Medieval Iberian Literature: Poetry & Theatre
Galician-Portuguese Troubadour Poetry
The Galician-Portuguese tradition (with very similar languages at that time) developed distinct forms of troubadour song. While influenced by Provençal models like the austere and abstract cantiga d’amor and the more casual sirventés (or serventesio), Galician-Portuguese poetry is primarily known for the cantiga d’amigo, a literary version of the song of the girl in love as expressed in the Jarchas from around the 11th century. It also developed the cantiga d’escarnho e maldizer.
Cantigas d’Amigo
Cantigas d’Amigo are lyric poems written by a man who adopts the voice of a woman in love. It is she, then, who expresses her passionate love, often filled with grief rather than joy, her resigned submission to the love of a friend, and sometimes her mother’s opposition to it. Most of these poems are monologues in which the woman addresses her mother, a sister, a friend, a confidant, the lover himself, or personified elements of nature. There are some cantigas where the recipient answers, adding a more dramatic element to the poem.
Cantigas d’Amor
Cantigas d’Amor are poems where the poet is also a man, but this time he does not use the voice of a woman but speaks in the first person, addressing his lady or musing about love or the beloved. The cantigas d’amor in Galician-Portuguese troubadour poetry are based on Provençal models from the 11th to 13th centuries, but with some differences: the Provençal song is subject to stricter formal standards than the Cantigas d’Amor, which often disregard decorative elements. Also, a feeling of happiness often prevails in the Provençal song, while in the Cantigas d’Amor, the poet’s love is usually not reciprocated by the lady.
Cantigas d’Escarnho e Maldizer (Scorn and Curse)
These are satirical or burlesque poems that ridicule people, contemporary figures, customs, or institutions. The Cantigas d’Escarnho (of derision) use wordplay, double meanings, or equivocatio. The Cantigas de Maldizer (of curse) use more direct, frank, and hurtful language, sometimes even rude, obscene, or deeply allusive. Although their form is essentially lyrical, it is possible to find a narrative introduction that provides a synthesis of the situation before moving into the lyrical part, especially in the Cantigas de Maldizer.
Jarchas and Gloss
Jarchas are short songs from the 11th and 12th centuries written in Mozarabic, constituting the oldest manifestation of Romance lyric poetry in the Iberian Peninsula.
A Gloss is a note written in the margins or between the lines of a book, explaining the meaning of the text, often in a different language or dialect.
Medieval Theatre
Medieval Theatre developed during a period when theatre in general was just beginning. It barely resembled what we appreciate today. This Medieval Theatre was quite divided, especially along class and cultural lines. At first, it was directed only to people in palaces; we assume that social differences were particularly marked and deprived the common people of these performances.
Later, it split so that, on the one hand, one could find religious drama, often performed in churches, which we believe had the special purpose of persuading the public about religious beliefs and educating the less knowledgeable. There was also a popular theatre, which had no special purpose other than to entertain. The latter is the closest thing we can find to theatre today.
Finally, we know that this theatre had its highest expression in Europe, especially in Spain. However, regarding Castilian theatre (works written in Castilian or Spanish), there is no specific and clear evidence of its existence; we assume that works were represented but not written down. Given that only one work is specifically written in Castilian, we think that, in general, the texts for performances were not in that language but in others such as Latin.