la celestina study guide final

La Celestina STUDY GUIDE January 2013

LA CELESTINA

Study Guide

© Miracle Theatre Group, 2013

La Celestina Study Guide

By Emily Seynaeve

Fernando de Rojas

La Celestina was originally written by Fernando de Rojas (1465-1541) as a work of prose written in acts

comprised almost solely of dialogue. As a literary artist, Rojas existed on the verge between the Middle Ages and

the Renaissance. The medieval influence is evident in various themes present in La Celestina such as morality,

punishment and pessimism while the themes of sensuality and pleasure belong to the Renaissance era. Rojas

also expresses a humanist perspective in his writing, which was a point of view encouraged by Ferdinand and

Isabella during their reign.

Humanism is the trend that occurred in literature and social and intellectual philosophy from 1400-1650

and marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Anyone who lived in this era was essentially

trapped between supernaturalism and the potential beginnings of a modern scientific world. The beliefs of this

era were characterized by doubt in place of blind faith in God and religion. Suddenly, the human experience in

the present became more fascinating than the hazy promise of an afterlife. There was more awareness of man’s

mortality; life was viewed as finite instead of a stepping stone for another world to come after the death of the

physical body. The goal for a humanist was to live a happy and efficient life on earth and to make the best out of

the given time, instead of working towards the promise of salvation. Christianity in the Medieval Ages forced

strict limitations on individual freedom and expression and demanded that its followers be unquestionably

obedient to the church and God. However, the humanism era created a period of freedom where individuality

and curiosity was celebrated and encouraged. In La Celestina, the humanist perspective is present in the

depiction of human weakness, especially in the exploits relating to love and relationships.

Little biographical information can be found on Rojas, but it is commonly known that he was born in La

Puebla de Montalbán, Castile. In 1490, he earned a bachelor’s degree in law

from the University of Salamanca and moved to Talavera de la Reina in 1507. He

practiced law in Talavera for about 40 years before assuming the position of

Lord Mayor. While Rojas comes from Jewish ancestry, his more recent ancestors

were conversos, or Christians who had converted from Judaism. La Celestina was

the only literary work produced by Rojas, and it was one of the first to portray

romance in everyday life, albeit in an explicit manner. Because of the obscene

nature of some of the scenes, La Celestina remains one of the most repressed

Spanish classics whose circulation abroad was heavily restricted. One of La

Celestina’s unique characteristics is the combination of tragic and comic

elements, which is a method that had never been successfully done before and

has not been easily replicated in the future.

List of Sources:

• Biografía de Fernando de Rojas - Quién fue desde Quien.net

http://www.quien.net/fernando-de-rojas.php

• Encyclopedia Brittanica: Fernando de Rojas

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/506955/Fernando-de-Rojas


La Celestina Summary-Love that ends in tragedy

Calisto, a middle-class young nobleman enters the garden of Pleborio while searching for his falcon.

When he sees Melibea, the daughter of Pleborio and Alisa, he falls madly in love with her. Faced with Melibea’s

rejections, he seeks advice from his corrupt servant Sempronio, who advises him to meet with Celestina, a

former prostitute and procuress, wise in the ways of romance. Calisto’s other servant Pármeno warns him of the

dangers of dealing with Celestina, but Calisto ignores his warnings. Pármeno knows firsthand about Celestina; he

has been vulnerable to her promises of meeting with her protégée Areusa, whom he loves.

Calisto meets with Celestina and she agrees to help him. She pays a visit Melibea and her mother Alisa

and convinces Melibea that Calisto is suffering from a toothache and that only Melibea can help relieve it. On

this premise, Celestina obtains a waistband and the promise of a letter from Melibea. Meanwhile, Sempronio

and Pármeno see an economic advantage of working together, so they agree to help Celestina to get as much

from their master as possible by convincing him that she needs more support in order to win Melibea for him.

