Las armas místicas: la obra de Francisco de Aldana y la paradoja en la vida de un soldado místico

This work begins with a contradiction within the poetry of Francisco de Aldana (1537-1578), a soldier and poet of Spains Golden Age: at times, he exalts the military life, and at others he expresses disdain toward the consequences of the same. This apparent contradiction produces an internal struggle for Aldana, which is expressed throughout his poetry. This study argues that the presence of Aldanas internal battle is fully understood only after the following is taken into account: for Aldana, contrary to what previous critics have claimed, his role as a soldier and his life as a mystic are inextricably united. Therefore, his struggle is not only founded on the tension that exists within his ideology as a 16th century Spanish soldier (messianic imperialism) but also on the conflicts that exist between this ideology and the morality that regulates his ethic as a soldier, a morality derived from his mystic practices.