Rhetorical Technique in the Persuasion of Melibea

7/29/2019 Rhetorical Technique in the Persuasion of Melibea

1/12

CELESTINESCA

RHETORICAL TECHNIQUE IN THE PERSUASION OF MELIBEA

Er ica MorganWorces ter , England

I n h i s p ro l og u e t o t h e second v e r s i o n o f La Ce Ze st im Fernando deRojas i n d i c a te s t h a t i t s t h r ou g h r h e t o r i c t h a t he hopes t o a ch ie ve h i so b j e c t iv e s i n t h e c r e a t i o n o f t h e w or kl :

y como sea c i e r t o que toda pala bra del hombre sc i en tees ta pref iada, de Esta se 'puede d e c i r que de muy hinchaday l l e n a q u i e r e r e v e n t a r , ech and o de s i t a n c r e c i d o sramos y . ho ja s , que de l m enor 'p im po l lo se saca r ia ha r tof r u t o e n t r e p ers on as d i s c r e t a s . 2T h is r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e power o f r h e t o r i c l ea d s t o i t s e x te n s iv e usew i t h i n t h e f i c t i o n i t s e l f 3 We see Ro jas ' cha rac te rs persuad ing them-se lv es and one ano th er , a lmos t a lways w i th q re a t success, by e loque ntm a n ip u la t io n o f t h e d e vi ce s o f r h e t o r i c .4

Wi tho u t a doub t , t h e c h a r a c t e r who i n d u l g e s mo st i n t h e u se o f r h e t -o r i c i s th e o l d p ro c ur e ss , C e l e s t i n a . H er spe ech es r e v e a l R o ja s ' t h o ro u g hg r ou n d in g i n th e a r t o f p e r su a si o n a nd a l s o se r ve t o q u e s ti o n t h e a dh er-ence o f c l a s s i c a l r h e t o r ic i a n s t o C at o' s d e f i n i t i o n o f r h e t o r i c ( " v i rbonus d i c e n d i p e r i t u s " ) a nd t h e c o n v i c t i o n t h a t goodness i s a p r e r e q u i s i t eo f t h e t r u e o r at o r, as Q u i n t i l i a n m a in ta in s i n h i s Inst i tu t io Oratoria:"Neque eni m esse o r a to r em n i s i bonum v i r um i nd i c o ; e t f i e r e e t i am s ip o t e s t n o l o . "5One o f t h e o b j e c t i v e s o f R o j a s ' a bu nd an t u se o f r h e t o r i c i n LC , t hen ,may h ave been t o c h a l l e n g e t h i s c l a s s i c a l i d ea o f t h e e x c l u s i v e u se o fr h e t o r i c f o r h on ou ra ble pu rp ose s and f o r i l l u s t r a t i o n o f t h e t r u t h . The

s ucc es s w h ic h R o ja s a f f o r d s h i s c h a r a c te r s i n t h e em plo ym en t o f r h e t o r i ct o de c ei ve an d e n t i c e o t h e r s i n t o d is h on o u ra b le a c t i o n s d e ri d e s t h i s i d e at h a t r h e t o r i c can o n l y s e rv e t h e t r u t h . He t h us o f f e r s a c o u n t e r - d e f i n i -t i o n o f Q u i n t i l i a n ' s d e s cr ip t io n o f t h e t r u e rh e t o r i n t he f i g u r e o f Ce-l e s t i n a . C e l e s ti n a has a v e ry h i g h r a t e o f success i n h e r r h e t o r i c a lm anoeuve r ing and y e t she c ou l d ha r d l y , be p l ac ed w i t h i n t he c a t ego r y o f' v i r bonus '. H er i n t e n t i o ns a r e f a r f r om v i r t u ou s and we s h a l l see howsh e makes u se o f i r r e l e v a n t t r u t h s when r e l e v a n t t r u t h s do n o t s e r ve he r


2/12

CELESTINESCA

purpose. R ojas i s l au g hi ng a t Q u i n t i l i a n ' s d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e c l a s s i co r a t o r , as w i l l J ua n L u i s Vi ve s a f ew y e a r s l a t e r . 6One m i g h t q u e s t i o n t h e wisdom o f t h e u se o f a c h a r a c te r l i k e C e let i n a as t h e v e h i c l e o f such s t u d i e d r h e t o r i c a l t e c hn i qu e . I t i s c l e

t h a t C e l e s t i na h e r s e l f has no academic bac kg r ound o t he r t han he r i n c i d et a l c o n t a ct w i t h p r i e s t s and f r i a r s . Her r h e t o r i c a l s k i l l s have bea c q u i r e d b y e x p e r i e n c e a n d c u n n i n g a n d b e a r w i t n e s s t o t h e f a c t t h a t q u iw i t s a r e j u s t a s i m p o r t a n t a s t e c h ni q u e . I n f a c t R oj as seems t o e x p l ot he r o l e o f r h e t o r i c as an i n t r i n s i c and i n e v i t a b l e p a r t o f eve ryd ay l i fr a t h e r th a n as b e in g co n f in e d t o t h e c l o i s t e r s o f academ ic l i f e .It i s pe rh ap s i n C e l e s t i n a ' s p e r su a s io n o f Me1 i b e a t h a t we see tm ost p ro l onged us e o f r h e t o r i c a l t ec hn i ques . C e l e s t i n a ' s m o t iv e f o r t hpersuas ion i s persona l ga in . Ro jas makes us aware o f her underhand in tet i o n s a t t h e b eg i nn i ng o f th e w ork when she f i r s t l e a r n s o f t h e p o s s i b ii t y o f a handsome r ew a rd f r om C a l i s t o i f she manages t o o b t a i n M e l ibea foh im. Sempronio in f orm s Ce les t in a:

