • The world is a place of transit. This is the theme of contempt of the world, deeply rooted in the Christian tradition.
  • Fortune is blind chance, depicted as hasty and unstable.
  • Time is fleeting.
  • In his literary treatment of death, Jorge Manrique emphasizes its equalizing power, its democratic sense (death does not differentiate or respect hierarchies), its unpredictable and inopportune appearance, its destructive power, its inevitability, and its grim and relentless image of cruelty.

But Manrique transcends this frightening vision by restoring its transcendent meaning. If death is a reality beyond human will, man must accept it with serenity as a natural fact, regarding it as a release from earthly hardships, the gateway to eternity after a heroic and virtuous life.

  • The theme of *ubi sunt*. To illustrate the transience of worldly goods, Manrique uses the rhetorical convention of *ubi sunt* (where are they?), questioning the whereabouts of powerful figures from the past.
  • The theme of fame originates from the classical tradition. This concept is part of a Christian perspective. For Manrique, fame is:
    • A consequence of a life of honor.
    • The only defense against Fortune, Time, and Death.
    • A consolation for those who remain alive.
    • The way to achieve eternal salvation.

Style of *Coplas*

In *Coplas*, Jorge Manrique dispenses with the fashionable style of the time. With an almost Renaissance spirit, he uses purified language, free of cultism, hyperbatons, and unnecessary adjectives.