La Celestina: Tragedy, Love, and Social Satire in 15th Century Spain

La Celestina: A Tragic Love Story

Story: A tragic love story where Calisto, a young bourgeois, falls deeply in love with Melibea, a beautiful young woman of a higher class. She initially rejects him. Calisto seeks help from his servant Sempronius, who suggests the bawd Celestina. Celestina uses her wisdom and spells to unite the young lovers. However, the servants are killed for not sharing their payment. Calisto dies after falling from Melibea's house wall, and Melibea commits suicide out of love.

Editions:

• Comedy of Calisto and Melibea (Burgos, 1499): 1st edition, 16 acts. Includes the Author's letter to his friend, detailing the text's creation.
• Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea (Seville, 1502): 21 acts. A foreword explains the title change and the addition of 5 acts, The Centurio Treaty, between acts XIV and XIX. In this edition, Calisto dies at the end of the nineteenth act.

Author:

Fernando de Rojas (1475-1541). The work's authorship is debated, with some believing in a single author, others in two, and some even in three due to the additions in the tragicomedy. The original work was thought to be implausible for two authors, but today, double authorship is widely accepted.

Genre:

The genre is a subject of extensive debate. Initially considered a dramatic work in the 16th and 17th centuries, its lack of action, long speeches, length, and scene changes led to discussions of it being a dramatic novel or even an ageneric work. Today, it is considered a humanistic comedy.

The Literary Language:

During the 15th century, the language underwent significant development. The linguistic situation was similar to today. The first grammar of that era was written by Nebrija in 1492.

Features:

• The lexicon expands, mainly with cultismos.
• Phrases become longer and more complex.
• Hyperbatons and preposed adjectives to the noun are more frequent.

Literary Themes:

Love:

Courtly love, where a lover-poet praises a lady of a higher class, who is elusive and cruel. The poet loves in silence. Courtly love originated in the courts of 12th-century Provence.

Death:

Death is a significant theme due to wars and epidemics (plague, leprosy). The preaching of memento mori by mendicant orders, the dissemination of drawings of death, and the bourgeoisie's fear of death all contributed to its importance. The topic of Ubi sunt? is often repeated. The human body is represented as a corrupt corpse. The macabre dance of death is presented in many ways.

Fortune:

Fortune was a much-discussed topic at the time. It was believed that man has no control over his destiny.

Fame:

The possibility of human beings enduring over time and surviving death.

Political and Social Satire:

Courtiers used political satire against the Kings.