15th-Century Spanish Love, Moral, and Religious Poetry
Love Poetry
Two authors in love poetry include:
- Íñigo López de Mendoza, also known as the Marquis of Santillana. One of the most powerful nobles of the first half of the 15th century, his palace housed the best library of its time. Ten love songs with the theme of courtly love have survived from this author. He is famous for his “serranillas,” of which ten are preserved. The “serranilla” recounts the love affair between a knight and a beautiful and idealized shepherdess, who always rejects him.
Spanish Theater: Post-Civil War to Modern Era
The Drama: The vitality of Spanish drama diminished after the Civil War due to the death or exile of authors, the Franco regime’s rigor, and increasing film prominence. The avant-garde aesthetic and critical tone of theater seemed forgotten, with traditional drama or Golden Age classics preferred as escapism.
From the fifties, theater tentatively offered the public reflection on reality, gaining ground in the sixties through allegorical language and freer expression. However, it wasn’t until the
Read MoreLatin Declensions 4 and 5: Noun Endings
Declension 4
N: -us N: -us
G: -us G: -uum
D: -ui D: -ibus
AC: -um AC: -us
ABL: -u ABL: -ibus
Declension 5
N: -es N: -es
G: -ei G: -erum
D: -ei D: -ebus
AC: -em AC: -es
ABL: -e ABL: -ebus
Declension 4
N: -us N: -us
G: -us G: -uum
D: -ui D: -ibus
AC: -um AC: -us
ABL: -u ABL: -ibus
Declension 5
N: -es N: -es
G: -ei G: -erum
D: -ei D: -ebus
AC: -em AC: -es
ABL: -e ABL: -ebus
Declension 4
N: -us N: -us
G: -us G: -uum
D: -ui D: -ibus
AC: -um AC: -us
ABL: -u ABL: -ibus
Declension 5
N: -es N: -es
G: -ei G:
Read MoreSpanish Post-War Poetry and Novel: Trends & Authors
Spanish Post-War Poetry and Novel
From the end of the Second World War, the world was divided into two blocs during the Cold War. The 1960s brought significant changes, generating a new cultural climate and the development of consumer society. In the last decades of the twentieth century, the world headed towards a new industrial transformation thanks to advances in new technologies.
In Spain, after the Civil War and Franco’s triumph, the country was plunged into economic and cultural depression.
Read MoreMedieval Spanish Epic Poetry: Jarchas and Cantar del Mio Cid
Jarchas and the Dawn of Spanish Epic Poetry
Jarchas are short poems written in Mozarabic dialect, interspersed with words of Arabic and Hebrew. Their period of splendor is located between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. The jarcha was the ending of an extensive stanza composition of a cult character and theme of love: the muwassaha. The muwassaha was written in Arabic or Hebrew and in Mozarabic. The jarcha’s structure is very simple, because the poems are brief and generally use parallel verses.
Read MoreShakespeare’s Famous Plays: Summaries and Themes
Shakespeare’s Famous Plays
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice: Antonio, a merchant of Venice, borrows money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, to help his friend Bassanio woo the rich Portia from Belmont. Shylock says he will charge no interest on the money but will take a pound of Antonio’s flesh if the money is not repaid in time. Antonio’s ships are lost at sea. He cannot repay the loan and must die paying the forfeit – the pound of flesh – instead. Portia thinks of a plan to
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