| The treatment of myth by four authors representative of Spain's Golden Age (1500-1680), Garcilaso, Gongora, Quevedo and Calderon, evolves by reinterpreting common mythic themes inherited from the Greco-Roman tradition. This study takes into account recent critical analysis of Classical myth in Spain, modern studies in Greek mythography and theoretical ideas pertaining to the Renaissance and the Baroque.;Gongora's Polifemo is the most important example of mythological poetry in the Baroque world. His related poems contribute to a broader understanding of his fictional world. Two poems which retell the legends of Hero and Leander, and Pyramus and Thisbe reveal parodies of earlier mythological poetry. His deep acquaintance with Classical sources gives him the facility to recreate seriously and to criticize comically.;The continuation of the satiric tradition is found in the best known examples of Quevedo's mythological poetry. Three series reveal tendencies toward self-parody. A current undercutting the authority of the Classical world exists in other poems that attack the gods. His use of the myth of Phaeton stands apart from his satires of literary convention. Quevedo's mythological poetry in large part reflects a social awareness.;Calderon's most important innovations in the use of myth are found in his auto sacramentales. In these Cupid and Orpheus become symbolic of Christ. The rarely used legend of Ulysses and Circe is given Christian meaning. Calderon incorporates the Humanist tradition with Neo-Platonist ideals and Christian teachings to create a highly symbolic world.;Garcilaso introduced the mythological world of pastoral fiction to Spain. In his sonnets Classical themes were newly recreated to symbolize particular circumstances and dilemmas. This use of mythic fiction in love-poetry anticipated his original treatment of Classical references in his eclogues. His "Third Eclogue" creates a mythological legend based on the ancient models in respect to its narrative and its characters.;Summarized briefly, myth for Garcilaso serves as a metaphor for his pastoral idyll. Gongora's use of myth creates a self-referential world, and in his later poetry he begins to parody myth. This parodic style taken up by Quevedo in the context of social satire exhausts the possibilities for further development of myth in this vein. At the end of the Golden Age, Calderon reinvigorates the Medieval use of myth as Christian allegory. The use of mythological motifs aids critical assessment of the literary output of these Golden Age authors, presenting a scheme that has broad significance for the period. |
