CELESTINESCA

RHETORICAL TECHNIQUE I N THE PERSUASION OF MELIBEA

Er i ca Morgan
Worcester, England
I n hi s prol ogue t o t he second ver si on o f La CeZest i m Fernando de
Rojas i ndi cat es t h a t i t i s t hrough r h e t o r i c t h a t he hopes t o achi eve h i s
obj ect i ves i n t he cr eat i on o f t he workl :
y como sea c i e r t o que toda pal abra del hombre sci ent e
est a prefiada, de Esta se 'puede dec i r que de muy hinchada
y l l ena qui er e r event ar , echando de s i t an cr eci dos
ramos y. hoj as, que del menor' pi mpol l o se sacar i a har t o
f r u t o ent r e personas di scr et as. 2
Thi s r ecogni t i on o f t he power o f r h e t o r i c l eads t o i t s ext ensi ve use
wi t h i n t he f i c t i o n i t s e l f - 3 We see Roj as' char act er s persuadi ng them-
sel ves and one anot her, al most always wi t h qr eat success, by el oquent
mani pul at i on o f t he devi ces o f r h e t o r i c.4
Wi t hout a doubt, t he char act er who i ndul ges most i n t he use o f r het -
o r i c i s t he o l d procuress, Cel est i na. Her speeches r eveal Roj as' thorough
groundi ng i n t he a r t o f persuasi on and al s o serve t o quest i on t he adher-
ence o f c l as s i c al r het or i ci ans t o Cat o' s d e f i n i t i o n o f r h e t o r i c ( " v i r
bonus di cendi per i t us" ) and t he convi ct i on t h a t goodness i s a pr er equi si t e
o f t he t r ue or at or , as Qu i n t i l i a n mai nt ai ns i n h i s I ns t i t ut i o Oratoria:
"Neque enim esse oratorem n i s i bonum vi r um i ndi co; e t f i e r e et i amsi
pot est nol o. "5
One of t he obj ect i ves o f Roj as' abundant use of r het or i c i n LC, then,
may have been t o chal l enge t h i s c l as s i c al i dea o f t he excl usi ve use o f
r h e t o r i c f o r honourable purposes and f o r i l l u s t r a t i o n o f t he t r ut h. The
success whi ch Rojas af f or ds h i s char act er s i n t he employment o f r h e t o r i c
t o decei ve and ent i ce ot her s i n t o di shonourabl e act i ons der i des t h i s i dea
t h a t r h e t o r i c can onl y serve t he t r u t h . He t hus o f f e r s a count er - def i ni -
t i o n o f Qu i n t i l i a n ' s descr i pt i on o f t he t r u e r het or i n t he f i g u r e o f Ce-
l es t i na. Cel est i na has a ver y hi gh r a t e o f success i n her r h e t o r i c a l
manoeuvering and y e t she coul d har dl y, be pl aced wi t h i n t he cat egory o f
' v i r bonus' . Her i nt ent i ons ar e f a r from vi r t uous and we shal l see how
she makes use o f i r r e l e v a n t t r u t h s when r el evant t r ut hs do not serve her
CELESTINESCA
purpose. Rojas i s l aughi ng a t Qu i n t i l i a n ' s d e f i n i t i o n o f t he c l as s i c al
or at or , as w i l l Juan Lui s Vi ves a few years l at er . 6
One mi ght quest i on t he wisdom o f t he use o f a char act er l i k e Cel es-
t i n a as t he vehi cl e o f such st udi ed r het or i c al t echni que. I t i s c l e a r
t hat Cel est i na her s el f has no academic background ot her t han her i nci den-
t a l cont act wi t h p r i e s t s and f r i a r s . Her r het or i c al s k i l l s have been
acqui red by experi ence and cunni ng and bear wi t ness t o t he f a c t t h a t qui ck
wi t s ar e j u s t as i mpor t ant as t echni que. I n f a c t Rojas seems t o expl or e
t he r o l e o f r h e t o r i c as an i n t r i n s i c and i nev i t abl e p a r t o f everyday l i f e
r at her t han as bei ng conf i ned t o t he c l o i s t e r s o f academic l i f e .
It i s perhaps i n Cel est i na' s persuasi on o f Me1 i bea t h a t we see t he
most prol onged use o f r het or i c al t echni ques. Cel est i na' s mot i ve f o r t h i s
persuasi on i s personal gai n. Rojas makes us aware o f her underhand i nt en-
t i ons a t t he begi nni ng o f t he work when she f i r s t l ear ns o f t he pos s i bi l -
i t y o f a handsome reward from Cal i s t o i f she manages t o obt ai n Mel i bea f or
him. Sempronio i nf or ms Cel est i na:
Asi es. Cal i s t o arde en amores de Mel i bea. De ti y de
mi t i ene necesi dad. Pues j unt os nos ha menester, j un-
t os nos aprovechemos; que conocer e l tiempo y usar e l
hombre de l a oport uni dad hace 10s hombres pr6speros. (I, 58)
Thi s i s pr eci sel y what Cel est i na proceeds t o do. Her uncanny sense
o f t i mi ng and t he advantage she t akes o f oppor t uni t y, t oget her wi t h her
i nnat e r het or i c al s k i l l s , al l ow her t o wi n over Mel i bea. Rojas i nt ends
t he reader t o see t hese s k i l l s as i n t u i t i v e r at her t han t he r e s u l t of
academic pr epar at i on. Qu i n t i l i a n had al r eady recogni zed t he i nf l uence o f
i nnat e a b i l i t y when he poi nt ed out i n h i s I ns t i t ut i o Oratoria t h a t t ech-
ni cal r ul es ar e usel ess wi t hout nat ur al g i f t s :
I l l u d tamen i n pr i mi s testandum es t , n i h i l praecepta
at que ar t es val er e n i s i andi uvant e nat ura. 7
Through Cel est i na, Rojas shows t he i mportance o f qui ck wi t s si nce t he
r het or must always be capabl e o f deal i ng wi t h unexpected developments o r
i nt er r upt i ons f rom h i s audience o r t he person t o whom he addresses him-
s e l f .
