La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas: A Literary Masterpiece
La Celestina: A Literary Masterpiece
Editions and Author
La Celestina, a jewel of Spanish literature alongside Don Quixote, was written by Fernando de Rojas. The first known edition of this book was printed in Burgos under the title Comedy of Calisto and Melibea and consisted of 16 acts. The second edition, printed in Toledo, included a letter from the author to a friend and some verses. These verses revealed, through an acrostic, the name of the author: Fernando de Rojas. Rojas expanded the work, adding five new acts to reach a final total of 21, and gave it a new title: Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea. A new prologue was also included, justifying the additions and the final title.
Genre
This work is neither purely drama nor novel; it is a dialogued comedy. It marks the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the Renaissance. La Celestina is included in the genre of humanistic comedy, where elements of theater predominate over narrative. The story unfolds through dialogue and lacks a narrator. The reality of the work is created by the characters’ own words. However, the plot and the treatment of space and time are reminiscent of narrative. For a theatrical structure, it is too long and has continuous changes between indoor and outdoor scenarios. La Celestina, despite being conceived as a comedy, has a tragic outcome. Calisto himself sometimes parodies the sentimental novel, although the sources from which it draws appear to be Petrarch, especially Prison of Love.
Structure
The external structure of the work is divided into 21 acts, the first being the longest. Internally, we can distinguish two parts: the first focuses on the love between Calisto and Melibea and the intervention of Celestina until the old woman’s death; the second revolves around the revenge of Elicia and Areúsa, which triggers the death of the lovers.
Intent of La Celestina
Rojas stated that he wrote this work to warn the reader about the fearsome effects of passionate love and to prevent the entanglements and manipulations of wicked old women and servants. The work has a moral purpose, and Calisto and Melibea serve as examples of what should not be done. The traditional values of the old world are changing, and this is reflected in the protagonists.
Characters
The World of the Nobles
This world is made up of nobles like Melibea and Calisto, where honor and dignity in love are paramount.
The World of the Servants
Sempronio, Pármeno, Elicia, and Areúsa express resentment towards Celestina.
Celestina
Celestina does not belong to either of these two groups.
Calisto
Although he resembles a courtly lover, when he becomes embroiled in amorous passion, he is only capable of directing his consciousness to the object of his desire. Nothing matters to him except Melibea, whom he considers his god. Only when he has partially satisfied his desire does he come to his senses and actually mourn the death of his servants. His passion is courtly but carnal.
Melibea
She is never naive. She soon reveals her feelings, and passion comes to her after the game with the old woman. However, Melibea is a victim of Celestina’s spells. Her passion cannot be explained; such is the love that leads her to death when her lover dies. She knows her only way out is suicide.
Celestina
She is the most complex character. She moves the threads of the plot through her deep knowledge of human beings and her cunning. She uses flattery and manipulation to control those around her. Her entanglements will bring her characters to the point where she can obtain a benefit. She trusts in her arts of sorcery, but she does not calculate the risks well, and her greed prevents her from negotiating properly with Sempronio and Pármeno, which leads to tragedy.
Language and Style
The rhetorical thrust of the characters’ speeches is evident. They are all ready to send and receive prepared speeches. They can use a cultured language, full of Latin expressions, syntactic structures, and numerous references to classical culture. There is an abundance of antitheses, anaphora, and elegant enumerations. Colloquial, vulgar, and witty language is common. Celestina’s statements are full of proverbs, and the characters vary their stylistic level depending on the person they are addressing.