History and Myth: Politics and Autobiography in the Construction of Lope's El sol parado

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article offers a political and autobiographical interpretation of Lope de Vega's El sol parado, a historical drama first published in 1621 that features Pelayo Pérez Correa, a thirteenth-century Portuguese military leader during the Spanish Reconquest. This article offers internal and intertextual evidence to suggest that the play may have been composed c. 1592 to 1595, at a time when Lope was a member of the literary court at the House of Alba, which helps explain some puzzling events within the play. The play is also analyzed in connection to the Spanish annexation of Portugal in 1580 and the defeat of the Invincible Armada in 1588, to show how Lope tries to link current events to foundational Spanish myths to foster Spanish identity at a time of upheaval.