Tr a d i t i o n a l l y t he a r t o f r h e t o r i c i s composed o f f i v e basi c par t s:
i nvent i o ( i nvent i on) , di s pos i t i o (arrangement), eZocutio ( st y1 e) , memory
and pronunciatio ( del i v er y ) . Of these f a c u l t i e s i t i s t he second whi ch
i nt er es t s us here f o r , i n s p i t e o f t he l ack o f f ormal t r a i n i n g on Celes-
t i n a ' s par t , we see t hat , i n t he persuasi on o f Mel i bea, koj as endows her
speech wi t h t he t r a d i t i o n a l s t r uc t ur e o f a r het or i c al speech as s et out i n
t he di s pos i t i o, o r f a c u l t y of arrangement.8 Rhet or i cal t ext books .suggest
t hat t he f i r s t p a r t o f t he speech, t he exordi m, o r proemiwn, be devoted
t o gai ni ng t he goodwi l l o f t he audi ence. One shoul d at t empt t o evoke t he
f avour and a t t e n t i o n o f t he audi ence i n readi ness f o r t he persuasi on whi ch
t hey ar e about t o undergo. Cel est i na' s exor di m r es t s heavi l y on t he use
o f pathos. Thi s t echni que was def i ned by Ar i s t o t l e who consi dered means
CELESTINESCA
o f persuasi on t o be d i v i s i b l e i n t o two groups: t hat o f a r t i s t i c t echni que
(et hos and pathos) and l o g i c a l argument, and t hat of d i r e c t evidence.9
Pathos r ef er s t o t he t echni que o f evoki ng c e r t a i n emotions i n t he audi -
ence. Cel est i na uses pathos i n t r y i n g t o gai n Mel i bea' s sympathy f o r her
as an o l d woman:
Que, a l a mi f e, l a vej ez no es si no mes6n de enf er -
medades , posada de pensamien t os , ami ga de r enci l l as,
congoj a cont i nua, l l aga i ncur abl e, manci l l a de 10
pasado, pena de 10 present e, cui dado t r i s t e de 10
por veni r , veci na de l a muerte, choza s i n rama que
se l l uev e por cada par t e, cayado de mimbre que con
poca carga se dobl ega. ( I V, 90)
Mel i bea shows sur pr i se a t t h i s mi sery and poi nt s out t h a t most peopl e
l ook f orward t o o l d age:
LPor qu6 di ces, madre, t ant o mal de 10 que t odo e l
,
mundo con t an e f i c a c i a gozar y ver desea?
( I V, 90)
Bewai l i ng t he di scomf or t s o f o l d age, Cel est i na c a r e f u l l y i gnor es t he
f a c t . t h a t she mi ght have been happi ' er i f she had had a d i f f e r e n t l i f e -
s t y l e i n her yout h. Thi s t ype o f f a l s e enthymeme, o r i ncompl et e s y l l o -
gism, i s t o be seen o f t e n i n t he course o f her arguments.10
As yet , Cel est i na has made no ment i on o f t he course o f ac t i on whi ch
she i s subsequentl y t o persuade Mel i bea t o f ol l ow. However, she i s pr e-
par i ng t he way. By compl ai ni ng about o l d age and making i t sound so un-
at t r ac t i v e, she i nsi nuat es t h a t one shoul d enj oy l i f e whi l e s t i l l young.
Thi s poi nt w i l l be hel pf ul l a t e r when Cel est i na wishes t he two l over s t o
come t oget her . The reader i s i n a pos i t i on t o doubt t h i s i nsi nuat i on
si nce he knows t h a t i t i s p a r t l y because Cel est i na enj oyed l i f e r at her t oo
much whi l e she was young t h a t she f i n d s her s el f i n such a sor r y s t at e now.
We l a t e r see t h a t Mel i bea does not consi der t h i s poi nt , e i t h e r t hrough
over si ght or , and perhaps more l i k e l y , because she pr ef er s t o i gnor e any
poi nt whi ch suggests t h a t she shoul d not f ol l ow her own desi r ed course of
act i on.
Cel est i na' s exordium al s o cont ai ns ext ensi ve use o f ethos, t he a f f i r -
mat i on and pr oof o f t he moral char act er o f t he speaker. She at t empt s t o
gai n Me1 i bea' s conf i dence by pr of essi ng i n t e r e s t onl y i n heavenl y r i ches,
and demonstrates compl ete di sr egar d f o r weal t h:
Aquel es r i c o que est S bi en con Di os. Mds segura cosa
es ser menospreciado que temi do. Mej or suefio duerme
e l pobre, que no e l que t i ene de guardar con s o l i c i t u d
10 que con t r abaj o gan6 y con dol or ha de dej ar . Ni
amigo no serd simulado y e l r i c o s i . Yo soy quer i da
por mi persona; e l r i c o por su hacienda. (I V, 91)
The reader can per cei ve t he hypocr i sy i n t h i s , but Mel i bea i s not i n a
pos i t i on t o j udge.
