Calisto's Dream and the Celestinesque Tradition: A Rereading of Celestina

Fernando de Rojas's Celestina, written in the late fifteenth century, opens with an enigmatic conversation between Calisto and Melibea that has puzzled scholars trying to resolve the apparent contradictions in the work as a whole. Ricardo Castells supports the idea that the scene represents Calisto's dream about his beloved Melibea. In this study, Castells examines later Celestinesque works as a lens through which we might better understand Celestina. Castells focuses on Calisto's creative use of borrowed text and speech and contends that Melibea demonstrates a surprisingly strong and consistent personality. He argues that Celestina's role is somewhat diminished in Rojas's continuation of the text as a result of Melibea's greater independence of character.