Columbus Letter

Christopher states in his letter that he is extremely pleased with the outcome of his first voyage. He praises and thanks Ferdinand and Isabella in the following quote. "I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies with the fleet which the most illustrious king and queen our sovereigns gave to me" (Householder, 1). The king and queen are described by Columbus as illustrious because he believes that it is because of their support towards his voyage which helped him to have a marvelous achievement. The main purpose of his voyage was to explore and discover unknown lands. His voyage was successful because he was able to discover many different islands, which he named San Salvador, Isla de Santa Maria de Concepcion, Ferdinand, Isabella, and Isla Juana. Overall, by reading it, we can easily see Columbus' joy towards his marvelous discovery.

Regarding his fourth voyage, Columbus shows his sorrow, discontentment and absolute loyalty in his letter to Ferdinand and Isabella. In the following quote, he says, "Of Espanola, Paria, and the other lands, I never think without weeping" (Columbus, "Ferdinand" 13). This quote clearly shows his sense of regret and depression. Columbus encounters Spanish settlers, during his third voyage, in a rebellion against his authority, which later leads to his arrest because of the many charges that were against him due to the mistakes of the men he ordered for the protection of the discovered land. During his fourth voyage, Columbus tries very hard to fix his damaged reputation, but is unsuccessful in his attempt. Because of that, there is more corruption, which makes Columbus' more sorrowful. Columbus shows his complete loyalty to Ferdinand and Isabella at the end of the letter. He says, "I came to Your Highness with true devotion and with ready zeal, and I do not lie. May the Holy Trinity preserve your life and high estate, and grant you increase of prosperity." This shows Columbus' misery as a result of the discovery. Due to the overall outcome of these voyages, Columbus' joyful and pleased tone in his letter regarding his first voyage drastically shifts to this sorrowful, desperate tone in his letter to Ferdinand and Isabella.