AUTHOR
 |
| Contemporary
portrait (circa 1530) of Fernando de Rojas. |
Fernando de Rojas
BIOGRAPHY
Fernando de
Rojas was a Spanish author and
dramatist, known for his only surviving work, La Celestina (originally titled Tragicomedia
de Calisto y Melibea), first published in 1499. It is variously considered
"the last work of the Spanish Middle Ages or the first work of the Spanish
Renaissance".
Rojas wrote La Celestina while still a student. After
graduating he practised law and is not known to have written any further
literary works, although La
Celestina achieved widespread
success during his lifetime. Despite difficulties with the Inquisition on account of his Jewish descent, Rojas was a successful lawyer and
became mayor of Talavera de
la Reina, where he lived for the last
three decades of his life.
LITERARY WORK
The book is considered to be one of the greatest works
of Spanish
literature, and traditionally marks the end of medieval literature and the
beginning of the literary renaissance in Spain
PLOT:
While out
hunting, the rich young bachelor Calisto enters a garden where he meets
Melibea, the daughter of the house, and is immediately taken with her. Unable
to see her again privately, he broods until his servant Sempronio suggests using
the old procuress Celestina. She is the owner of a brothel and in charge of her
two young employees, Elicia and Areusa.
 |
| Statue of La Celestina
in Calisto and Melibea orchard. Salamanca, Spain |
When Calisto
agrees, Sempronio plots with Celestina to make as much money out of his master
as they can. She rewards him with Elicia. Another servant Pármeno mistrusts
Celestina, warning his master not to use her. However she convinces Pármeno not
to object but instead to join her and Sempronio in taking advantage of Calisto.
His
reward is Areusa.
As a seller of
feminine knick-knacks and quack medicines, Celestina gets in to see Melibea,
telling her of a man in pain who could be cured by the touch of her girdle.
When she mentions Calisto’s name, Melibea becomes angry and tells her to go.
But the crafty Celestina manages to get the girdle off her and to fix another
meeting.
On her second
visit, Celestina persuades the now willing Melibea to a rendezvous with
Calisto, who rewards the procuress with a valuable gold chain. The two lovers
spend the night together in her garden, while Sempronio and Pármeno keep watch.
When the weary
Calisto returns home at dawn to sleep, his two servants go round to Celestina’s
house to get their share of the gold. She tries to cheat them and in rage they
kill her. Caught red handed, the two are executed that day.
That night
Calisto returns to the garden for another session with Melibea but while
leaving falls from the wall and is killed. She, after confessing their affair
to her father, jumps from the top of the house and dies too.
INFLUENCE IN SPANISH LANGUAGE
CELESTINA (Definition):
 |
| A painting of the character
‘Celestina’ from ‘’La Celestina’’, written by Fernando de Rojas. Author: Picasso, 1904. |
Pimp (woman
who arranges a relationship).
La Celestina influenced authors such as Lope de Vega
and Francisco Delicado, at the same time influencing the picaresque novel.
The influence of Celestina reaches the branch of art when
Picasso paints a portrait of Celestina in his Blue Period.
Terms like ‘celestinar’ and ‘celestinesco’ have made
their way into the Castilian language.
The intermediary figure in romantic relationships has
been forever captured in the character of Rojas.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