CELESTINESCA
Frequent i nvocat i on of God al s o hel p Cel est i na t o pr oj ec t her s el f as
a t horoughl y moral person i n t he eyes of Me1 i bea: e.g. ' Hasta que Di os
qui er a' . A mut ual l y benef i c i al f i c t i o n , r es t i ng on r e1 i gi ous common-
pl aces, i s bei ng cr eat ed.
Speaking o f how she has aged, Cel est i na uses t he t y p i c a l apol ogi a t o
i n g r a t i a t e her s el f wi t h Mel i bea: ' Que as7 goce de est a alma pecadora y t B
de ese cuerpo gr aci oso' . (I V, 94) Thi s par t o f t he speech i s s i mi l a r t o
t he concZusio, o r per or at i on; bot h ar e desi gned t o move t he mind and sway
t he emotions r at her t han bei ng di r ect ed a t t he understandi ng. These t ech-
ni ques ar e cont i nued t hroughout t he ot her par t s o f t he speech but ar e most
concent rat ed i n these two par t s. By empl oyi ng these techni ques, Cel est i na
succeeds i n evoki ng Mel i bea' s sympathy and i s rewarded wi t h t he g i f t o f a
few coi ns.
Roj as' pr ovi si on o f Cel est i na wi t h an excel l ent sense o f t i mi ng
al l ows her t o r e a l i s e t h a t t he moment i s opportune t o move on t o t he next
stage o f t he exordi um whi ch comprises f l a t t e r y : ' i Oh angel i ca imagen!
iOh per l a preci osa, y c6mo t e 10 di ces! ' ( I VY 93) She begi ns wi t h an
excl amat i o, one o f t he i nnumerabl e f i gur es o f speech recommended f o r t he
ornamentati on and embel l i shment o f an argument. She al so cont i nues her
use o f et hos t o make her s el f appear vi r t uous:
Est o t uve siempre, querer mds t r abaj ar si r vi endo a
ot r os, que hol gar contentando a mi .
( I V, 93)
By her apparent sel f l essness she encourages Mel i bea t o a c t l i kewi se:
"Ha veni do est o, sefiora, por 1'0 que deci a de l a s aj enas necesidades y no
mi as" ( I V , 94). Mel i bea i s onl y t oo happy t o o f f e r her hel p, but Celes-
t i n a cont i nues t he f l a t t e r y u n t i l she i s sure o f her ground and Mel i bea
y e t agai n begs her t o ask what she w i l l : "Pi de 10 que querrds, sea para
qui en f uer e" ( I V, 94), and onl y t hen does Cel est i na f eel ready t o vent ure
i n t o t he second p a r t o f her speech, t he n a r r a t i o . Thi s sect i on, bei ng a
statement o f t he f act s, ought t o be cl ear , conci se and wel l -f ounded. It
ought al so f ol l ow t he temporal or der o f event s and be s ui t abl y adorned.11
Cel est i na' s n a r r a t i o i s an o r a t o r i c a l nar r at i on, as opposed t o an h i s t o r -
i c a l o r poet i c one. Onl y p a r t o f t he t r u t h i s used, those par t s whi ch go
agai nst t he o r a t o r ' s case bei ng omi t t ed.
Cel est i na i nt r oduces her p e t i t i o n : "Yo dej o un enfermo a l a muerte"
(IV, 94). Thi s i s onl y a p a r t i a l t r u t h . Cal i s t o i s si ck, o r so he wants
us t o bel i eve, l Z but h i s si ckness i s l ove. Cel est i na makes no ment i on t o
Mel i bea o f t he nat ur e o f h i s i l l n e s s si nce t h i s coul d j eopar di se her pl an.
She proceeds wi t h t he utmost care, t e s t i n g t he ground wi t h ambi gui t i es,
and always l eavi ng her s el f an escape r out e. It i s here t h a t we see a
r e p e t i t i o n o f t he use o f a doubl e decei t , as i n t he case o f Cel est i na' s
t r i c k i n g Lucr eci a t o gai n ent r y t o Mel i bea' s house. She t e l l s Mel i bea
t hat one word w i l l heal her pat i ent and encourages her wi t h f l a t t e r y :
Que no puedo cr eer que en bal de pi nt ase Dios unos
gest os m5s per f ect os que ot r os, mds dotados de
gr aci as, mds hermosas f acci ones; si n0 para hacer l os
CELESTINESCA
almac6n de vi r t udes, de mi ser i cor di a, de compasiCjn,
mi ni st r os de sus mercedes y di di vas, como a ti.
