El vino, compañía y síntoma.

This chapter proposes a journey through different types of couplets, from the lightest or most cheerful to the most dramatic, wherein the characters drink wine and other alcoholic beverages to strengthen bonds with others, or to drown their sorrows, generally caused by disappointment and heartbreak in love. It thus fulfils two functions: that of strengthening the bond, and that of refuge from heartbreak and irresolvable loneliness. Both scenarios have been sung in poetry and in various musical genres, including Spanish song. Joyful drinking is usually associated with praise for festivities, friendly gatherings or the virtues of the locality, region, or country. Sad drinking, on the other hand, points to the bitterness of an experience of suffering, so personal and non-transferable that it cannot even be told, no matter how much the neighbourhood might want to know. This leaves the characteristic mystery of some couplet's heroines in suspense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]