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Which Italian verse forms were adopted in Spanish Golden Age poetry?
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Spanish literature
St. Luke, illuminated page from the Beatus Apocalypse, Mozarabic, 975; in the Gerona Cathedral, Spain.
During the Spanish Golden Age, poets significantly transformed Spanish verse by adopting Italianate metres and forms, a movement largely initiated by Juan Boscán Almogáver and perfected by Garcilaso de la Vega.12
The most fundamental adoption was the hendecasyllable (the 11-syllable line), which became a cornerstone of Renaissance Spanish poetry. Building upon this, poets integrated several specific Italian verse forms and innovations:342
- Sonnet: Introduced early by the Marqués de Santillana and later established as a classic form by Garcilaso.13
- Silva and Lira: These stanzas, which utilize combinations of 7- and 11-syllable lines, were key innovations that allowed for greater analytical expression of emotion and thought.1
- Canciones, Eclogues, and Elegies: These forms were also adopted and refined, becoming staples of the lyric tradition throughout the Golden Age.1
These Italian-inspired structures allowed Spanish poets to move beyond conventional native metres, enabling a more sophisticated exploration of Renaissance themes and personal lyricism.12