Macías
Encyclopedia
Macías was a Galician troubadour and one of the last Galician medieval poets.
establishes that Macías was a native of Galicia. H. A. Rennert has determined the time period in which he lived based on a number of references, the earliest and most important of which is the Marqués de Santillana’s 1449 letter to the Constable of Portugal Dom Pedro. In the letter, the Marqués mentions Macías as a contemporary of two late-fourteenth century poets, Basco Pérez de Camoes and Ferrant Casquiçio, whose lives are better documented. Don Martín de Ximena y Jurado in the Anales Eclesiásticos de Jaén, provides us with Macías’s probable resting place, the church of the castle of Santa Catalina in Arjonilla, a town near Jaén
.
are attributed to Macías, and he is the reputed author of sixteen others. Although all of Macías’s known poetry is amatory, the full extent his poetic production is unknown and may have included poems of other types, possibly in Castilian in addition to his native Galician.
refers to him in the Laberinto de fortuna (1444). Another allusion to Macías occurs at about the same time in La Celestina
where Sempronio says: “aquel Macías, ydolo de los amantes” (that Macías, idol of lovers). These references reflect a legend that had developed around Macías after his death and may, to a greater or lesser extent, have some relation to real events in his life.
The first extant version of the Macías legend is a gloss in the Sátira de felice e infelice vida, written between 1453 and 1455 by the same Dom Pedro to whom the Marquis addressed his earlier letter. Macías fell in love with a lady and began to perform services
to make himself more deserving of her favor. One day, as the lady crossed a bridge on a beautiful stallion, her horse reared and she was thrown into a river. The fearless Macías then dove in to rescue her from drowning. Time passed and she married another man, but Macías continued to worship her from afar. Years later, he encountered the woman riding her horse and this time asked her to dismount in compensation for the many services he had rendered to her. She did and, after spending some time with Macías, left fearing that her husband would find her there. Moments later, her husband appeared and stabbed Macías with a lance in a fit of jealousy, killing him.
In 1499, Hernán Nuñez
penned another version in a gloss to a printed edition of Laberinto. According to this tradition, Macías was enamoured of a great lady from the court of the Maestre of Calatrava, leader of one of the most powerful military religious orders in Spain. During Macías’s absence the Maestre arranged the marriage of the lady with a rich hidalgo, so the lovers were unable to consummate their relationship. Macías, who would not desist from his wooing, was imprisoned at Arjonilla, and then murdered by the jealous husband with a lance threaded through a hole in the ceiling of the Macías's prison cell. Macías died singing lyric poems composed in praise of his lady.
The last, and perhaps most popular, version of the legend of Macías appeared in the mid-16th century in the Historia de la nobleza del Andalucía by Gonzalo Argote de Molina (in Spanish). Argote’s version is essentially the same as Núñez’s, with the major difference that he gives the Maestre’s name as Enrique de Villena
. Don Enrique held the position of Maestre from 1402 to 1414, long after Macías’s death, therefore the addition to the legend in Historia de la nobleza del Andalucía is not thought to be real.
, inspired by Dante
, invaded Spanish literature in the late 15th century, Macías became one of the foremost figures to appear in the many “infiernos de amor” (hells of love) written. These compositions feature voyages through a hell where the narrators encounter lovers tormented for eternity for their intemperate passion. The first of these poems was the Marqués de Santillana’s Infierno de los enamorados (Lovers' hell), followed by Juan de Mena
’s Laberinto de fortuna (1444), in which Mena puts prophetic words in Macías’s mouth: “Amores me dieron corona de amores/ porque mi nombre por más bocas ande” (Loves gave me a crown of loves/because my name travels most from mouth to mouth). The last of the “infiernos” to mention Macías was that of a famous poet Garci Sánchez de Badajoz, a favorite of the Catholic Monarchs
. Despite the moralizing and exemplary nature of these poems, Macías is held up as a paragon of virtue. He appears in these works in the company of model lovers of the classical period, such as Theseus
and Orpheus
. Macías also appears in the Comedia de la Gloria d’Amor of Huc Bernat de Rocabertí, in the company of famous Castilian
and Catalan
lovers.
Macías was even more famous among the Chinese
. He is held up as a model of virtue and constancy in love in the Cancioneiro de Resende at the end of the 15th century. During the 16th century, Portugal’s great epic poet Luís de Camões
also makes reference to Macías in his “redondilha” poems.