Melibea is soon overcome by a strange illness and calls upon Celestina to diagnose and cure her. Celestina tells

her the cure is to meet Calisto in person and she promises to set up this meeting. The two meet in Melibea’s

garden and, as payment, Calisto gives Celestina the gift of gold chain. However, Pármeno interrupts the meeting

with a warning that someone is coming (in order to necessitate a next meeting which Celestina will again have

to negotiate and again, be repaid).

Pármeno and Sempronio return to Celestina’s house

to get their share of the gold chain, but she will not give it

over, and they murder her. When they try to escape, they

are caught and executed. Calisto is unfazed by the death of

his servants and on the next night, he returns to Melibea’s

garden with a ladder to climb the walls to reach her.

However, after finally seducing Melibea, he tragically falls to

his death while trying to escape down the ladder. Melibea,

overcome by grief, confesses her love for Calisto to her

father and then commits suicide by jumping from the garden

tower.

The original work written by Fernando de Rojas

consists of 21 acts and the adaptation by Raquel Carrió is a condensed version with 16 acts. In the adapted

version, several scenes and characters are omitted. In the original, the first scene with Calisto and Melibea in the

garden is represented, but only a tableau hints at Calisto and Melibea’s relationship in the adapted version.

Fernando de Rojas also employs more imagery in his description of Melibea. He compares her hair to Arabian

golden thread and from his description we learn that she has long hair, green eyes, long eyelashes, thin, arched

eyebrows, a medium sized nose, small lips, and skin lighter than snow. These physical traits match more with

the Renaissance standard of beauty more than Carrió’s description of “golden locks” and “skin like pearl.”

Carrió’s version also omits the character of Pármeno, who tries to warn Calisto of the dangers of working with

Celestina. The original version also offers more insights to psychology of Celestina’s character, the pride she

takes in her work and how she can face without embarrassment anyone who shouts out “old whore!”

List of Sources:

• La Celestina o Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea de Fernando de Rojas (bilingual)

http://mgarci.aas.duke.edu/celestina/CELESTINA/ED-BILINGUES/SUAREZ/ACTO-01.HTM

• La Celestina o Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea de Fernando de Rojas (en español)

http://mgarci.aas.duke.edu/cgi-bin/celestina/sp/index-dq.cgi?libroId=1001

• World Republic of Letters: Celestina (translated by Margaret Sayers Peden)

http://www.worldrepublicofletters.org/excerpts/celestina_excerpt.pdf

• Spain Then and Now: Spanish Literature Celestina Interpretation(s)

http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-literature/celestina-interpretations/default_51.aspx


• Spain Then and Now: Celestina: Challenge and Innovation

http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-literature/celestina-challenge-and-

innovation/default_59.aspx

• About The Celestina ~ http://irinaspage.com/other-works/la-celestina/

• Diario las Americas: “La Celestina”, telón final del Festival de Teatro

http://www.diariolasamericas.com/noticia/58504/pda

• Spain Then and Now: La Celestina

http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-literature/celestina-summary/default_48.aspx

• Paper on La Celestina ~ http://www3.nccu.edu.tw/~cyyang/data/Spanishlit/La%20Celestina.pdf

16th

Century Spain

The countries of Spain and Portugal as we know them today once comprised the Iberian Peninsula. The

territory was composed of the large central region of Castile, Aragon to the east, Portugal to the west, Navarre

to the north, and Granada to the south. In the 16th century, the kingdoms were consolidated into Castile/Aragon

and Portugal. Castile and Aragon were united through the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of

Aragon. Before their ascension into power, each kingdom had

their own aristocratic legislatures in the various cortes that were

in charge of finances and law making. Each monarch had multiple

advisory councils as well as local governors and viceroys who were

in charge of administering the law. After King Charles was elected

as Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, more royal courts appeared and

gained power to make up for the king’s absences from Spain.

Throughout the 16th century, Iberia was home to warriors,

churchman, and workers, who held chivalric values.

Chivalry was the moral and social code that knights and

other men in the court followed during the Middle Ages. At the

time, chivalry was characterized by faith, honor, courage, courtesy, chastity, and loyalty. As a rule, only virgins

were subject to chivalrous love, which explains the success that La Celestina had in her business of “repairing”

virgins. In the Middle Ages, there were three different types of chivalry; duties to countrymen, God, and women.

