O espelho de príncipe pelo vulgacho: de Maquiavel para Lope de Vega

Abstract

We note that the set of comedies from the first edition of a twelve-piece folio by Lope de Vega, organized and named by him as Novena Parte, printed in 1617, is linked to the same formative function of the prince's mirrors. Although triggering different genres, we note that Machiavelli and Lope have similar concerns regarding the education of a young prince. Machiavelli writes a prince's mirror in didactic prose, while Lope writes comedy in dramatic verse. We chose three comedies from Novena Parte which are about how to instruct the King and the Queen in matters of state. To wit: El Animal de Ungria, Del Mal lo Menos and La Hermosa Alfreda. We intend to offer a relationship between the instructions present in these comedies and the instructions of the Prince. We can say that both Machiavelli and Lope address mistakes of the highest state authority that were linked to a lack of experience and practical knowledge. Using classic models as a reference, Lope works with the recurrence of characters, while Machiavelli makes use of historical examples for his advice.