Juan de Mena sought to equal the classics of Latin literature.
The poet Juan de Mena presented 'Laberynth of Fortune' to King John II of Castile in 1444. The first printed edition appeared in around 1481. With this work the author, a poet from the allegorical-Dantesque school, wished to emulate the grand epic and allegorical productions of the Latin classics, thus highlighting the early importance of the Renaissance in Spain. The work is also known as 'Las Trescientas' and uses dodecasyllabic verses and the rhyme known as copla de arte mayor, in a Latinate and erudite language intended to imitate Lucan and Virgil. It narrates the allegorical journey of the poet to the palace of Fortune, and its main theme is the role of Providence in the lives of men and in the destiny of the Castilian nation.
