"Ode on the Death of His Father" 

by Jorge Manrique

General Questions to think about:

What is the form of the Coplas?
What type of poem is it?
What would you say about its structure?
What is the role of dialogue in the poem?
What is the guiding metaphor of the poem?
In what ways is this metaphor manifested?
How does the meter achieve or undergird the somberness of the poem?

Questions to answer (please write out) for discussion:

1. How would you describe the tone at the beginning of the poem?

2. How is the image of life and death expressed in the following passages?

a. lines 1-24 ("O, Let the soul her slumbers break!...They pass away")

b. lines 25-36 ("Our lives are rivers….Lie calm and still") 

c. lines 37-48 ("This world is but the rugged road…The weary soul.") 

d. lines 49-108 ("Behold of what delusive worth…But strive in vain!") 

3. How does Manrique employ the ubi sunt ('what of?' 'where are they?') theme? Give some specific examples. ("Where are the courtly gallantries?") (lines 136)

4. How does Manrique describe his father? What major qualities does he possess (page 55)? 

5. How is death represented in the poem? What advice does death give Rodrigo Manrique? (page 56) 

6. Death speaks of different types of life. What are they? How are they different from one another? Which one is the most important?

7. How does Rodrigo Manrique react when faced with the figure of Death?  

8. How would you describe Manrique's attitude concerning the death of his father?

9. According to Manrique, what should our attitude toward death be?