.jpg)
Relative creative freedom granted by the Portuguese monarchy
Gil Vicente, Portuguese playwright, and poet is considered the greatest representative of Renaissance literature in Portugal before Camões. He is also known as the “Father of Portuguese Theater” and the most important figure of the literary humanism introduced in Portugal from 1385. Due to the lack of documents, many facts of his life are surrounded by doubts, such as the place and year of his birth (Guimarães, in 1465). The playwright and poet had considerable intellectual training. He studied Latin, Spanish, French and Italian, but never attended a university, although he is said to have studied at the Spanish university in Salamanca.
His dramatic texts were written between 1502 and 1536 and his successful career took place during the reigns of D. Manuel I (1469-1521) and his son D. João III (1502-1557). In 1502, his play Auto da Visitação was staged for Queen Dona Maria and in the presence of King Dom Manuel during the celebration of the birth of the prince who would become the future D. João III. In addition to authoring the play, based on the adoration of the magicians, he also worked as an actor.
In the monologue, written in Spanish, a simple country man expresses his joy at the birth of the heir, wishing him well. The show enthralled the Corte and was the gateway to his career that spanned over 30 years.
Even though the Portuguese monarchy was intricately linked to religiosity, the author benefited from relative creative freedom. The Inquisition, or Holy Inquisition, also created in the Middle Ages (13th century), was directed by the Roman Catholic Church and was composed of a group of institutions within the legal system of the Roman Catholic Church whose objective was to combat heresy, blasphemy, witchcraft and customs considered deviant and a threat to Church doctrines.
Pope Gregory IX instituted the Tribunal of the Holy Office, in 1233, with the aim of investigating the heresies of the Cathars, also called Albigenses. The pontiff handed over the functioning of the Court to the Dominican Order, created by Santo Domingo. As the Tribunal of the Holy Office was established in Portugal in 1536, some of Gil Vicente's plays were only censored in 1551, fifteen years after his death.
Features of Gil Vicente's work
Humanism took place in a historical period characterized by the transition between the Middle Ages and the renaissance. Therefore, medieval elements coexisted with renaissance ideas and the coexistence of religious and classical values influenced the artists of the time.
Although he lived in the middle of the renaissance, Gil Vicente did not allow himself to be impregnated by humanistic conceptions. Through his plays, he portrayed the popular and Christian values of medieval life. His theater is characterized by being primitive and popular, although it emerged in the court environment, to serve as entertainment in the evenings offered to the king.
A profound observer of reality, the author wrote dramatic texts to be staged on stage, which was a novelty in Portuguese theater. He also introduced the use of scenery in presentations. The language displayed a certain colloquialism to be faithful to the characters and portray the unusual ways of speaking and social differences. For this, he mixed the popular, the archaic, the modern and the elite.
His work is rich due to the universality of the themes and the poetic lyricism that he was able to place in art, during the renaissance atmosphere. His satirical observation left no one out, pope, king, clergy, witches, procuresses, marriageable girls, Jews, and moneylenders.
Vincentian theater and theatrical tradition in Portugal
Gil Vicente founded a theatrical tradition in Portugal, which is why he is considered the creator of Portuguese theatre. Everything indicates that the author was not restricted to writing his plays, but also acted in them and directed the actors. He was, therefore, responsible for all stages of setting up the theatrical show. The striking religious theme in his work appealed not only to the public, but to King D. Manuel I, who was deeply religious, and his sister Dona Leonor.
Moreover, Vincentian theater had characteristics consistent with the Portuguese court of the time and contained a strong moral critique of certain customs or attitudes that the playwright verified in his time. It was a moralizing theater, despite presenting some elements that bothered the Church after his death. As most of his plays had a satirical content, one of the most famous phrases of the playwright was: laughing punishes customs.
The three phases of Gil Vicente's career
The author wrote more than forty plays, some in Spanish and many in Portuguese. In them, he ruthlessly criticized the entire society of his time. The value of Vincentian theater lies in its satire, which is often aggressive but balanced by Christian thought. According to the subject addressed, his work can be classified into three phases:
First phase - 1502-1508 - with Spanish influence by Juan del Encina, the author presents pieces that have a religious content:
1502 - Auto da Visitação
1502 - Auto Pastoril Castelhano
1503 - Auto dos Reis Magos
1504 - Auto de São Martinho
1505 - Quem tem Farelos?