(I V, 94)
The abundance o f r ef er ences t o God i s an at t empt t o appeal
bea' s apparent pi et y , and seems t o succeed. Cel est i na employs
ser i es o f f a l s e anal ogi es. She present s a ser i es o f uni ver sal
havi ng a1 ready r ef er r ed t o t he p a r t i c u l a r t r u t h o f Cal i s t o ' s
Wi t h a r het or i c al quest i on she suggests a comon course o f ac t i on
two :
t o Mel i -
al so a
t r ut hs,
i l l n e s s .
f o r t he
El pel i can0 rompe e l pecho por dar a sus h i j o s a
comer de sus entrafi as. Las ci guei i as mantienen o t r o
t ant o ti empo a sus padres v i ej os en e l ni do, cuanto
e l l o s l e s di er on cebo si endo p o l l i t o s . Pues t a l
conoci mi ent o di o l a nat ur a a 10s animales y aves,
i p o r qu6 10s hombres habemos de ser mi s cr uel es?
i Por qu6 no daremos par t e de nuest ras gr aci as y
personas a 10s prCjximos, mayormente, cuando est dn
envuel t os en secret as enfermedades y t a l e s que,
donde est d l a mel eci na, sal i 6 l a causa de l a
enfermedad? ( I V, 95)
Thi s superb passage i s r i d d l e d wi t h ambi gui t y. The suggest i on t h a t
one shoul d gi ve one' s " gr aci as" and "personas" t o ot her s i s an ov er t
reference t o t he sexual r e1 at i onshi p whi ch Cel est i na wishes Me1 i bea t o
i ndul ge i n wi t h Cal i st o, and t he "secret as enfermedades" t o t he nat ur e of
Cal i s t o' s i l l n e s s , l ove-si ckness ( h i s "secret o dol or " o f t he f i r s t scene)
whi ch has i t s cause i n Mel i bea. However, none o f t hese t hi ngs i s sai d
openl y. Cel est i na i s c l e v e r l y l ay i ng a f al s e t r a i l . Here r h e t o r i c i s
ser vi ng a dual purpose --one s i de o f t he coi n i s f a l s e and t he ot her i s
t r ue. I f , when Cel est i na f i n a l l y menti ons Cal i s t o ' s name, Me1 i bea r ef uses
t o have anyt hi ng t o do wi t h t he pl an, she can i n t e r p r e t t he " secr et as en-
fermedades" as t oot hache and make . her e n t i r e ent er pr i se seem i nnocent and
harmless. When Ca l i s t o ' s name i s i n f a c t mentioned, Mel i bea f l i e s i n t o a
rage. But, Cel est i na knows from experi ence t h a t i t i s usel ess t o t r y t o
t ac k l e Mel i bea i n her anger. As Ar i s t o t l e says: "Men grow mi l d when t hey
have exhausted t h e i r anger upon anot her . " l 3 So Cel est i na a1 lows Me1 i bea
t o vent her rage and, as Shi pl ey poi nt s out , i t does not l ead t o Mel i bea' s
bani shi ng Cel est i na f rom her presence, but r at her t o a demand f or an
expl anat i on o f such audaci t y. 14 Thi s, then, suggests a desi r e on Mel i -
bea' s p a r t t o f i n d anot her, more decorous, even f i c t i o u s , l ev el o f commu-
ni cat i on. Lat er , when she i s agai n calm, Cel est i na put s Mel i bea' s out -
bur st o f rage t o good use.
Mel i bea knows, a f t e r t he garden scene o f Act I, t h a t Cal i s t o i s
t r y i n g t o woo her, and i n her rage she assumes t h a t he i s t r y i n g t o seduce
her, t hus g i v i n g Cel est i na t he chance t o embarrass her by r eveal i ng t he
trumped-up " r eal reason" f o r her v i s i t . Tr ut h and f a l s i t y ar e reversed:.
Una oraciCjn, sefiora, que l e d i j er on que sabi as de
Santa Apol oni a para e l dol or de l a s muelas. Asimismo
t u cordtin, que es fama que ha tocado todas [ l as]
CELESTINESCA
r e l i q u i a s que hay en.Roma y Jer usal gn. Aquel
cabal l er o, que d i j e, pena y muere de el l as . Esta
f ue mi veni da. (I V, 97)
Cel est i na pl eads i gnorance o f any pr evi ous encounter between Cal i s t o
and Mel i bea. But she has achi eved one i mpor t ant aim. She has e l i c i t e d
from Mel i bea t he admi ssi on t h a t she f a i l e d t o denounce Cal i s t o' s advances
i n t he garden t o her parent s. Cel est i na can deduce f rom t h i s t h a t Mel.ibea
i s not so opposed t o Cal i s t o ' s advances as her rage suggested.
The next p a r t o f a r het or i c al speech, t he pr oposi t i on, may be i n -
cl uded o r omi t t ed accordi ng t o i t s convenience f o r an argument a t hand.
Thi s forms t he st at ement o f t he act ual concern o f a speech. The act ual
concern of Cel est i na' s speech i s , o f course, t o arrange t he l i a i s o n
between Cal i s t o and Mel i bea. Theref ore t he pr oposi t i on, i n t h i s case, i s
not onl y unnecessary but , i f i ncl uded, would al most c e r t a i n l y prove d e t r i -
mental t o her cause a t t h i s st age. Thus t he pr oposi t i on does not appear
i n t h i s speech.
There f ol l ows t he confirmatio, t he defense o f t he argument, and t he
refutatio, t he di smi ssal o f any opposi ng argument which mi ght ar i se.
These two par t s ar e i nt egr at ed i n Cel est i na' s speech.
