Gil Vicente is a theater author born in Portugal, at the end of the 15th century. He wrote his dramatic texts between 1502 and 1536. Therefore, his successful career took place during the reigns of D. Manuel I (1469-1521) and his son D. John III (1502-1557). Little is known about the writer's life. Possibly it was a goldsmith; he married twice and, as a playwright, had the backing of the Portuguese monarchy.
Furthermore, it was part of Portuguese Humanism — an artistic and philosophical movement that emerged in the 14th century, in Italy, and inserted in a historical context of transition between the Middle Ages it's the Rebirth. Thus, Vincentian theater plays have moralizing character, in addition to presenting social satire and religious themes.
Read too: Troubadourism - literary school that developed during the Middle Ages
Historical context of Gil Vicente
Gil Vicente wrote his dramatic texts between 1502 and 1536. This period corresponds to the reigns of D. Manuel I — which lasted from 1495 to 1521 — and of his son,
D. John III — from 1521 to 1557. Therefore, despite the monarchy Portuguese being very tied to religiosity, the author benefited from a relative creative freedom.After all, it was in 1536, the possible year of his death, that the Court of the Holy Office was established in Portugal. Thus, after the death of Gil Vicente, The Inquisition censored some of his works, in 1551. The writer was part of an artistic and intellectual movement known as Humanism, introduced in Portugal from 1385.
Humanism took place in a historical period characterized by the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Consequently, medieval elements ended up coexisting with Renaissance ideas. Thus, the coexistence of religious and classical values influenced the artists of the time.
Biography of Gil Vicente
Gil Vicente was born, probably, in the year 1465, in Guimarães, Portugal. There are many uncertainties about his biography, due to the lack of documentation. However, it is known that had two marriages. The first wife might be called Branca Bezerra. She bore him two children and died in 1514. Three years later, the author married Melícia Rodrigues, with whom he had three children.
At the same time that the playwright lived, there was also another Gil Vicente, who was a goldsmith. However, some scholars claim that, in fact, the two are the same person, that is, Gil Vicente, in addition to writing, also exercised this profession. Furthermore, the writer had considerable intellectual training. He studied Latin, Spanish, French and Italian but, it seems, never attended a university.
If the writer Gil Vicente was also a goldsmith — with the title of “master of the scales” — he fell in the favor of Dona Leonor de Avis (1458-1525) twice. So, in 1509, he became his private goldsmith. As a playwright, he dedicated many plays to her; therefore having the protection of the "old queen".
Therefore, King D. Manuel I, brother of Dona Leonor, made Gil Vicente responsible for the commemorations of the arrival in Lisbon of his new wife, when the monarch got married for the third time. Already during the government of D. John III, the writer received some benefits from the king, in the form of money.
Thus, the author, who possibly died in 1536, in Évora, Portugal, received protection from the Portuguese Crown, support for his theatrical performances and appreciation for them. He therefore had a successful life as a playwright. He gained the respect of his contemporaries and left works that have survived time and criticism.
Read too:Luís Vaz de Camões – Portuguese poet and dramatist from the classic period
Characteristics of Gil Vicente's work
social satire
Use of Allegories
religious theme
text written in verses
Moralizing and pedagogical theater
Exaltation of human virtues
Condemnation of society's vices
Criticism of corrupt individuals in the Church
Popular Character Characters
Currently, specialized critics divide his work into three categories:
pastoral records: country life;
morality records: religious character;
farces: comical situations.
However, in the compilation made by the author's sons in 1562, his pieces were classified as follows:
works of devotion;
comedies;
tragicomedies;
farces;
small works.
Humanism
humanism was born in Italy during the 14th century, therefore in a period of transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Therefore, the rescue of classical antiquity values that he undertook took place in an environment still marked by strong medieval religiosity.
This intellectual and artistic movement was based on anthropocentrism, that is, in valuing the human being and reason. In this way, he achieved a departure from medieval theocentrism, which was based on faith in God. Thus, valueor the science and, when rescuing the classic values, also O hedonism, as opposed to Christian martyrdom.
See too: What is Antiquity?
Gil Vicente and the theater
Gil Vicente is considered the creator of Portuguese theater. This is because he founded a theatrical tradition in Portugal and everything indicates that the author was not restricted to writing his plays, but also acting in them and directing the actors. He was, therefore, responsible for all steps in the assembly of the theatrical show.
It is also possible to affirm that he used the theater as way to connect with the Portuguese nobility and receive due benefits from it. The outstanding religious theme in his work appealed not only to the general public, but mainly to King D. Manuel I, very religious, and his sister Dona Leonor.
Furthermore, the Vincentian theater has characteristics consistent with the Portuguese court at the time and contains a strong moral criticism to certain customs or attitudes that the dramatist verified in his time. Thus, it is, above all, a moralizing theatre, despite having some elements that bothered the Church after 1536.
Works by Gil Vicente
![Cover of the book Auto da barca do inferno, by Gil Vicente, published by L&PM.[1]](/f/c44739b8e95fbb7850e02b13265bf4ee.jpg)
Notice of visitation (1502)
Castilian auto pastoral (1502)
Auto of the wise men (1503)
State of São Martinho (1504)
Who has crumbs? (1505)
Self of the soul (1508).
Auto from India (1509)
auto da faith (1510)
fairy auto (1511)
Sibyl Cassandra's report (1511 or 1513)
the old man from the garden (1512)
war exhortation (1513)
widower's comedy (1514)
auto from the ferry from hell (1516)
Record of Fame (1516)
Purgatory ferry report (1518)
Glory Boat Auto (1519)
Rubena's comedy (1521)
Jupiter cuts (1521)
Gypsy farce (1521)
Tragicomedy by Dom Duardos (1522)
Weeping of Mary Brown (1522)
Portuguese auto pastoral (1523)
Inês Pereira farce (1523)
forge of love (1524)
farce of the judge from Beira (1525)
Apollo's temple hoax (1526)
report of the fair (1527)
Auto of God's Story (1527)
Comedy about the city of Coimbra (1527)
Self of the love ship (1527)
Pastoral tragicomedy of Serra da Estrela (1527)
muleteers' farce (1527)
Winter's Triumph Auto (1529)
Beira clergyman's farce (1529)
Auto da Lusitania (1532)
Amadis de Gaula's report (1533)
aggravated roma (1533)
Auto de Mofina Mendes (1534)
Canaanite report (1534)
Forest of deceptions (1536)
Also access:Dramatic genre - texts written to be staged
Phrases by Gil Vicente
Let's read, below, sentences taken from the pieces the old man from the garden, Inês Pereira farce and Auto of the fair.
"The biggest risk in life and the most dangerous is to love."
"To die is to end and love has no way out."
"Love doesn't want reason, nor contract, nor caution, nor honor, nor condition, but suffering from the heart without quarrel."
"Do not take sorrow, that death spends everyone."
"Clergymen and friars no longer respect Heaven, their sanctities dwindle, and their profit grows."
"All the glory of people's lives is having money, and whoever wants to have it must first be the worst he can."
"Now they call the truth Maria Peçonha, and shame is foolish, and I warn of badness."
"He who has goodness will never be his world, and a thousand weariness comes to him."
Image credit
[1] L&PM Editors (reproduction)
by Warley Souza
Literature teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/literatura/gil-vicente.htm