A knight who had duties to countrymen was responsible for protecting the poor and to put the safety of others

above their own. This kind of chivalry was also known as “warrior chivalry” and was the most important to

knights. Knights who aspired to this lifestyle were expected to be honest and abstain from any monetary

rewards. Duties to God included unwavering faith in God and the church; knights were expected to value

worship over everything else. Duties to women consisted of honoring just one woman above all others. Love

was supposed to be kept secret and not openly expressed; this was also known as “courtly love.” La Celestina is

a revolutionary piece of literature because it abandons the idealized image of knighthood and honor and

exploits the reality of living in the Middle Ages; it looks away from the nobles and tells the story of the common

people. Their battles are not heroic or noble, but a fight for survival and the fulfillment of their everyday needs.

Although the story takes place in the context of courtly love, the plot revolves around pleasure and desire. In La

Celestina, the author breaks away from chivalrous and romantic archetypes and expresses each character as an

individual with self-awareness, will and the freedom to act.

In the 16th century, Granada was the only Muslim kingdom remaining in Iberia. King Ferdinand and

Queen Isabella saw the conquering of Granada as an easy way to consolidate their political power in the

peninsula and create religious uniformity throughout each kingdom. Granada was captured in 1492 and initially

experienced a period of religious freedom and toleration. However, the Christians still strived for religious

uniformity throughout the peninsula. In 1492, an edict was signed by the king and queen that gave the Jews 4

months either to be baptized or to be exiled from Iberia. Later in 1501, the Muslims faced the same threats of

banishment. Many Jews and Muslims did in fact convert to Christianity (and became known as Conversos and


Moriscos) but their religious conformity was often tested and there was suspicion that they were not genuine in

their conversion. It’s been discovered in the past that the author of the original work was a Converso himself.

Roja’s pessimistic viewpoints in La Celestina would certainly reflect the negative attitudes a Converso might have

during the time period. The accusations of blasphemy that occur in conversations between Calisto and his

servant also demean the Christian faith which could come from an author still holding on to Jewish beliefs.

By 1600, Spain experienced an inflated cash economy. This inflation further separated the upper and

lower class, while creating several different classes, such as the middle class and the desperately poor lower

class. Most of the population lived in rural villages and small towns. 25 percent of the population in Europe lived

in cities, and only 5 percent lived in large established cities. While larger cities were home to greater amounts of

taxpaying citizens, there were also more problems with sanitation and public health. Most of those who

inhabited rural areas lived out their entire lives in the same villages. Most were born, married, and died in the

same place. The environment at the time was dreadful; sewage and trash filled the streets and animals and hay

piled onto dirt floors of rural houses. Bathing was infrequent and clothes were rarely washed. Babies had strong

odors because their diapers were only changed a few times a day in poor families.

Men and women were not considered to be equals and in all cases men were considered to be superior

to women. While all children were raised by their mothers until age 7, only the boys were allowed to leave the

house after that to be educated by tutors or other members of the family. Girls remained at home or were sent

to convents to finish their education. Those that remained home often helped to work in the fields, stores, or

did other household chores. While they grew up, they learned valuable skills in managing in household as well as

how to create various textiles. The expectations for girls were to remain virgins until their betrothal or wedding

because there was no greater value than a virgin bride. Girls were never considered to be adult women until

they left the house and married.

When a girl became betrothed, her family was expected to come forth with a dowry. Then, the betrothal

would be announced in the presence of the priest and other witnesses. However, because betrothals and

weddings were often confused, formal betrothals began to die out during the 16th century. Marriage vows were

extremely sacred and adultery was a serious crime. Adulterers were forced to wear white sheets or other signs

to show their shame as they sat in church, and women’s heads were shaved and her clothes torn. Adultery was a

much more serious offense for women, and if her husband caught her with another man and killed her, he

would not be persecuted.

