Celestina: Rojas' Masterpiece of Love, Tragedy, and Social Critique

Celestina

At the end of the 15th century, the authorship of Celestina is widely accepted to be Fernando de Rojas for acts II to XXI, with the first act possibly written by Rodrigo Cota.

Argument

Calisto, rejected by Melibea, resorts to Celestina for help, following his servant Sempronius' advice. Celestina persuades Melibea to engage in an affair with Calisto in exchange for a reward. Sempronius and Parmeno demand their share of the earnings from Celestina, but she denies them. They murder her, and Sempronius is subsequently executed. While leaving Melibea's house, Calisto falls from a ladder and dies. Melibea commits suicide by jumping from a tower of her house. Her father, lamenting the events, reflects on the world, fortune, and love.

Genre

Some scholars classify Celestina as a drama due to its structure, consisting solely of characters' dialogue without a narrator. Others consider it a novel in dialogue that realistically parodies the sentimental novel, particularly Prison of Love. It is situated within the framework of humanistic comedy, intended for university readings rather than theatrical performance. Its presentation features events of the time, action in various locations, uncertain duration of events, lengthy monologues, and anticlericalism.

Address (Literary Devices)

• Dialogue: Alternates between long, rhetorical interventions and brief, rapid exchanges with quick replies.
• Monologue: Incorporated for characters to express their inner thoughts, weaknesses, fears, and intentions.
• Aside: Used to convey information, often with a classical or learned tone.

Treatment of Love

• Parody of Courtly Love: Calisto transgresses courtly love rules by immediately declaring his love to Melibea without the customary waiting period. He also breaks the rule of secrecy by confiding in his servant Sempronius and following his advice through Celestina, which ultimately leads to Melibea's downfall.
• Magic: Celestina employs magic to influence Melibea's feelings for Calisto.
• Love as Madness: The work portrays love as a form of madness, an alienation that leads Melibea to her ruin and eventual suicide.
• Sexual Love: Celestina emphasizes not only physical pleasure but also the spiritual delight derived from sex.
• Rebuke to Love: Following Calisto's accidental death, Melibea's suicide prompts her father to deliver a powerful condemnation of love in a final monologue.

Characters

• Calisto: Represents a parodied version of courtly love and madness. Initially, his feelings transform from infatuation into true passion after his first night with Melibea. He is foolish and selfish, though he has moments of clarity.
• Melibea: Considered the true tragic character of the work.
• Celestina: An attack against established norms. Physically depicted as old, wrinkled, and bearded, she is highly intelligent and adept at defeating opponents through her words.
• Sempronius and Parmeno: Calisto's servants. Sempronius is a deceitful servant, reminiscent of Roman comedy, who aligns himself with Celestina for personal gain and participates in her murder out of greed. Parmeno is a more complex character, initially loyal to Calisto but evolving from enduring his master's harshness to becoming a disloyal servant.
• Elicia and Areusa: Prostitutes associated with Celestina, friendly with the servants. They represent the realistic and raw side of life, contrasting with the relationship between Melibea and Calisto.

Purpose

• Moralizing Intention: To illustrate the destructive power of infatuated love and to warn against the depravity of pimps and deceitful servants. The characters' deaths without confession serve as proof of this aim.
• Disillusioned Worldview: Presents a pessimistic vision of a world where humans are helpless against fate, lacking reason or rules to govern their behavior.