1508 - Auto da Alma
Second phase - 1508-1516 - the social satire presents a broad vision of the society of the time, a fierce language in a more personal character. The masterpieces of that period are:
1509 - Auto da Índia
1510 - Auto da Fé
1511 - Auto das Fadas
1511 ou 1513 - Auto da Sibila Cassandra
1512 - O velho da Horta
1513 - Exortação da Guerra
1514 - Comédia do Viúvo
1516 - Auto da Barca do Inferno
1516 - Auto da Fama
Third phase -1516-1536 - Gil Vicente reaches his intellectual maturity. Alongside the critique of customs, moralizing attitudes of a medieval nature appear. The best theatrical works of Portuguese literature are from that period:
1518 - Auto da Barca do Purgatório
1519 - Auto da Barca da Glória
1521 - Comédia de Rubena
1521 - Cortes de Júpiter
1521 - Farsa das Ciganas
1522 - Tragicomédia de Dom Duardos
1522 - Pranto de Maria Parda
1523 - Auto Pastoril Português
1523 - Farsa de Inês Pereira
1524 - Frágua de Amor
1525 - Farsa do Juiz da Beira
1526 - Farsa do Templo de Apolo
1527 - Auto da Feira
1527 - Auto da História de Deus
1527 - Comédia Sobre a Divisa da Cidade de Coimbra
1527 - Auto da Nau dos Amores
1527 - Tragicomédia Pastoril da Serra da Estrela
1527 - Farsa dos Almocreves
1529 - Auto do Triunfo do Inverno
1529 - Farsa do Clérigo da Beira
1532 - Auto da Lusitânia
1533 - Auto de Amadis de Gaula
1533 - Romagem de Agravados
1534 - Auto de Mofina Mendes
1534 - Auto da Cananeia
1536 - Floresta de Enganos
Summary and analysis of the work
The two boatmen, Angel, and the Devil, receive the souls of the passengers passing through to the other world. The scene takes place in a port. One of the boats goes towards heaven and the other towards hell. Most of the characters go to hell because, during their lives, they did not follow God's path, they were cheaters, greedy, selfish, and big sinners. By following God's precepts and living simply, Joane, the fool, and the four horsemen, go to the boat of heaven.
The work satirizes the final judgment of catholicism, as well as Portuguese society in the 16th century. The allegory of the final judgment is a resource used by the playwright through his characters (devil and angel). In addition, each character has a symbology associated with falsehood, ambition, corruption, avarice, lies, hypocrisy, etc.
Characters and their Sins
Devil: captain of the boat of Hell.
Angel: captain of the boat of Heaven.
Nobleman: tyrant and representative of the nobility. He has had a life of luxury and he is going to hell.
Onzeneiro: greedy man, moneylender, and usurer. Because he was a great miser in life, he goes to hell.
Joane, the idiot: an innocent character who had a simple life, goes to heaven.
Shoemaker: hardworking man who stole and deceived his customers. He too will go to hell.
Friar: despite being a representative of the Church, he had a mistress, Florence, and did not follow the principles of Catholicism. He goes to hell.
Brígida Vaz: prostitute (who gossip and intrigue). Convicted of witchcraft and prostitution, she goes to hell.
Jew: character who was rejected by the Devil and the Angel for not being a Christian. He goes to hell.
Corregidor and Attorney: representatives of the law, they were accused of being manipulators and using the laws and justice for the good and personal interests. Both go to hell.
Knights: group of four men who fought to spread Christianity in life. They are absolved of the sins they committed and go to heaven.
The life of Gil Vicente
Gil Vicente was probably born in 1465, in Guimarães, Portugal. There are many uncertainties about his biography due to lack of documentation. However, it is known that he had two marriages. The first wife was perhaps called Branca Bezerra. She bore him two children and died in 1514. Three years later, the author married Melícia Rodrigues, with whom he had three children.
At the same time there was another Gil Vicente, a goldsmith. Some scholars claim that, in fact, the two were the same person. In 1509, he became private goldsmith to Dona Leonor de Avis (1458-1525) and obtained the protection of the “old queen”. For this reason, King D. Manuel I, Dona Leonor's brother, made Gil Vicente responsible for celebrating the arrival of his new wife in Lisbon, when the monarch married for the third time. In 1511 he was made a vassal of the king, and in 1513 Master of the scales of the Mint.
During the government of D. João III, the writer received some monetary benefits from the king. He had the protection of the Portuguese Crown, support for his theatrical performances and appreciation for them. Gil Vicente, then, became a recognized name. In the following years, he organized various events, festivities, and royal celebrations, always taking the opportunity to present his texts. With great approval from the public and the Portuguese court, he gained the respect of his contemporaries and left works that have survived time and criticism. He therefore had a successful life as a playwright. Gil Vicente died around 1536 at an unknown location.
Links used and suggested
Comments