El Cantar de Mio Cid and La Celestina: Spanish Literature
El Cantar de Mio Cid
Personality of the Cid
El Cantar de Mio Cid is the process of glorification of a hero. The Cid’s personality is defined by:
- Loyalty to the king: Despite the case of calumnies spread by Rodrigo’s enemies.
- Consideration and honor: He obtains royal forgiveness and his daughters end up marrying the infants of Navarra and Aragon.
- Personal effort and faith in God: Rodrigo’s virtue is based on the Christian faith, loyalty to the king, justice with his subjects, and love of family.
- Measure: In all actions, the Cid acts prudently.
Authorship
At the end, there is a note that says it was written by Abbot Per in May 1345 (1207 in our calendar).
Structure
- Song of Exile: The Cid is banished from Castile, leaves his family, and begins the journey of exile, sending gifts to the king for pardon.
- Wedding Song: He conquers Valencia and tells the king to pardon the Cid publicly. The song ends with the marriage of his daughters to the infants.
- Song of the Insult: The infants plot revenge, requesting permission to bring their wives to Carrión, but they leave them in a grove. The Cid asks for justice and wins a duel.
Style
The poem uses epic epithets, pleonasms, appeals to the public, Arabic words, the particle “l”, frequent suppression of verbs, and rhetorical repetition.
La Celestina
The first edition appeared in Burgos in 1499 with 16 acts. In 1500, new editions appeared in Toledo and Salamanca titled Comedy of Calisto and Melibea. This edition includes a prologue in the form of a letter, explaining that some papers were found about the evils of love and that the author decided to continue the work. According to this, there are two authors: an anonymous one and Fernando de Rojas. The first part has two poems in acrostic verses, and the second explains the existence of the acrostic verses. In 1502, five acts were added to end the treaty, called “Tratado de Centurio”.
Structure
- Act 1: Introduction to the action.
- Acts 2-11: Development of the conflict.
- Acts 13-20: Development of the passion and love of Calisto and Melibea.
- Act 21: Pleberio’s crying.
Plot
The story recounts the love of Calisto and Melibea. Melibea initially rejects Calisto. Sempronio, Calisto’s servant, recommends the help of a matchmaker, Celestina, who will act as a go-between to change Melibea’s will. Out of love and gratitude, Calisto gives Celestina a medal. Celestina dies at the hands of Calisto’s servants for not wanting to share a reward. Calisto visits his beloved, falls down the stairs, and dies. Melibea tells her father and later throws herself from a tower. The play ends with her father’s lament for her death.
Style
- Richness of language and the alternation of formal language (Calisto’s dialogues) and vernacular language (servants).
- Draws on rhetoric and the vivacity of dialogue.
- Shows the character of the person through dialogue.
- Monologues reveal doubts and fears.
- Asides address the reader and create a comic effect.
Themes
- Love: The main theme, revealed at the beginning and affecting all characters.
- Death: Related to love.
- The transience of life: Fleeting references abound.
- There is a large dose of pessimism.
Characters
The characters include:
- The Gentlemen: Calisto, Pleberio, and Alisa.
- Celestina: The matchmaker.
- Servants: Sempronio (greedy and materialistic), Pármeno (faithful servant), Elicia and Areúsa (Celestina’s pupils), Lucrecia (Melibea’s maid).
- Centurio: A ruffian hired for revenge.