Celestina
by Fernando De Rojas, John Clifford, Eric Bentley, James Mabbe

Name: Celestina
Brand: Fernando De Rojas
SKU: 9780936839011
Rating: 3.39 (21205 reviews)

Highlights

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150 minsUnit Set/Multiple SettingsSpanish

What readers are saying

Readers have a mixed appreciation for this classic Spanish play. While many commend its intriguing characters and dramatic storytelling, some find it slow-paced and full of filler content. A few reviews highlight a lack of character development, yet others appreciate the humor and dark themes within the narrative.

Intriguing characters and storyHumor and drama blend wellStrong poetic stylePacing issues and filler contentSome found it boring

Synopsis

“As Greek tragedy ” says a Spanish writer, “was composed from the crumbs that fell from Homer's table, so the Spanish drama owed its earliest forms to La Celestina (1499).”

Fernando de Rojas' tragi-comedy – which has also been called “a novel in dialogue” – runs to about three hundred pages in the James Mabbe translation, here adapted to the stage by Eric Bentley in a five-act, 93-page version.

The central and pervasive situation is a simple one: a dirty old woman is helping a courtly young gentleman to seduce a girl.

The wonder of the thing lies in the art with which Fernando do Rojas derives, from such commonplace materials, a towering tragedy – or rather, tragi-comedy.