The Experience of Exile in Garcilaso's Second Eclogue

Garcilaso's Second Eclogue has often been criticized for its apparent lack of thematic unity, due to the fact that its war-oriented passages seem to fit so poorly with the love-focused scenes that surround them. The true unity of the poem becomes evident, however, when it is interpreted politically, rather than purely romantically. That is, the Eclogue may be read as a complex representation of the sentiments of the recently exiled poet, in which the political and the amorous become fused. In such a case, the crazed Albanio would represent the poet himself, despairing at his exile, while Albanio's beloved, Camila, would represent the person whose rejection has caused him such pain: the Emperor Charles V.