She speaks o f "mi l i mpi o rnoti vo" and proceeds t o l abour t he v i r t u e o f
compassion. The f l a t t e r y whi ch we have observed i n t he precedi ng par t s of
Cel est i na' s speech cont i nues undi mi ni shed:
Compasi6n de su dol or , conf i anza de t u magni f i cenci a
ahogaron en mi boca a1 p r i n c i p i o l a expresi 6n de l a
causa. ( I V, 97)
To make Mel i bea ashamed o f her anger, and t o encourage f eel i ngs of
compassion which w i l l l ead her t o surrender t he g i r d l e , Cel est i na uses
b i b l i c a l quot at i on and animal imagery:
No semejes l a t el ar ai i a que no muestra su f uer za si no
cont r a 10s f l acos ani mal es. No paguen j ust os por
pecadores. I mi t a l a di v i na j u s t i c i a , que d i j o : e l
i ni ma 'que pecare, aquel l a misma muera; a l a humana,
que jamds condena a1 padre por e l d e l i t o del h i j o
n i a1 h i j o por e l del padre. ( I VY 98)
Bef ore cont i nui ng, Cel est i na wishes t o ensure t hat any anger on Me-
l i bea' s p a r t w i l l not f a l l on her si nce she i s merel y ( i n t he f i c t i o n ) an
i nt er medi ar y hel pi ng a si ck man. She f i n a l l y convi nces Mel i bea t h a t she
had onl y good i nt ent i ons: ' Tant o a f i n a s t u i gnor anci a, que me haces
cr eer 10 que puede ser ' . ( I V, 98) And Me1 i bea t r i e s t o expl ai n her now
embarrassing bur s t o f rage:
No tengas en mucho n i t e mar avi l l es de m i pasado
sent i mi ent o, porque concur r i er on dos cosas en t u
habl a, que cual qui er a de e l l a s er a bast ant e para
CELESTINESCA
me sacar de seso: nombrarme ese t u cabal l er o, que
conmigo se at r ev i 6 a habl ar , y tambiEn pedirme
pal abras s i n mds causa, que no se podi a sospechar si no
dafio para mi honra. Pero pues todo vi ene de buena
par t e, de 10 pasado haya perd6n. ( I V, 98-99)
Thi s same escape r out e which Cel est i na uses becomes an excuse f or
Mel i bea who i s begi nni ng t o al l ow her passi ons t o overcome her i n i t i a l i n -
di gnat i on. 15 She j u s t i f i e s sending her g i r d l e t o Cal i s t o by i t s bei ng an
act o f c h a r i t y t o a man s uf f er i ng from toothache:
Que en al guna manera es al i v i ado mi coraz6n, vi endo
que es obra p i a y santa sanar 10s apasionados y
enfermos. (I V, 99)
Cel est i na r eal i z es a t t h i s poi nt t h a t her case i s near l y won, si nce
i t seems l i k e l y t h a t Mel i bea w i l l submi t t o Cal i s t o a f t e r l i t t l e f ur t her
coaxi ng. She moves on t o t he concZusio t o neat l y t i e up a l l t he s t r ay
ends of her pr evi ous work, begi nni ng wi t h an indignatio:
i Y t a l enferrnd, setiora! Por Di os, s i bi en l e
conoci eses, no l e juzgases por e l que has di cho y
mostrado con t u i r a .
(I V, 99)
. She l eads i n t o pr ai se o f Cal i s t o usi ng e x t r i n s i c t opi cs o f t he nat ur e
of man as descri bed by Ci cer o i n h i s Topica. Convi ct i on can be won, Ci ce-
r o says, by exempl i f yi ng v i r t u e i n two ways: by comparison o f t he subj ect
t o t he gods who ar e by nat ur e vi r t uous, and t o men famous f o r t h e i r v i r t u e
achi eved by hard work. Cel est i na uses both:
En Di os y en mi alma, no t i ene h i e l ; gr aci as, dos mi l ;
en franqueza, A1ejandre;e.n esfuerzo, HEctor;,gesto,
de un r ey; gr aci oso, al egr e; jamds r ei na en e l t r i s t e z a .
De nobl e sangre, como sabes; gran j ust ador , pues v er l e
armado, un San Jorge. Fuerza y esf uerzo, no t uvo
HErcul es t ant a. La presenci a y f acci ones, di sposi ci 6n,
desenvol t ura, o t r a l engua habi a menester para l a s cont ar .
Todo j unt o semeja Lngel del c i el o. Por f e tengo que no
er a t an hermoso aquel g e n t i l Narci so, que se enamor6 de
su pr opi a f i gur a, cuando se vi do en l a s aguas de l a
f uent e. ( I V, 99.)
Thi s enumerati on o f Cal i s t o' s q u a l i t i e s , bui l di ng hi m i n t o a super-
human bei ng, has i t s i r o n i c si de. Fi r s t , Cel est i na does not know Cal i st o
wel l enough t o know whether he embodies these qual i t i es . I n any case, any
recommendation f rom a dubi ous char act er l i k e Cel est i na must be suspect.
