Celestina

Calisto is waiting for midnight so he can go to Melibea. When Sempronio tells Calisto that it is 10 o’clock, Calisto argues about the time. Sempronio suggests that they should spend the time arming themselves and preparing instead of arguing. Calisto concedes. Calisto, Sempronio, and Pármeno arrive at Melibea’s house where Calisto tells Pármeno to check on Melibea. Pármeno insists that Calisto should go himself lest Melibea think this is some sort of ruse. Calisto agrees. Pármeno comments to Sempronio that Calisto only attempted to send him first as a human shield. Pármeno doesn’t trust Calisto, Melibea, or Celestina. Sempronio disagrees, but tells Pármeno to stay alert—if they hear voices, they will run. No matter what comes of the plot with Celestina, their friendship has been a positive outcome. They hear Calisto speaking to someone at the door and wait.

At Melibea’s door, Calisto calls for Melibea. When Lucrecia answers, Calisto is sure that he is being fooled but determined to stay anyway. Melibea comes to the door, where Calisto, recognizing her voice, declares that she is his mistress and he is her servant. Melibea only came to tell him to leave rather than destroy her reputation and honor. Calisto, believing that Celestina and his servants have tricked him, is outraged and wants to die. Melibea confesses that she was only testing his loyalty and that Celestina told the truth—she loves him. Calisto is overjoyed and Melibea laments that the door is keeping them apart. Calisto calls for his servants to break the door down, but Melibea, concerned for her reputation, tells him to come back the following night. Sempronio and Pármeno worry that if they do not leave soon, the sun will rise and they will be caught.

Pármeno and Sempronio are afraid they are hearing noises and run to Celestina’s house. Meanwhile, Melibea hears Pármeno and Sempronio running away and is concerned for Calisto’s safety, but Calisto is sure the footfalls mean Pármeno and Sempronio have chased someone away. Pármeno appears to warn Calisto that men with torches are coming. Calisto promises to return the next night. 

Noises from Melibea’s room wake up Melibea’s parents, Pleberio and Alisa. Alarmed, they call for her and Melibea appears, insisting that they only heard Lucrecia bringing up some water. Lucrecia notes that Melibea’s parents were easily alerted, but Melibea replies, “There is no animal so meek that it is not agitated by love or fear for its children” (172). 

Calisto, Sempronio, and Pármeno have made it back to Calisto’s home. Calisto asks Pármeno if he has changed his mind about Celestina. Pármeno responds that Celestina herself has changed from when he knew her as a child. Calisto asks the two servants if they were frightened as they waited for him outside Melibea’s house. Sempronio insists that they were not. Pármeno considers whether to sleep or eat and Sempronio reminds him that they ought to visit Celestina and collect their part of the chain before Celestina decides to withhold it from them. 

They arrive at Celestina’s house. Celestina asks them to recount what happened with Calisto and Melibea. Pármeno insists that she prepare them some food first, and Celestina marvels at how he has changed and is now “so fierce” (175). Sempronio claims that they had to fight and that their weapons are destroyed, hinting that Celestina ought to replace them. Celestina tells him to ask Calisto, since the weapons were destroyed in his service, but Sempronio insists that since Pármeno’s weapons were also destroyed, Calisto won’t be able to pay for all of them. Besides, Calisto has already given Celestina money and the chain. Celestina argues that Sempronio has taken her promise – that “everything I had was yours” (176) too literally and that “such offers, such words of love, are not binding” (176). Besides, she already gave the chain to Elicia, who lost it, and that anything Calisto has paid her is hers alone. However, if she finds the chain, she will “give you both a pair of scarlet breeches, the finest garment a young man can have” (177). Sempronio calls her greedy, and Pármeno states that if Celestina doesn’t pay what she promised, they will take everything, adding, “I told you many times who this old crone is, if only you had believed me” (177). Celestina suggests that they only want the money because they are afraid that if Celestina has the money, she will no longer play matchmaker and they will be stuck forever with Elicia and Areúsa. But Celestina promises to find them many more women.

Unimpressed, Sempronio demands that Celestina give them an equal share of Calisto’s payment. Celestina stands her ground, attempting to guilt Pármeno by bringing up his dead mother. An unmoved Pármeno threatens to kill her. Celestina wakes Elicia to get the constable since they are threatening an old woman. Celestina tells them to leave, threatening to tell everyone about their plot with Calisto. Elicia begs Pármeno to hold Sempronio back, but Sempronio kills Celestina as she screams for help. Pármeno and Sempronio try to run, but the constable is already at the door. Sempronio suggests that they jump out the window rather than die at the hands of the police, and Pármeno agrees to follow him. 

