Criticón (Jun 2018)
El Elogio a don Álvaro de Bazán, marqués de Santa Cruz, Capitán General del Mar Océano de Gabriel Lobo Lasso de la Vega
Abstract
This study offers a preliminary analysis of the Elogio in prose written by Gabriel Lobo Lasso de la Vega and dedicated to one of the most illustrious naval officers of the reign of Phillip II, don Álvaro de Bazán, marquis of Santa Cruz. I begin by exploring the circumstances which led the poet to praise this particular military figure through his use of a triptych including two other important men: King Jaime I of Aragón and the conqueror Hernán Cortés. I then lay the groundwork for poetic and historical research of the Elogio in three ways: by comparing the work with its sources (in particular a panegyric by Mosquera de Figueroa), by summarizing the historical episodes alluded to, and by analyzing the strategies used to praise Bazán (an elevated style, heroic figures, and Bazan’s portrait and emblem, which were represented in two engravings at the beginning of the volume). I finally consider the most original aspect of the Elogio: the reproduction of sixteen poems and eleven prose fragments from other poets and historians. Conceived as historical documents to help praise the marquis in the future, these fragments also demonstrate the success of the panegyric style initiated by the poet. This text perfectly illustrates the ways in which history and poetry, vraisemblance and wonder, are closely related concepts and tools for praise in the early modern period.
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