Analysis of Love Sonnets by Lope de Vega
Go and Staying
Analysis
This love poem explores the theme of absence and separation. It uses vivid imagery, contrasting verbs, and mythological references to depict the speaker’s emotional turmoil.
The opening lines present opposing verbs (“Go and stay”) to illustrate the lover’s inner conflict. Part of him remains with his beloved in spirit, while the other part is torn away, leaving him heartbroken (“without a soul”). The poem alludes to Ulysses and the Sirens, comparing the speaker’s experience
Read More19th Century Romanticism in Spanish Literature
XIX Century: Romanticism
General Features:
- Irrationalism: Romanticism refuses to explain all of reality through reason alone.
- Subjectivism: If reason has limits, other ways of knowing are necessary (passion, intuition, imagination, instinct…).
- Idealism: Predilection for the ideal over the material.
- Individualism: The romantic individual is self-aware, the ego versus what surrounds him. This sometimes leads to loneliness.
- Creative Genius: The artist is not merely a craftsman who produces; art becomes
19th Century Romanticism and Realism in European Literature
19th Century Literature: Romanticism and Realism
1. Romanticism (1st Half of the 19th Century)
Romanticism was a cultural and political movement that began in the first half of the 19th century in Europe and America. It involved a new way of understanding the world, acknowledging that reason, while important, was not the sole defining factor of humanity. Romantic thinkers believed that human beings also possess feelings, fantasies, and dreams. Romantics expressed a desire for absolute freedom and
Read MoreSpanish Theater After the Civil War
Spanish Theater After the Civil War (1939-1970s)
The evaluation of Spanish theater, like that of narrative and lyric genres, is heavily influenced by the Civil War (1936-1939) and its dramatic consequences. From 1939 onward, the Spanish theatrical scene was marked by the exile of prominent writers such as Max Aub, Rafael Alberti, and Pedro Salinas, and the tragic loss of playwrights like Federico García Lorca, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, and Miguel Hernández.
1. Postwar Theater (1939-1949)
In
Read More18th and 19th Century Literature: Enlightenment and Romanticism
1. The Enlightenment
General Introduction
The Enlightenment
The 18th century, often called the Age of Enlightenment or Age of Reason, was significantly influenced by British empiricism—the view that experience could give rise to theoretical values. David Hume, a representative of philosophical rationalism founded on empirical grounds, awakened a current of admiration in France, initiated by Voltaire.
The Enlightenment is characterized by a blend of intellectualism and empiricism. It gave rise to the
Read MoreItalian and Spanish Literature of the 14th-16th Centuries
Petrarch and the Italian Influence
Petrarch: The Father of Humanism
Francesco Petrarca, a 14th-century Italian poet and humanist, is best known for his vernacular compositions, particularly his Canzoniere (Songbook) and Trionfi (Triumphs).
- Triumphs: An allegorical poem in six parts exploring themes like love, death, fame, and time.
- Songbook: A collection of over 350 poems, primarily love sonnets inspired by Laura de Noves, showcasing the evolution of the poet’s emotions.
Petrarch’s work had a profound
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