Secondly, t h i s pr esent at i on o f Cal i s t o l eads us t o r egar d him as much l es s
than a hero when we see him pl ay- act i ng and assuming t he r o l e o f t he
c o u r t l y l over . Ca l i s t o ' s her oi c qual i t i es , as descri bed by Cel est i na, ar e
now thrown i n t o s t ar k cont r ast wi t h t he pat het i c l i t t l e ai l ment which she
now says has him i ncapaci t at ed: ' Agora, seiiora, t i 6 n e l e der r i bado una
sol a muela, que jamiis cesa [ del quej ar . ( I v , 99)
From here onwards i t i s
CELESTINESCA
Mel i bea who i s doi ng t he work. Cel est i na has r oused h e r e c u r i o s i t y and
Mel i bea gi ves h e r t he chance t o t e l l her more about Ca l i s t o t o secur e her
f avour : " i Y qu6 t a n t o t i empo ha?" ( I V, 99) It i s n o t q u i t e c l e a r whet her
t he subsequent mi s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n by Cel est i na i s i nt ended by Mel i bea o r
not , but e i t h e r way i t pr ovi des Cel est i na wi t h t h e oppor t uni t y t o g i v e
Ca l i s t o ' s age.
Mel i bea f i n a l l y cr eat es a r eason f o r Cel es t i na t o r et ur n, t o c o l l e c t
t he pr ayer and begs her not t o t e l l Ca l i s t o o f her r age l e s t he shoul d
t h i n k her unc har i t abl e and t hus f or m an unf avour abl e opi ni on o f her
char act er :
Pues madre, no l e des par t e de 10 que pas6 a ese
c abal l er o, por que no me t enga por c r u e l o ar r ebat ada
o deshonest a. ( I V, 100)
A l l t h a t Mel i bea says her e, and t h e comments f r om Lucr eci a, bear
wi t ness t o t he e f f i c a c y o f Ce l e s t i n a ' s r h e t o r i c :
i Ya, ya, per di da es mi ama! i secr et ament e qui er e que
venga Cel es t i na! Fraude hay; mi s l e q u e r r i dar , que
10 di cho! ( I V, 100)
And e f f e c t i v e l y t h i s i s what Mel i bea pr omi ses:
Mi s har e por t u dol i ent e, s i menest er f uer e, en pago
de 10 s u f r i d o . ( I V, 100)
Cel es t i na' s f i n a l pi&e de r5sistance i s t he s u b t l e r e v e l a t i o n o f t he
r eal mot i ve o f her v i s i t and t h e i n t e n t i o n behi nd t h e d i s p l a y o f r h e t o r i c .
Thi s s er i es o f commonplaces whi ch Cel es t i na c l e v e r l y l i n k s t o t he s t i l l
t h i n l y v e i l e d o b j e c t i v e o f an amorous l i a i s o n a l s o ser ves t h e pur pose of
pr ovi di ng Mel i bea w i t h a means o f j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r any f u r t h e r st eps she
mi ght t ake r egar di ng Ca l i s t o . Ref er r i ng t o t he ambi guous nat ur e of Ca-
l i s t o ' s i l l n e s s as she had descr i bed i t e a r l i e r , she says:
Porque, aunque [ l a s pal abr as] f uer an l a s que t d
pensabas, en s i no er an mal as; que cada d i a hay
hombres penados por muj er es y muj er es por hombres,
y es t o obr a l a nat ur a y l a nat ur a or den6l a Di os y
Di os no h i z o cosa mal a. ( I V, 101)
As a st udent o f Law, Roj as woul d per haps have been more f a mi l i a r wi t h
j u d i c i a l r h e t o r i c t han wi t h d e l i b e r a t i v e o r encomi ast i c. 16 However, t he
r h e t o r i c i n LC can be consi der ed t o be o f t h e d e l i b e r a t i v e t ype si nce i t
i s used as " counsel t o per suade o r di ssuade t h e audi ence" [ i n t h i s case on
two l e v e l s : ( 1) t h e f i c t i o n a l char act er s, and ( 2 ) t he r eader ] ,
w i t h r es-
pect t o a p a r t i c u l a r cour se o f act i on. 17 Thus i n LC, Roj as shows h i s com-
pet ence i n r h e t o r i c out s i de h i s own s pec i al i z ed f i e l d .
I t i s not p a r t i c u -
l a r l y s u r p r i s i n g t h a t Roj as shoul d do t h i s ,
i n s p i t e of h i s c l a i m i n ' El
aut or a un su ami go' t h a t t h i s t ype o f w r i t i n g was out s i de h i s own f i e l d ,
si nce, as P.E. Russel l poi nt s out ,
" i t i s o f t e n t oo r e a d i l y assumed t h a t
CELESTINESCA
l egal st udi es t hen were as di vor ced from humane l e t t e r s as t hey t end t o be
i n modern uni v er s i t i es . " l 8 He goes on t o say t h a t " t he l i n k between l egal
and humane st udi es was s ubs t ant i al l y r est or ed towards t he end o f t he f i f -
t eent h cent ur y [. . .] There i s no reason t o doubt t h a t such i nf l uence
al so af f ec t ed t he l aw f ac ul t y a t Salamanca a t t he t i me Rojas was a st udent
t her e" (192)
The f i r s t audi ence o f Lc was probabl y composed o f st udent s a t Sal a-
manca Uni ver si t y. Such an educated audience, f a mi l i a r wi t h t he precept s
of l o g i c and r het or i c , coul d e a s i l y per cei ve t he under l yi ng s ubt l et i es
whi ch Rojas suggests. I nst ead o f t he aut hor pr esent j ng a d i r e c t r het or -
i c a l argument, i n t he hope o f swaying h i s audience, he takes them one
stage f ur t her . They become t he onl ookers who wi t ness r h e t o r i c a t work i n
anot her worl d, t he wor l d o f f i c t i on- - a worl d, however, t o whi ch t hey can
r el at e. I t i s t h i s r el at i ons hi p whi ch made t he work popul ar f o r a much
wi der and l ess hi ghl y- t r ai ned publ i c . The readers t oo can be, and un-
doubt edl y w i l l have been, subj ect t o r het or i c , and now t hey see t h e i r
f i c t i o n a l count er par t s undergoi ng t he same process. As obj ect i ve onl ook-
er s, f r eed moment ari l y f rom t h e i r own s el f - i nt er es t , t hey can see t he pr o-
cess c l e a r l y and ar e abl e t o per cei ve t he decei t i n Cel est i na' s adept
mani pul at i on o f r h e t o r i c a l t echni ques.
