La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas: Characters & Structure
La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas
La Celestina is one of the most appreciated works of literature, written by Fernando de Rojas in the last years of the 15th century. It hinges at the junction of two major phases of culture and picks up echoes of the medieval universe, which is ending, and the early Renaissance world, which reflects the start of the Modern Age.
Genre
La Celestina is included within the humanistic comedy genre. The theatrical elements are narrative; it lacks a narrator (except for the argument and abstracts) and is in dialogue. All we know, in reality, the characters create with their words. The play was designed to be read before a small group of people and not in a theater (it is too long, and there are changes in scenery). It was published as a comedy and only later renamed a tragicomedy.
Structure
a) External: Divided into 21 acts, including one that is longer than the others (author unknown). Several scenes often happen in each act; we note this by the changing characters or scenarios.
b) Internal: Two parts are distinguished:
- The first 12 acts focus on the love of Callisto and Melibea and the intervention of Celestina, concluding with the death of the old servants.
- The remaining 9 revolve around the revenge of Elicia and Areúsa, which triggers the death of the lovers.
Characters
The work observes two groups of characters with different interests: the lords and the servants. The world of the lords is constituted by the nouveau riche, who mimic the behavior patterns of the traditional nobility. Calisto and Pleberio represent the new bourgeoisie, living feelings moved by righteous ideals and principles about love, honor, and dignity. The world of servants, represented by Celestina, Sempronio, Pármeno, and the prostitutes Elicia and Areúsa, show materialistic and miserly feelings; there is no love or respect for their masters. Everyone is selfish and lacks solidarity (individualism).
- Calisto: A young man of noble lineage, clear wit, and gentle disposition. Although a courtly lover, he gets involved when his passion for love alone is able to direct his consciousness to the object of desire. He crosses all social and moral barriers.
- Melibea: One of the most interesting characters, with a psychological evolution throughout the work. She is elusive and dismissive in the initial stages but is never naive. She is the daughter of Alisa and Pleberio, knowing their hearts conceal what is hidden to them.
- Celestina: The most complex character. An old woman of 60, with enough experience to get out of compromising situations. She defends herself with extraordinary cunning and is set on mastering the art of flattery, manipulation, and sorcery.
- Sempronio: Avaricious and mean, moved by materialistic instincts, he is incapable of the smallest noble gesture.
- Pármeno: A faithful servant, attentive to the good of his master.
- Areúsa and Elicia: Envy, resentment, and vengeful instinct against the rich.
Language and Style
All characters are capable of using formal language, plagued by Latin phrases and many references to classical culture. The abundance of antithesis, parallelism, anaphora, and enumeration creates an elegant and complex style. It is frequent in the work to find spontaneous colloquial phrases, sometimes vulgar, especially within the field of the servants. Popular wisdom is also represented by proverbs and idioms.