The Romancero and Guillén de Castro's Nacimiento de Montesinos

Guillén de Castro's cultivation of the Romancero, long apparent in his masterpiece Las mocedades del Cid, may be found even in an early work, El nacimiento de Montesinos. Muchas veces oí decir and Cata Francia, Montesinos, two ballads about Montesinos, were published repeatedly in various romanceros and circulated in the oral tradition. The widespread diffusion of these romances undoubtedly contributed to Castro's decision to dramatize their narrative core. However, the Nacimiento is not merely the re-creation of the tale of Montesinos; it draws from other Carolingian ballads and a secondary plot is apparently based on yet another romance. The two central traditional texts serve as a vehicle for Castro to incorporate modifications which reflect the contemporary social concern with honor.