Author ORCID Identifier
Abstract
This article argues that El Abencerraje y la hermosa Jarifa deliberately reimagines heroism as an ethical and social practice rather than a purely martial ideal. While the work emerges from a post-Reconquest cultural framework, its treatment of heroism privileges rhetorical confrontation, moral virtue, and affective commitment over physical violence. Villegas challenged the social definition of heroism as he rearticulated the concept by redefining it as the disciplined exercise of virtue—fidelity to one’s word, sacrifice, and compassion—suggesting that true nobility lies in moral agency rather than military dominance. Moreover, through the elevation of verbal exchange as a form of symbolic combat, Antonio de Villegas presents speech as a heroic instrument of battle, capable of achieving freedom if cunningly used. Also, Central to this ethical vision is love, which functions not as private sentiment but as a transformative force that motivates sacrifice, shared responsibility, and moral courage. By allowing these heroic qualities to operate across religious boundaries, the author advances a social message grounded in coexistence, mutual recognition, and humanistic values, subtly challenging confessional hierarchies and redefining honor beyond the limits of religious and cultural division.
Recommended Citation
Setorglo, Caleb
(2026)
"Mas Allá de la Espada: El Heroísmo y la Virtud en El Abencerraje y la Hermosa Jarifa,"
Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture: Vol. 11
:
Iss.
1
, Article 3.
Available at:
https://voljournals.utk.edu/vernacular/vol11/iss1/3