Spanish Renaissance Poetry: Garcilaso de la Vega’s Enduring Legacy
16th-Century Spanish Poetry: Trends and Garcilaso
Poetry in 16th-Century Spain
In Spain, two major trends emerged in 16th-century poetry: traditional Spanish poetry and Italianate poetry.
Traditional Spanish Poetry
In the 15th century, both learned and popular poetry existed. In the 16th century, both types of poetry continued. Learned poetry, in particular, was widely cultivated through the Cancionero General, where compositions abounded with courtly love and troubadour traditions. Popular lyric poetry also continued its journey throughout the century, especially in the romances (ballads) which achieved great popularity in the second half.
Italianate Poetry
This was another, more innovative and cultured kind of poetry that came to dominate 16th-century Spanish verse.
Characteristics of Italianate Poetry
- It represents a complete and thorough stylistic restoration in Spanish poetry.
- The biggest innovation was the hendecasyllable, which combined harmoniously with seven-syllable lines.
- The Italian influence affected not only metrics but also themes and poetic attitudes.
- Idealization of the beloved and expression of love.
- Intensive development of bucolic and pastoral themes, where the poet expresses feelings of love amidst idealized nature with abundant mythological references.
- Emphasis on the poet’s creative role in lyrical verses.
Garcilaso de la Vega: Life and Work
Biography of Garcilaso de la Vega
Born in Toledo, Garcilaso embodied the ideal Renaissance hombre (man), the courtier. His life was spent in the service of Emperor Charles V and poetry. He was married to Elena de Zúñiga, but two other women inspired the poetic words he poured into his love poems: Isabel Freire, a Portuguese lady who returned his love. Garcilaso died in Nice as a result of wounds received while climbing a tower during a war.
Garcilaso’s Poetic Work
Garcilaso is considered one of the greatest Spanish poets, known for his formal perfection and significant influence over the centuries. His poems were first published posthumously in 1543 by the widow of Juan Boscán. He cultivated both types of poetry.
Key Features of Garcilaso’s Poetry
- Influence of Latin and Renaissance themes and forms.
- Poetic language: His ideal was to achieve transparency and clarity in expression, avoiding elaborate affectation.
- Themes: Garcilaso explored:
- The locus amoenus (mythical, beautiful, and idyllic landscape).
- Idealized feminine beauty (often described as white and pink skin, blue eyes, long neck, and hair).
- The idealization of the crude and rude shepherd of reality.
- The carpe diem motif, alluding to the transience of life and inviting enjoyment while possible.
Garcilaso’s Eclogues
They are pastoral poems, i.e., compositions in which two or more shepherds express their love laments amidst an idealized nature.
Eclogue II: The First Attempt
The first the poet wrote, though considered far from perfect.
Eclogue I: Love and Loss
The shepherds Salicio and Nemoroso lament, respectively, Galatea’s infidelity and the death of Elisa.
Eclogue III: Myths and Love Tragedies
Four nymphs embroider on the banks of the Tagus, evoking love tragedies: Orpheus and Eurydice, Apollo and Daphne, and Adonis and Venus (three classical myths), plus a new love story that the poet also elevates to myth.
Garcilaso magnificently recreates nature in these pastoral verses, creating a locus amoenus and a harmony between the elements of a landscape that invites solitude and rest.
Garcilaso’s Sonnets
Garcilaso was the first great master of one of the most representative forms of Spanish poetry: the sonnet. The sonnet is a structure in which content is organized into blocks (two quatrains, two tercets, with high artistry and specific rhyme schemes). The theme of love runs through Garcilaso’s verses, where common motifs include: enmity, the harshness of the lady, scorn…
Garcilaso’s Songs (Canciones)
Song III: Exile and Locus Amoenus
Written in exile on an island in the Danube, it marks his first incursion into the locus amoenus.
Song V: Ode to the Flower of Gnidus
Titled ‘Ode to the Flower of Gnidus,’ it uses the lyre stanza.