Although the 15th century was the high-water mark of Macías’s vogue as a symbol of unrequited love, he retained an interest for Spanish authors for hundreds of years thereafter. In the 17th century, artists generally took a more pessimistic view of Macías, whose unsophisticated, emotional nature contrasted with the baroque
aesthetic. A notable exception to this trend, Lope de Vega
, made Macías the hero of his drama, Porfiar hasta morir. Lope’s contemporary Luis de Góngora
, however, was merely amused at the unreasonableness of Macías’s tale, and Calderón de la Barca found Macías useful only as an erudite, but dry, reference. The prevalence of Cartesian thought and the Neoclassical
aesthetic in the 18th century was an even more hostile environment for Macías, a symbol of pure, reasonless emotion. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, Mariano José de Larra
brings Macías back as the ideal romantic figure in his play Macías.
Life
Much is known about the life of Macías. His successor and compatriot Juan Rodríguez de la CámaraJuan Rodríguez de la Cámara
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara , also known as Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, was a Galician writer and poet, considered the last poet of the Galician school.Born in Padrón, he was born to a hidalgo family...
establishes that Macías was a native of Galicia. H. A. Rennert has determined the time period in which he lived based on a number of references, the earliest and most important of which is the Marqués de Santillana’s 1449 letter to the Constable of Portugal Dom Pedro. In the letter, the Marqués mentions Macías as a contemporary of two late-fourteenth century poets, Basco Pérez de Camoes and Ferrant Casquiçio, whose lives are better documented. Don Martín de Ximena y Jurado in the Anales Eclesiásticos de Jaén, provides us with Macías’s probable resting place, the church of the castle of Santa Catalina in Arjonilla, a town near Jaén
Jaén, Spain
Jaén is a city in south-central Spain, the name is derived from the Arabic word Jayyan, . It is the capital of the province of Jaén. It is located in the autonomous community of Andalusia....
.
Poetry
Five poems (or cantigas) in the 1445 Cancionero de BaenaCancionero de Baena
The Cancionero de Baena was compiled between around 1426 to 1430 by the Marrano Juan Alfonso de Baena for John II of Castile. Its full title is Cancionero del Judino Juan Alfonso de Baena....
are attributed to Macías, and he is the reputed author of sixteen others. Although all of Macías’s known poetry is amatory, the full extent his poetic production is unknown and may have included poems of other types, possibly in Castilian in addition to his native Galician.
Legend
It is not clear that if by the mid-15th century the poet’s name was already synonymous with love. For example, the Marquis de Santillana in letter to Dom Pedro describes Macías as “aquel grand enamorado” (that great lover), and Juan de MenaJuan de Mena
Juan de Mena was one of the most significant Spanish poets of the fifteenth century. He was highly regarded at the court of Juan II de Castilla, who appointed him veinticuatro of Córdoba, secretario de cartas latinas and cronista real...
refers to him in the Laberinto de fortuna (1444). Another allusion to Macías occurs at about the same time in La Celestina
La Celestina
La Celestina , actually called Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea or Comedia de Calisto y Melibea, in English Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea), is a work composed entirely in dialogue published by Fernando de Rojas in 1499...
where Sempronio says: “aquel Macías, ydolo de los amantes” (that Macías, idol of lovers). These references reflect a legend that had developed around Macías after his death and may, to a greater or lesser extent, have some relation to real events in his life.
The first extant version of the Macías legend is a gloss in the Sátira de felice e infelice vida, written between 1453 and 1455 by the same Dom Pedro to whom the Marquis addressed his earlier letter. Macías fell in love with a lady and began to perform services
to make himself more deserving of her favor. One day, as the lady crossed a bridge on a beautiful stallion, her horse reared and she was thrown into a river. The fearless Macías then dove in to rescue her from drowning. Time passed and she married another man, but Macías continued to worship her from afar. Years later, he encountered the woman riding her horse and this time asked her to dismount in compensation for the many services he had rendered to her. She did and, after spending some time with Macías, left fearing that her husband would find her there. Moments later, her husband appeared and stabbed Macías with a lance in a fit of jealousy, killing him.