Occasi onal l y, however, Rojas encourages t he reader t o i d e n t i f y him-
s e l f wi t h t he char act er s wi t h i n t he f i c t i o n , t hus making him aware t hat he
t oo shares t he same probl em o f cl ouded v i s i o n as t he char act er s, when he
i s per sonal l y i nvol ved i n t he s i t u a t i o n and i s subj ect t o h i s own emotions
and desi r es. Rojas poi nt s out t h a t even t he r het or hi msel f i s i n danger
of f a l l i n g under h i s own spel l , as i n t he case o f Cel est i na who produces
arguments which, though f al se, convi nce even , her sel f a t ti mes.19
Al i s a , llamada a l a casa de s u hermana, dej a l ugar
oportuno a Cel es t i na para que pract i que su a r t e r e -
t br i c o con Mel i bea. Auto X, Comedia ( ~Bur g o s , 1499?)
CELESTINESCA
NOTES
Col ber t Nepaulsingh, "The Rhet or i cal St r uct ur e o f t he. ~r ol ogues t o
the L i b r o de Buen Amor and t he CeZestina", BHS, 51 (1974). I n h i s st udy
o f t he r het or i c al st r uct ur e o f t he epi st l e- pr ef ace and prol ogue t o LC,
Nepaul si ngh not es t h a t we sometimes f i n d t he aut hor hi msel f p r e f i x i n g t he
answers t o h i s work as an i nt r oduct i on. . Ce r t a i n l y here Rojas i ndi cat es
one o f h i s obj ect i ves- - t he i l l u s t r a t i o n o f t he power o f r het or i c .
Fernando de Rojas, La CeZestina, ed. Dorothy Severi n, 2nd ed.
(Madrid: A1 i anza Ed i t o r i a l , S.A., 1971), p. 40. A l l r ef er ences ar e t o
t h i s edi t i on.
Carnel o SamonB, a s p e t t i d e l r et or i ei smo neZZa CeZestina, Facol t ( d i
Magi st ero d e l l ' Uni ver si t a d i Roma, 1953 ( St udi d i l e t t e r a t u r a spagnola,
Quaderno 2) , makes an ext ensi ve st udy o f t he combi nat i on of r het or i c al
t r a d i t i o n and r e a l l i f e i n t he mouths o f Roj as' char act er s.
Al so consi der i ng language and r het or i c i n LC: Malcolm Read, "Lu CeZesti na
and t he Renaissance Phi l osophy o f Language", PQ, 55 (1976), 166-77.
Jul i o Rodri guez-PuCrtol as, Li t er at ur a, hi st or i a, aZi enaci 6n (Barce-
l ona: Labor, 1976), poi nt s out t he emphasis pl aced on human communication
i n LC and t he pot ent i al o f speech as a means o f decept i on: "Pero l a pal a-
bra puede tambien ser engafiosa, y s e r v i r para 10 que ' i deal ment e debe ser
ut i l i z ada. Los d i i l o g o s de 10s personaj es de LC as7 10 prueban: l a
vi ej a- - y no s610 el l a- manej a habi l mente 1,a pal abr a para engaiiar a sus se-
mejantes, i ncl uso a sus mi s cercanos segui dores [. . .] La pal abra,
[. . .], u t i l i z a d a perversam
i 8 un i nst rument 0 de comunicac
(pp. 153-54).
ent e, desvi rt uada, puede conver t i r se a s i no en
6n aut ent i ca, si no de conf usi dn y de engafio"
"I hol d t h a t no one
and, even i f he coul d be,
t r ansl at ed by H.E. Bu t l e r i
Heinemann, 1963), pp. 40-41.
can be a t r u e or at or unl ess he i s a good man
I would not have -it so." Qui nt i l i an, Vol . I,
n t he Loeb Cl assi cal Li br ar y (London: W i l l iam
Ant oni o Mar t i , La pr ecept i va r e t 6 r i c a espa%oZa en eZ si gZc
(Madrid: Gredos, 1972), pp. 23-24.
"There i s however one poi nt which I must emphasise bef or e I
which i s t h i s . Wi t hout nat ur al g i f t s t echni cal r ul es ar e usel ess"
19).
begi n,
( I , 18-
Di s pos i t i o i n i t s t ur n i s di vi ded i n t o s i x par t s: 1) e x o r d i m
( i nt r oduct i on) , 2) n a r r a t i o ( nar r at i on) , 3) pr oposi t i o- - al so known as
d i u i s i o o r p a r t i t i o - - ( t h e pr oposi t i on, subj ect o f t he speech), 4) conf i r -
mat i o ( pr oof ) , 5) r ef ut at i o- - ot her wi se known as conf ut at i o o r reprehen-
si o-- ( r e f u t a t i o n o f opposi ng arguments), and 6) concZusi o ( per or at i on,
concl usi on) .
