Góngora’s Metaphoric Construction in Two Sonnets about Women

• Diane Chaffee-Sorace

Luis de Góngora y Argote, the renowned bard of the Spanish Golden Age, borrowed and improved poetic techniques employed by his Spanish and Italian contemporaries as well as by writers of earlier periods. In particular, the young Góngora copied metaphors from poets whose verse he tried to imitate or artistically outdo, often using these figures of speech to describe women or relationships with them. An analysis of the amorous sonnets “De pura honestidad templo sagrado” (1582) and “No enfrene tu gallardo pensa - miento” (1584) affords the reader the opportunity to explore Góngora’s metaphoric construction in two related sonnets about women. 1 Viewed from both traditional and modern perspectives, the bard’s creative process in these poems reveals the true metaphoric foundation for each text.