The normal life expectancy for most people was around 40 years, so many girls married at the young

ages of 14 of 15. A woman’s role in life was to have babies, and as many as possible, because only a few lived to

adulthood. Women from poorer families nursed their own babies while wealthier women had wet nurses paid

from contracts written up by the fathers. Although the medical reasons weren’t completely sound, women

found that they were able to conceive sooner if they didn’t nurse their own babies.

For the first marriage, the bride and groom were often close in age, although some girls married much

older men due to the 14th century plague causing an imbalance in the population. Because girls married so

young, there were more widows than widowers and young widows usually remarried. Due to their inferior

status, a widow sometimes had to give a percentage of her late husband’s estate to her new husband when she

remarried. Children were also considered the husband’s property; a woman could not legally keep her children if

other male family members intervened. If the marriage contract designated the wife as the guardian of her

children, then she could rely on various family members and charities to help care for and support her.

List of Sources:

• Spain Then and Now: 16th C Spain Overview: Politics

http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-history/16th-c-spain-overview-politics/default_113.aspx

• The Finer Times: Chivalry in the Middle Ages

http://www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/chivalry-in-the-middle-ages.html

• The International Commission and Association on Nobility: Orders of Chivalry

http://www.nobility-association.com/ordersofchivalry.htm


• El Civics for ESL Students

http://www.elcivics.com/columbus-day-2.html

• Spain Then and Now: Romances of Chivalry Popularity

http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-literature/spain-romances-of-chivalry-

popularity/default_74.aspx

• The Chivalric Code

http://www.essortment.com/chivalric-code-21703.html

• The History Guide: Renaissance Humanism

http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/humanism.html

• What Is Humanism? By Fred Edwords

http://files.meetup.com/1494713/What%20is%20Humanism.pdf

http://www.americanhumanist.org/Humanism/What_is_Humanism

• Thompson, Steven, The Renaissance (Turning Points in World History), Greenhaven Press, Farmington

Hills, MI, 2000.

• Sider, Sandra, Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe, Oxford Press, USA, 2007.

History of Witchcraft in Spain

During the 16th century, the concept of witches was transformed

from powerful magical beings to corrupted individuals associated with the

devil. At first, witches were characterized by actions such as using magical

abilities to do evil deeds. They could concoct potions to heal the sick, cast

spells both to harm and protect, and control the good and bad things that

happened in life. Eventually, Christians added a demonological aspect to

witchcraft and witches were characterized by making pacts with the Devil in

which witches were used by the Devil to do his bidding.

Throughout the 16th-17th century, about 100,000-200,000 people

were tried as witches and 50,000-100,000 were executed. Women were

targeted more so than men because of their “impressionable and gullible

nature”. The belief was that the devil could corrupt their faith more easily

than a man. The creation story also tells us that the first woman was made

from the bent rib of a man, which deems her as flawed and imperfect. This

“imperfection” justified various character flaws that could make a woman more susceptible to the devil, such as

fearful superstition and dishonesty. The accused women were independent women such as healers with

spiritual knowledge who were defiant against male supremacy. Widows and unmarried women were targeted as

well because they were thought to be “more vulnerable” and more likely to need “magical assistance.”

The connection between witches and bawds is reasonable because churches in the 16th century

associated women as being responsible for sex. Any pleasure

was condemned because it was thought to have come from the

devil. Witches were also accused of supplying contraceptives and

abortions, which sounds similar to some of the services that

Celestina might offer in her bawd house.

The witch craze lessened during the Protestant

Reformation when the Protestants and Catholics were fighting,

but the accusations picked up again in 1560. Both Protestants

and Catholics wanted to suppress everything that the leaders

viewed as superstition and freer expressions of sexuality. Some

view the attacks against witches as part of a bigger fight against

the elite groups and their liberated culture. Also during the Reformation, Christianity became a new political


ideology. In order to retain legitimacy, rulers had to prove their piousness and commitment to the religion by

accusing witches and participating in religious wars. Most of the women accused were old and poor, so in order

to not appear foolish and to justify the resources spent on witch trials, the “conspiracy” of witches rose to an

international level.