CELESTINESCA
George Kennedy, The A r t of Rhetoric i n the Roman WorZd ( Pr i ncet on:
Pr i ncet on Uni ver si t y Press, 1972), pp. 114 and 221,
l0 Cel est i na i mpl i es t he syl l ogi sm ' o l d age i s uncomfortabl e, I am
ol d, t her ef or e I am uncomf or t abl e' . The enthymeme i s f a l s e si nce o l d age
i s not , o f i t s e l f , necessar i l y uncomfortabl e. I n t h i s case Cel est i na may
be consi dered t o be p a r t l y t o blame f o r her own di scomf or t .
l1 Jose Ri co VerdG, "Resumen de l a s d o c t r i n i s r et 6r i c as en e l s i g l o de
oro", i n h i s La ret6rica espai i ~l a de 20s si gl os XVI y XVII (Madrid: CSIC,
l 973) , p. 258.
l2 George A. Shi pl ey, "Concert i ng t hrough Concei t : Unconventi onal
Uses o f Conventi onal Sickness Images i n La CeZestina", MLR, LXX ( l 975) ,
324-32. Shi pl ey r ef er s t o Cal i s t o' s r el i ance on t he c l i c hes o f l ove- si ck-
ness f o r t he expressi on o f h i s f r u s t r a t i o n : "Pena, af t i gi do, dolor, reme-
dio, and a dozen r el at ed words become key par t s o f a complex image system
from whi ch Cal i st o der i ves consi der abl e s at i s f ac t i on, hi s verbal subst i -
t u t e f or t he appar ent l y i naccessi bl e pl easures o f Mel i bea. I n s i s t e n t l y
i n t he f i r s t act s t he l ov er imposes t he same language on a l l t hose who
must deal wi t h him. Hi s ser vant s r epeat edl y obj ec t t o t he exaggerat i on i n
h i s speech [.. . . l, and t h e i r al i enat i on f rom t he purveyor o f such scarce-
l y personal images i s shared by t he r eader (who may be t aken aback by t he
di scover y o f h i s s o l i d a r i t y , i n quest i ons o f s t y l i s t i c decorum, wi t h
l ackeys, pr ost i t ut es, and procuress [ si c] ) " (p. 324). Shi pl ey poi nt s out
t he way i n whi ch si ckness imagery, i n i t i a t e d by Cal i st o, i s mani pul at ed by
a l l par t i es concerned and t ur ned t o t h e i r advantage, p a r t i c u l a r l y by Ce-
l es t i na, as we see her do here. He al so a t t r i b u t e s r at her more awareness
t o Mel i bea i n t he est abl i shment o f t he f a l s e l ev el o f communication
cent r ed on Ca l i s t o ' s i nvent ed t oot hache.
l3 Ar i s t o t l e , The ' Ar t ' of Rhetoric, t r ansl at ed by John Henry . Freese
(London: W i l l iam Heinemann, l 959) , p. 189.
l4 "Concert i ng t hrough Concei t", p. 327.
l5 M.K. Read, "Fernando de. Roj asl Vi si on o f t he B i r t h and Death of
Language", MLN, X C I I I (1978), 169-70: "Such i s t he oddi t y, i ncongr ui t y
and d i s p a r i t y between t he st andard meaning o f t he words used by t he o l d
bawd and t he nat ur e o f t he s i t u a t i o n i n whi ch t hey occur t h a t t hey si gnal
~CI. Mel i bea t h a t she i s t o . i n t e r p r e t them accor di ngl y. Thi s she does
~ P ~ e n s a s que no tengo sent i das t us pi sadas e ent endi do t u daiiado mensa-
j e?; ' ) and though t he language of innuendo i n h i b i t s her r e t a l i a t i o n , i t
al so al l ows her t o i ndul ge i n decei t wi t h apparent i mpuni t y ("Es obra p i a
6 Santa sanar 10s passionados 6 enfermos.")
l6 As Ci cer o expl ai ned i n h i s Topica, t r ansl at ed by H.H. Hubbel l
(Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Uni v er s i t y Press, 1949), p. 453, t her e ar e
t hr ee ki nds o f r het or i c al speeches: j u d i c i a l , t he ai m of which i s t o
achi eve j us t i c e; del i ber at i ve, t he end o f whi ch i s advantage; and enco-
mi ast i c, t he aim o f whi ch i s honour.
CELESTINESCA
l7 Lee A. Sonnino, A Handbook h Sixteenth-Century Rhetoric (London:
Routledge Kegan Paul, 1968), p. 243.'
l8 P. E. Russel l , "The Cel es t i m cmentuda" i n Medievat Hispmiic
Studies Presented t o Rita Hamilton (London: Tamesis, l 976), pp'. 175-93,
a t p. 191.
l9 The aut hor i s most gr at ef ul t o Pr of essor A.D. Deyermond, Dr.
Dorothy Severi n, Pr of essor J. Snow and Dr. Robi n Car t er f o r t h e i r i nval u-
abl e advi ce and cor r ect i ons dur i ng t he pr epar at i on o f t h i s a r t i c l e .
-
La ' f u r i a ' de Mel i bea. Auto I, escena pr i mer a de l a obr a.
De l a t r a duc c i 6n alemana de C. Wi rsung ( 1520) .