Celestina (ch. 1 & 2)

1.) Analyze the opening scene in Melibea's garden. Why a garden? What might a garden signify? How do you interpret the words of Calisto and Melibea? Why does Melibea react in this manor? Can we read these words as genuine?

In the opening scene in Melibea's garden, Melibea nearly rants about how she doesn't return the feelings that Calisto has just proclaimed for her, to her. A garden symbolizes life and fertility (in  healthy garden like Melibea's of course). In this sense, the garden can be seen as a part of who she is. She is a healthy woman who is ripe for marriage and children. However, she proclaims her chastity in the hopes of ridding herself of Calisto and any chance he might have thought he had at picking her forbidden fruit. On that note, the garden can also resemble the garden of Adam and Eve in that Melibea (Eve) has her virginity (the forbidden fruit) and is being coaxed by the Calisto (the snake) to give into temptation. Calisto isn't trying to be deceptive or trick her though, so he could also be seen as Adam if not the snake. Melibea is the one being deceptive with the way she spins her words. A desperate woman will do almost anything to rid herself of a man she cannot stand. Therefore, her words are most likely not genuine and also explain why she is behaving in such a way.

3.) What are our initial impressions of Celestina? What type of character is this? What does she say that influences your analysis? What about her later exchanges with Parmeno? (And this back history with Parmeno's mother - what do you think happens here?)

Our impression of Celestina is that she is an 'old whore'. Even Parmeno takes his time talking about how much of a whore she is. However, she is also cunning and smart. She is clever in the way she says things and who she says them to. She asks for Parmeno's help in taking advantage of Calisto because she knows he has money and that he wants Melibea. If he is stupid enough to be deceived by her and think she can work some kind of magic with Melibea, Celestina believes it is right that he has his money taken by her. That is her job; to be cunning. That cunning can also potentially get Melibea to consider Calisto, if Celestina decides to come through with her end of the bargain, which she probably wont. She asks for Parmeno's help with convincing Calisto, but Parmeno tries to do the opposite and warn him of Celestina. Calisto is a stubborn fool and doesn't head the warning. Parmeno was the one asked, I believe, because Celestina already remembered that he had worked for her. He tells her that she is just a whore and she replies that his mother was also a whore. Meaning that the respect he shows her is possibly the same respect he shows towards his mother. It is most likely that he didn't know that his mother was a whore though so perhaps this symbolizes how he will connect with Celestina in the future.