A good work can change a person’s life, help him look at the world with different eyes. Are there many such creations in the history of literature?
Literature in human life
Literature occupies an honorable place in the life of every person, and there are many reasons for this. Stories from books allow us to see the world from the outside, to understand what other people think and how they feel. Thanks to a good book, a person can grow spiritually and morally, gain ground under his feet. Often a person considers himself lonely, because he does not find like-minded people among his surroundings, but reading books, he understands that all people are different, and each has its own unique inner world.
Spanish literature
Spanish literature arose only in the 12th century, when language began to develop. Until that time, Latin was used in Spain. The entire history of the literature of this country can be divided into 4 large time periods, each of which gave the world wonderful memorabilia. The first period was marked by the fact that few could write in Spanish, and only the first timid attempts appeared. The second stage is the heyday, the era of Lope de Vega and Cervantes. The third stage was a decline, and the fourth promises a revival of Spanish literature.
Acquaintance with the author
Lope de Vega is a representative of the Golden Age of Spain, a playwright, prose writer and poet. He wrote more than 2,000 plays, and only about 400 have survived to this day intact. The boy was born in a family of gold seamstress. From an early age, he showed interest in art. Already at the age of 10 he made his first translation of a literary text. Lope de Vega entered the University of Alcalá, and gained great fame thanks to his romances. The writer was convinced that nature should always prevail over art.
He was expelled from the university, and was also forced to leave Madrid for 10 years. The reason was a bitter satire on the family of the girl who rejected him. Then the writer returns to the capital for the sake of a new beautiful lady. Soon he moved to Valencia, where he created a number of literary works in order to financially support the family. The heyday of dramatic creativity fell on the period of life as secretary of the Duke of Alba. Also, Lope de Vega was a servant of the Inquisition, lost two wives, and almost all the children. His last love was a 20-year-old girl, whom he sang in a number of poems. The last years of the creator were filled with personal drama.
Fuente Ovehuna
The drama tells about the events that took place in a small village in Spain. The commander of the order comes to the master to pacify the rebellious people. The master is a young man who recently received a title from his father. Commander Fernan Guzman offers his army, and Master Rodrigo Chiron accepts his help. Residents of Fuente Ovehuna are looking forward to the departure of the evil commander, who is notorious for his love of foreign women. No one can refuse him, fearing revenge. Recently, Commander Fernand Guzman has been pursued by the daughter of the Alcald - Laurencia, who is in love with a simple guy.
The master and commander triumph, completely pacifying the rebels. Fuente Ovehuna meets Fernan Guzman with gifts, but he does not need anything but Laurencia and her friend. Time passes, and Laurencia meets Guzman on a stream. The commander decides that this is his last chance, and stubbornly wants to get his own. However, he does not know that Laurencia's lover, Frondoso, is watching them. Wanting to protect her beloved girl, Frondoso threatens the commander with a weapon, and hides. The offended commander promises cruel revenge for such humiliation. He comes to the girl’s father, and demands to send her to him. However, the alcald explains to the impudent Guzman that commoners also have the honor. Meanwhile, the king of Castile finds out about the suppression of resistance by the master and commander, and sees this as a kind of threat. To sort it out, he calls them to himself. Only this circumstance saves the poor peasants from the reprisal of an angry tyrant. During the absence of Fernand Guzman, Laurencia and Frondoso play a wedding. In the midst of events, the commander, humiliated by military failure and remembering past grievances, returns and orders Frondoso to be imprisoned. Laurencia is also taken into custody because she dared to defend her beloved. Fuente Ovehuna collects a veche, on which opinions are divided: someone does not want rebellion, and someone wants justice. The disheveled Laurencia rushes into the meeting, talking about the torture and bullying that she suffered, and that Frondoso will soon be killed. This becomes the last straw, and people go to Guzman’s house. The angry crowd is simply trampling the commander, who does not even have time to come to his senses.
Understanding that responsibility cannot be avoided, the people decide to answer the judge's questions in the same way: Fuente Ovehun killed the commander. The judge strictly interrogates everyone, and the suspects are imprisoned, not sparing women and children. However, the peasants do not confess. They write to the king about all the bullying of the former commander, as well as that they are happy and ready to live under the leadership of his beloved king. Unable to prove anyone's fault, the king of Castile forgives the peasants and takes the village under his own leadership.
The historical basis of the book
It's no secret that the drama “Fuente Ovejuna”, a brief summary of which was discussed above, was written on the basis of a real historical event that took place in Spain in 1476. Lope de Vega fully retains all the details, names, places and heroes. The revolt of the inhabitants really happened in the village of Ovechiy Klyuch, and it was directed at the commander of the Order of Calatrava, Fernan Gomez de Guzmán. However, the historical chronicle considers this incident as a fierce revolt of the ungrateful residents who dared to raise their hand against the magnanimous ruler. The writer, on the other hand, views the whole situation as it actually was - retribution for bullying and abuse. The history of the creation of Fuente Ovejuna is rooted in the political situation in Spain.
Spain at that time was very characteristic of feudal tyranny, which was reflected in the works of many writers. The drama Lope de Vega “Fuente Ovejuna”, the brief content of which was considered above, is just another spark, testifying to the atrocities of the feudal lords in Spain, which suffered from arbitrariness.
Fuente Ovehuna: analysis of the work
For Lope de Vega, the union of the monarch and the people who love and appreciate him was considered ideal. The writer was quite happy with the estate monarchy in Spain, but he believed that the rights of each estate should be clearly defined. We can definitely say that de Vega was anti-feudal, and this problem of Spain troubled him extremely. However, did he understand the utopianism of his worldview? Studying his other works, one can notice that he understood how far antifeudal Spain is from the real one.
The main questions that Lope de Vega posed in Fuente Ovehuna are What would happen if the culprit were found and What would happen if the commander fled? Indeed, how far would the alms of the king of Castile go, and would it be at all? The author does not answer the question, but simply emphasizes that it is worth considering.
The image of Laurencia
Drama Lope de Vega "Fuente Ovejuna" would be impossible without the main female image - Laurencia. The author believed that the female role should always be bright. Therefore, Laurnesia is a wayward and beautiful girl. She belongs to ordinary peasants, but at the same time she is the daughter of an alcalde, which gives her the right to be considered a noble maiden. It is she who raises all the inhabitants of the village to rebel against the cruel commander. Laurencia has the honor and courage, since many times she refused the intrusive and arrogant commander Fernand Gusman, who tried to get her disposition by cunning, strength and gifts. In the creations of Lope de Vega, the image of peasants is always a little idealized, since he considered them the guardians of traditions and moral principles.
The image of Laurencia is not very real, as it is described as kind, beautiful, courageous, smart and noble. This combination of qualities is not very characteristic of a simple rural girl. It is unlikely that a real peasant woman could boast of a great mind, and raise a whole village to revolt against the power of the possessor. Nevertheless, Fuente Ovehuna, whose plot is constantly intriguing, touches the strings of the human soul precisely in a feminine way - bold, rebellious and kind.
Relevance
The relevance of “Fuente Ovehuna” is significant today, because the issues of relations between the authorities and the common people always remain open. Outwardly, the situation has changed, but the essence remains the same. The methods of “reprisal” and control have changed, but have modern rulers so far gone from their former prototypes?
Other works of the author
Other works of the author also clearly show his mood against the feudal system. The writer considers the peasants an indicator of the general spirit and morality of the country. In all the works of the author, the image of even the most insignificant peasant hero has always been drawn brighter and warmer than the image of any king or ruler. The plays of Lope de Vega (for example, “The Stars of Seville”) show his deep concern about the political and social condition of his country.