The change in legal proceedings increased the number of witches tried. Courts changed from an

accusatorial legal procedure to an inquisitorial procedure. With an accusatorial legal procedure, the suspect

being tried was familiar with the accuser and the charges against them. If the chargers weren’t proven true, the

accuser was liable for the trial. With the new legal procedure, legal authorities presented the case. Since their

name was no longer attached to the trial, people felt more willing to accuse one another. Often these new legal

proceedings involved intense questioning and torture of the suspect on trial.

Morals were also changing in the 16th century. With the inflation and wars, more people travelled, and

the sense of unsettledness made people less willing to help out others. Most of the first witch accusations came

about to bring guilt to people who had refused help to their neighbors. However, the stereotype of being a

witch could give women financial security for years because neighbors would be less likely to refuse help if they

were afraid of the consequences. Women could earn all the essentials for living such as grain, milk, or wood, just

by performing magical duties such as finding lost things, matchmaking, or cursing enemies. After an amount of

time, most women became as convinced of their own magical powers as their neighbors had.

List of Sources:

• Case Study: The European Witch-Hunts, c. 1450-1750 and Witch-Hunts Today

http://www.gendercide.org/case_witchhunts.html

• Women and Explanations for European Witchcraft Beliefs in the 16th and 17th Century

http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=women_witchcraft_beliefs

• Witches, Midwives, and Nurses, A History of Women Healers

http://tmh.floonet.net/articles/witches.html

Raquel Carrió

Raquel Carrió was born in La Havana in 1951. She received her doctorate in

Scenic Arts in 1992 and founded the Faculty of Scenic Arts of the University of Arts of

Havana and the International School of Theatre of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Her essays and critical studies such as “Contemporary Cuban Dramaturgy,” “Estudios

Críticos,” and “Recuperar la Memoria del Fuego,” have acclaimed various awards and

honors. She’s toured universities and cultural institutions in Latin America, Europe,

North America, Asia, Africa and Australia giving lectures and seminars. Under the

supervision of Eugenio Barba, she has participated as a researcher in various sessions

of the International School of Theatrical Anthropology.

Now, Carrió serves as an advisor for Teatro Buendía which was founded in

1985 by graduates from the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana. The company produces

theatre shows while maintaining a permanent research center. The research revolves

around Latin American and Caribbean culture and how actors can interpret the culture into their productions.

She has received public recognition from her versions of classic texts including “Las Ruinas Circulares,” “Otra

Tempestad,” “La Vida en Rosa,” “Bacantes,” “Charenton,” “La Balada de Woyzeck” and “La Visita de la Vieja

Dama”

List of Sources:

• Zoom info: Raquel Carrió

http://www.zoominfo.com/#!search/profile/person?personId=194913131&targetid=profile

• Raquel Carrió: The Coffee Pot and the Next Time


http://www.themagdalenaproject.org/sites/default/files/raquel_Carrió _coffee_pot_next_time.pdf

• Teatro Buendía

http://hemisphericinstitute.org/artistprofiles/index.php?lang=Eng&Artist=tbuendia&Menu=About&Cate

gory=Bio

LA CELESTINA

by Fernando de Rojas

Adaptation by Raquel Carrió

A Spanish language production

With English-language supertitles

February 7 – March 2, 2013

Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays & Saturdays at

8pm, Sunday matinees at 2pm

at

Milagro Theatre

525 SE Stark St., Portland, OR 97214

Tickets are $15-$30

For Group sales, please contact Tim Krause,

Marketing Director: 503-236-7253 ext. 113

Tickets may be purchased at

www.milagro.org or by calling 503-236-7253

Post-play discussion on Sunday, February 10

following the matinee performance.

The Northwest's premier Latino

arts and culture organization

425 SE 6th Avenue

Portland OR 97214

503-236-7253

www.milagro.org

The Miracle Theatre Group has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community and beyond since 1985. In addition to its national tours, Miracle provides a home for Latino arts and culture at El Centro Milagro, where it enriches the local community with a variety of

community outreach projects and educational programs designed to share the diversity of Latino culture. For more information about the Miracle, visit www.milagro.org or call 503-236-7253.

la celestina study guide final

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