Calisto awakes happily, hoping that his evening with Melibea was not a dream and summons his servant Tristán to fetch Sempronio and Pármeno. Neither of them is there. Although it is late in the day, Calisto decides to go back to sleep until it is time to eat. Tristán hears a commotion outside. Sosia, the stable boy, arrives weeping, and informs Tristán that the authorities have executed Sempronio and Pármeno: “they are in the plaza, beheaded” (183). They wake Calisto and tell him about his two servants. Calisto laments their deaths, worried this will dishonor him. Sosia explains that they murdered Celestina, and Calisto is distraught.

Celestina was found dead with more than thirty stab wounds and Elicia crying over her body. Sempronio and Pármeno were beheaded although both almost dead after jumping out of the window. Calisto frets about how this will destroy his honor and possibly his ability to be with Melibea. When he asks why they killed Celestina, Sosia responds that according to Elicia, it was because Celestina would not share the chain. Alone, Calisto bemoans the imminent scandal. Although he is afraid to go out in public, Calisto is determined to honor his promise to meet Melibea that night. Celestina and his two servants deserved what they got since they were obviously being deceitful. Calisto will pretend to have been away and innocent of their wrongdoings, and if that doesn’t work, he will feign madness.

Melibea is upset because Calisto is late and Lucrecia reassures her. Melibea worries that something terrible might have happened to him and prays for his safety, but then hears footsteps. Sosia and Tristán help Calisto set up a ladder outside Melibea’s garden. Melibea begs him to be careful on the ladder. She pleads with Calisto to be happy that she loves him and not to take her virginity as well. Calisto insists that he cannot suffer any longer, so Melibea dismisses Lucrecia so they can be alone. Tristán and Sosia wait for Calisto, overhearing everything in Melibea’s room above. Tristán comments that Calisto has already forgotten about Pármeno and Sempronio. From her room, Melibea cries out in disappointment that she gave up “the title and crown of virgin for such a brief delight” (191). Below, Sosia is jealous of Calisto.

Melibea tells Calisto to come back the next night at the same hour. Outside Calisto’s, Tristán and Sosia argue about the need to enter quietly. Calisto sends them to sleep. Calisto is alone. Now that his “passion has cooled, now that the blood is chill that yesterday boiled” (193), he contemplates the potential ramifications of the deaths of his servants. Calisto admonishes himself for preferring to live with dishonor rather than die. He is being “excoriated in the council” (194) but isn’t sure what he should do. He is angry the magistrate executed his servants right away and created a scandal—it’s unfair that Calisto must bear the punishment when Pármeno and Sempronio are gone. But they were likely executed because the crime was so horrific, not to shame his house.

Calisto remembers Melibea, telling himself, “you do not have to be greatly concerned about the deaths of others, for no sorrow will ever equal the pleasure you have received” (196). All Calisto wants is to spend his nights with Melibea—nature is not random, and everything happens for a reason. He falls asleep thinking about Melibea. At four o’clock in the afternoon, Calisto is still sleeping and Sosia wonders if they should wake him. Tristán replies that Calisto is undoubtedly exhausted by his time with Melibea and his sadness for his servants. Sosia wonders whether Calisto is actually sad about their deaths. Through the window, Sosia sees Elicia who is clearly grieving and crying as she enters Areúsa’s house, presumably to tell her about Pármeno and Sempronio’s deaths.

Elicia hears a commotion from Areúsa’s house and wonders if she already knows about Pármeno. Hearing Areúsa’s emotional display makes her love her more. Areúsa insults a man named Centurio, whom she calls a “ruffian, villain, liar, swindler” (200). Areúsa accuses Centurio of using “cajolery and flatter” (200) to manipulate her into giving expensive gifts. Hearing someone at the door, Centurio leaves. Elicia is reluctant to enter now that she realizes that Areúsa is yelling rather than crying. Seeing Elicia dressed in black, Areúsa asks why she is mourning. Elicia explains that Pármeno, Sempronio, and Celestina are dead, and recounts the events of their deaths to a distraught Areúsa. Weeping is useless, and Elicia admits that she is not only sad but angry. With Celestina’s death, Elicia has lost a home and a protector who took care of her. She is furious at Calisto and Melibea and curses them and their love. 

Areúsa soothes Elicia and suggests that they take revenge. Elicia does not know who to exact revenge upon, because although she grieves for all three of the dead, she is “no less disturbed by the punishment the guilty received than by the crime they perpetrated” (204). Elicia is especially angry that Calisto, “that vile man, so uncaring, will continue his visits to his dung heap of a Melibea” (204). Areúsa will plan vengeance against Calisto and Melibea, explaining that Centurio will “be as good an executioner of Calisto as Sempronio was of Celestina” (204). Elicia will find out from Sosia when and where the couple plans to meet, and Areúsa decides to do that as well. Areúsa tells Elicia to bring her belongings and stay in her house to keep her company. Elicia worries revenge will backfire. Although she is grateful for Areúsa’s offer, she cannot accept—the rent at Celestina’s house is paid for the year, so Elicia has somewhere to live. Elicia leaves, wishing Areúsa well.