Angels and demons in 'Canto a Teresa' (Espronceda and the powers of Heavenand Hell)

In "Canto a Teresa" and in El diablo mundo (of which it constitutes an impo rtant section), as well as in certain others of his poems, Espronceda expre sses his "titanic" challenger of the powers and the more of heaven and eart h. He develops a varied imagery of angels and devils to characterize his re lationship with Teresa Mancha, as well as to explore facets of his own char acter as a man and as a poet. So doing, he participates in a long tradition of depicting women as both angels and devils, a tendency which gained part icular currency in his century. In this regard, Espronceda attempts in his poetry a Blakean "marriage of heaven and hell." Moreover, the poet refers t o several verses on Lucifer and his fall in chapter 14 of Isaiah. He treats the text of the scripture with profound irony as he utilizes it to elabora te his portraits of Teresa and of himself with (and without) her. In these allusions, Espronceda repeatedly reveals his unresolved ambivalence and "an xiety of influence," in the realm of aesthetics, as well as of ethics.