Poet of the Sun: Lope de Vega’s Appropriation of Apollo

This study examines the different ways in which Lope de Vega appropriates the mythological figure of Apollo throughout his lyric poetry, a topic often overlooked by scholars. Initially, in the Rimas humanas, Lope uses Apollo to serve somewhat traditional needs, such as offering praise, highlighting female beauty, or retelling the Apollo–Daphne myth. Yet, within the same Rimas, Lope begins to use Apollo in order to present himself as a poetic authority. Later, in La Filomena, Lope attacks his rivals through Apollo. Finally, in the Burguillos collection, Lope inverts standard myths involving Apollo and uses him for other functions, such as parodying Petrarchism. In sum, Lope reinvents Apollo and in some ways presents himself as his own figurative and self-styled “god” of poetry.

Este estudio examina las distintas maneras en que Lope de Vega se apropia de la figura mitológica de Apolo a lo largo de su lírica, un tema menos estudiado por la crítica. Al principio, en las Rimas humanas, Lope usa a Apolo para servir funciones tradicionales, por ejemplo alabar a ciertos personajes, presentar la belleza femenina, o contar el mito de Apolo y Dafne. Sin embargo, en las mismas Rimas, Lope empieza a usar Apolo para presentarse como autoridad poética. Luego, en La Filomena, Lope ataca a sus rivales por la figura de Apolo. Finalmente, en las Rimas de Burguillos, Lope invierte los mitos normativos de Apolo usándolo para otros propósitos, como parodiar el petrarquismo. En resumen, Lope reinventa a Apolo y de varias maneras lo usa para presentarse como un “dios” figurativo y de estilo propio de la poesía.