Celestina - Day Three

Chapter 8

On page 98, Sempronio says: “not everything is white that isn’t black and not everything yellow and shiny is gold.” What do you think this means?

This reflects the central idea of the story, similar to Chrétien's more discrete ode that the meaning of the text lay deep beneath the words. Sempronio is at once lending a hand to the theme of artifice within the text as well as hinting to the reader that certain characters, their suffering, and perhaps their successes should each be examined with perhaps more than just a grain of salt. Furthermore, it speaks to the moral structure that supports patience. These are some of the roots of color valuation, as well, with black representing falseness and certainly holding a negative connotation. 

Chapter 9

The issue of trust comes up many times in Celestina. In Chapter 9, on page 102, Sempronio says “out of goodwill or under pressure from us, Celestina will at least give us a piece of whatever she gets.” How is trust related to trickery here? Why do you think Sempronio and Pármeno are so trusting of Celestina, even though she’s tricking Calisto?

It seems as if trust in Celestina is related to characters' identification as part of the same class. There are a number of dichotomies present in the text sort of pounded into memory through repetition that draw distinctions between what is understood as nobility or a lack thereof. Therefore, it follows that Sempronio and Pármeno would trust Celestina. Trust in Celestina is involved in most of the trickery going on in the text, Melibea and Calisto being those most harmed by the trickery. Perhaps Celestina will continue to trick even more as the story goes on.

Chapter 11

Calisto describes himself as a captive of love, as Melibea’s vassal. Is this true, given Celestina’s role in their affair?

It seems as if, at this point, Calisto has gained Melibea's good favor, whether through Celestina's magic or pure chance. Furthermore, it seems like Calisto is captive to Celestina, not love, but perhaps Celestina is meant to represent love in the story and it goes to reinforce that metaphor.