Celestina

Fernando de Rojas
48 pages1-hour read
Fiction
Play
Adult
Published in 1499

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

An elderly procuress who operates on the margins of society, dealing in magic and illicit matchmaking. She earns her living by arranging romantic encounters and helping brides conceal past indiscretions. Shrewd and highly persuasive, she prioritizes profit above all else and views wealthy citizens as targets ripe for exploitation. When a lovesick nobleman hires her, she immediately sets to work breaking down his target's resistance.

Key Relationships

Hired Agent of Calisto

Manipulator of Melibea

Collaborator with Sempronio

Former Caretaker of Pármeno

Caretaker of Elicia

Associate of Areúsa

Former Friend of Claudina

A twenty-three-year-old nobleman who falls into a state of dramatic despair after a woman rejects his advances. Prone to extreme emotional outbursts, he elevates his romantic obsession to the level of religious worship. His immense wealth allows him to indulge his melancholy, but it also makes him a prime target for the opportunistic people he hires to cure his lovesickness.

Key Relationships

Suitor of Melibea

Employer of Sempronio

Employer of Pármeno

Client of Celestina

Employer of Tristán

Employer of Sosia

The sheltered only daughter of a wealthy and highly protective family. Initially, she fiercely guards her honor and angrily dismisses clumsily delivered romantic advances. Her perspective shifts drastically once she becomes the target of a magical spell and carefully plotted psychological manipulation, causing her to reconsider her strict upbringing.

Key Relationships

Romantic Interest of Calisto

Daughter of Pleberio

Daughter of Alisa

Employer of Lucrecia

Target of Celestina

A cynical servant who views his master's emotional suffering as a financial opportunity. Rather than protect his employer from swindlers, he actively connects him with a notorious local madam to secure a cut of the profits. He balances his service with regular visits to a brothel, where he maintains a volatile romantic connection.

Key Relationships

Employee of Calisto

Co-conspirator with Celestina

Fellow Servant of Pármeno

Romantic Interest of Elicia

Acquaintance of Areúsa

Acquaintance of Lucrecia

A younger servant in Calisto's household who attempts to offer honest guidance. Having spent part of his childhood in the care of a notorious madam, he recognizes the danger she poses and tries to intervene. However, his ethical stance wavers when the madam weaponizes memories of his deceased mother and offers him the affections of an independent woman.

Key Relationships

Employee of Calisto

Fellow Servant of Sempronio

Former Ward of Celestina

Suitor of Areúsa

Son of Claudina

Acquaintance of Elicia

Supporting Characters

A young woman who lives and works in a brothel, relying on its proprietor for shelter. She possesses a quick temper and frequently expresses frustration when she feels neglected by her preferred suitor. She fiercely defends her living situation, preferring the chaotic freedom of her environment over the constraints of respectability.

Key Relationships

Dependent of Celestina

Romantic Interest of Sempronio

Cousin of Areúsa

Companion of Crito

An independent woman who maintains her own small home. She strongly prefers her autonomy over serving in a wealthy household, believing that rich mistresses treat their maids poorly. She becomes entangled in a larger scheme when an older associate coerces her into entertaining a new suitor to secure his loyalty.

Key Relationships

Associate of Celestina

Romantic Interest of Pármeno

Cousin of Elicia

Romantic Partner of Centurio

Manipulator of Sosia

A maid serving in a wealthy household. She easily recognizes the tricks employed by visitors but finds her loyalty tested when an older woman bribes her with cosmetics. She often observes the romantic entanglements around her with a mixture of amusement and jealousy.

Key Relationships

Employee of Melibea

Employee of Alisa

Bribed by Celestina

Cousin of Elicia

A strict mother who unknowingly invites trouble into her home by allowing a peddler of thread to enter. She is proud of her daughter's sheltered upbringing, assuming the young woman is completely ignorant of romance and worldly matters.

Key Relationships

Mother of Melibea

Wife of Pleberio

Acquaintance of Celestina

A prosperous father who dedicates his life to accumulating wealth and protecting his family's reputation. He places great emphasis on maintaining appearances and expects to arrange an advantageous marriage for his only child.

Key Relationships

Father of Melibea

Husband of Alisa

A household servant who steps in to assist his master with secretive nighttime excursions. He observes the romantic drama surrounding his employer with a skeptical eye, offering pragmatic advice to his peers about the deceitful nature of flatterers.

Key Relationships

Employee of Calisto

Fellow Servant of Sosia

A naive stable boy who assumes new duties for his employer during late-night visits. Unaccustomed to attention from beautiful women, he is easily flattered by superficial compliments and struggles to recognize when his social superiors have ulterior motives.

Key Relationships

Employee of Calisto

Manipulated by Areúsa

Fellow Servant of Tristán

A boastful ruffian who accepts financial support from a female companion. He frequently brags about his martial prowess and past violence, though he actively looks for excuses to avoid genuine physical confrontation.

Key Relationships

Romantic Partner of Areúsa

Potential Employer of Traso the Lame

A deceased woman remembered for her formidable reputation. She once worked closely with an influential madam, enduring arrests without abandoning her illicit trade. Her memory is used as a psychological tool to manipulate her surviving son.

Key Relationships

Mother of Pármeno

Former Friend of Celestina

A patron seen visiting a young woman at a brothel. He is quickly hidden in an upstairs room when another suitor arrives unexpectedly, avoiding a violent confrontation.

Key Relationships

Client of Elicia

A local associate known to ruffians. He is considered for a job that involves making aggressive noises to intimidate others, allowing his cowardly employer to avoid physical risk.

Key Relationships

Potential Employee of Centurio