Propagandistic Value
Considering the fundamental structural problems and the troublesome lexicon, we might wonder why this poem was so respected in its time and continues to be studied today. At least part of the answer lies in the work’s function. Because the central purpose of the work is to serve as political propaganda, its allegorical weaknesses don’t appear so important. If the reader understands the political message, Mena has achieved his goal. Scholars generally accept that Mena delivered the poem to Juan II in person in 1444. The poem intends to be a Spanish epic, an inspiration to nationhood that presents Castilla’s destiny (unity and the Reconquista) in epic terms, and leaves no doubt that Luna is the epic hero to whom the task should be entrusted. Its complex structure and vocabulary are designed to appeal to appeal to Juan II, who wrote poetry himself and was a patron to many poets. Mena’s difficult poem aims to flatter its very specific audience, thus winning over the king, convincing him to continue support for Álvaro de Luna. In what is undoubtedly the most memorable moment of the work, Luna is seen to “cavalga sobre la fortuna” (ride astride Fortune). Fortune is presented as a wild horse tamed by the heroic Luna.
Read more about this topic: Laberinto De Fortuna