In 1499, Hernán Nuñez
Hernán Nuñez
Hernán Núñez de Toledo y Guzmán was a Spanish humanist, classicist, philologist, and paremiographer. He was called el Comendador Griego, el Pinciano or Fredenandus Nunius Pincianus. He earned his degree in 1490 from the Spanish College of San Clemente in Bologna...
penned another version in a gloss to a printed edition of Laberinto. According to this tradition, Macías was enamoured of a great lady from the court of the Maestre of Calatrava, leader of one of the most powerful military religious orders in Spain. During Macías’s absence the Maestre arranged the marriage of the lady with a rich hidalgo, so the lovers were unable to consummate their relationship. Macías, who would not desist from his wooing, was imprisoned at Arjonilla, and then murdered by the jealous husband with a lance threaded through a hole in the ceiling of the Macías's prison cell. Macías died singing lyric poems composed in praise of his lady.
The last, and perhaps most popular, version of the legend of Macías appeared in the mid-16th century in the Historia de la nobleza del Andalucía by Gonzalo Argote de Molina (in Spanish). Argote’s version is essentially the same as Núñez’s, with the major difference that he gives the Maestre’s name as Enrique de Villena
Enrique de Villena
Enrique de Aragón , Marquess of Villena, was a medieval Spanish writer, theologian and poet. He was also the last legitimate descendant of the royal house of Aragón and the counts of Barcelona. When political power was denied to him, he turned to writing and was reputed to be a great...
. Don Enrique held the position of Maestre from 1402 to 1414, long after Macías’s death, therefore the addition to the legend in Historia de la nobleza del Andalucía is not thought to be real.
Influence on Peninsular literature
The legend of Macías left an indelible mark on Spanish literature. When allegoryAllegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
, inspired by Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
, invaded Spanish literature in the late 15th century, Macías became one of the foremost figures to appear in the many “infiernos de amor” (hells of love) written. These compositions feature voyages through a hell where the narrators encounter lovers tormented for eternity for their intemperate passion. The first of these poems was the Marqués de Santillana’s Infierno de los enamorados (Lovers' hell), followed by Juan de Mena
Juan de Mena
Juan de Mena was one of the most significant Spanish poets of the fifteenth century. He was highly regarded at the court of Juan II de Castilla, who appointed him veinticuatro of Córdoba, secretario de cartas latinas and cronista real...
’s Laberinto de fortuna (1444), in which Mena puts prophetic words in Macías’s mouth: “Amores me dieron corona de amores/ porque mi nombre por más bocas ande” (Loves gave me a crown of loves/because my name travels most from mouth to mouth). The last of the “infiernos” to mention Macías was that of a famous poet Garci Sánchez de Badajoz, a favorite of the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
. Despite the moralizing and exemplary nature of these poems, Macías is held up as a paragon of virtue. He appears in these works in the company of model lovers of the classical period, such as Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
and Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
. Macías also appears in the Comedia de la Gloria d’Amor of Huc Bernat de Rocabertí, in the company of famous Castilian
Castilian people
The Castilian people are the inhabitants of those regions in Spain where most people identify themselves as Castilian. They include Castile-La Mancha, Madrid, and the major part of Castile and León. However, not all regions of the medieval Kingdom of Castile think of themselves as Castilian...
and Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
lovers.
Macías was even more famous among the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He is held up as a model of virtue and constancy in love in the Cancioneiro de Resende at the end of the 15th century. During the 16th century, Portugal’s great epic poet Luís de Camões
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas...
also makes reference to Macías in his “redondilha” poems.
Although the 15th century was the high-water mark of Macías’s vogue as a symbol of unrequited love, he retained an interest for Spanish authors for hundreds of years thereafter. In the 17th century, artists generally took a more pessimistic view of Macías, whose unsophisticated, emotional nature contrasted with the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
aesthetic. A notable exception to this trend, Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
, made Macías the hero of his drama, Porfiar hasta morir. Lope’s contemporary Luis de Góngora
Luis de Góngora
Luis de Góngora y Argote was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widely considered to be the most prominent Spanish poets of their age. His style is characterized by what was called culteranismo, also known as Gongorism...
, however, was merely amused at the unreasonableness of Macías’s tale, and Calderón de la Barca found Macías useful only as an erudite, but dry, reference. The prevalence of Cartesian thought and the Neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
aesthetic in the 18th century was an even more hostile environment for Macías, a symbol of pure, reasonless emotion. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, Mariano José de Larra
Mariano José de Larra
Mariano José de Larra was a Spanish romantic writer best known for his numerous essays, as well as his infamous suicide...
brings Macías back as the ideal romantic figure in his play Macías.