As i es . C a l i s to ard e en amores de Mel ibea. De ti y dem i t i e n e neces idad . Pues ju n to s nos ha meneste r, j u n -to s nos aprovechemos; que conocer e l t iempo y us ar e lhombre de l a opo rtu nid ad hace 10s hombres pr6spe ros. (I, 8)Th is i s p r ec is e l y what Ce les t in a p roceeds t o do. Her uncanny seno f t i m i n g an d t h e a dv an ta ge she t a k e s o f o p p o r t u n i t y , t o g e t h e r w i t h hi n n a t e r h e t o r i c a l s k i l l s , a l l o w h e r t o w i n o v e r M e li be a. R oja s i n t e nt h e r ea d er t o see t he se s k i l l s as i n t u i t i v e r a t h e r t ha n t h e r e s u l t academ ic p re p a r a t i o n . Q u i n t i l i a n h ad a l r e a d y r e c o gn i z e d t h e i n f l u e n c e i n n a t e a b i l i t y when he p o i n t e d o u t i n h i s I n s t i t u t i o O r a t o r i a t h a t t e cn i c a l r u l e s a r e us el es s w i t h o u t n a t u r a l g i f t s :

I l l u d tamen i n p r i m i s t es ta nd um e s t , n i h i l p r ae ce pt aa t qu e a r t e s v a l e r e n i s i a n d i uv a nt e n a tu r a. 7T hrough C e l es t i n a , R o jas shows t h e i m po rt ance o f qu i c k w i t s s i nc e tr h e t o r must a lw ays be capab le o f de a l i n g w i t h unex pec ted deve lopm en tsi n t e r r u p t i o ns f r om h i s aud ience o r t h e pe r son t o whom he addr es ses hims e l f .

T r a d i t i o n a l l y t h e a r t o f r h e t o r i c i s composed o f f i v e b as i c p a r ti n v e n t i o ( i n v e n t i o n ) , d i s p o s i t i o (a r rangement ) , e Z o c u t i o ( s t y 1e) , memoand p r o n u n c i a t i o ( d e l i v e r y ) . O f t he se f a c u l t i e s i t i s t h e seco nd w h ii n t e r e s t s us h er e f o r , i n s p i t e o f t h e l a c k o f f or ma l t r a i n i n g o n C elet i n a ' s pa r t , we see t h a t , i n t h e pe r s uas i on o f M e l ibea , k o j as endows hspeech w i t h t h e t r a d i t i o n a l s t r u c t u r e o f a r h e t o r i c a l speech as s e t o u t the d i s p o s i t i o , o r f a c u l t y o f a rr angemen t. 8 R h e t o r i c a l t ex t book s . sugget h a t th e f i r s t p a r t o f th e speech, t h e e x o r d i m , o r proemiwn, be devott o g a i n i n g t h e g o o d w i l l o f t h e a u d ie nc e. One shou ld a t tem pt t o evoke tf a vo u r a nd a t t e n t i o n o f t h e a ud ie nc e i n r e a di n es s f o r t h e p e rs u as io n w hit h e y a r e a b ou t t o u nd erg o. C e l e s t i n a ' s e x o r d i m r e s t s h e a v i l y o n t h e uo f p at ho s. Th i s techn ique was de f in ed by A r i s t o t l e who cons idere d mea


3/12

CELESTINESCA

o f p e rs ua si on t o be d i v i s i b l e i n t o tw o gr ou ps : t h a t o f a r t i s t i c t ech niq ue( e t hos and pa t hos) and l o g i c a l a rgum ent , and t h a t o f d i r e c t ev idence . 9P ath os r e f e r s t o t h e t e ch n iq u e o f e v o ki n g c e r t a i n e mo ti on s i n t h e a u d i -e nce . C e l e s t i n a use s p a th o s i n t r y i n g t o g a i n M e l i b e a ' s sym pa th y f o r h e ras a n o l d woman:Que, a l a m i fe , l a ve jez no es s ino mes6n de en fe r -medades, posada de pensamien os , ami ga de r e n c il s,c ongo ja c on t i nua , l a g a i n c u r a b l e , m a n c i l l a de 10pasado, pena de 10 p resen te , cu idado t r i s t e de 10po r v e n i r , v ec i na de l a m ue rt e, choza s i n rama quese l l u e v e por cada p ar te , cayado de mimbre que conpoca carga se dobleg a. ( I V, 90)

M e li b ea shows s u r p r i s e a t t h i s m i s e ry a nd p o i n t s o u t t h a t m o st p e o p lel o o k f o r w ar d t o o l d age:LPor qu6 d ice s , madre, ta n to mal de 10 que todo e l ,mundo con t an e f i c a c i a goz a r y v e r des ea? ( I V , 90 )

B e w a i l in g t h e d is c o m f o rt s o f o l d age, C e l e s ti n a c a r e f u l l y i g n o r e s t h ef a c t . t h a t s he m i gh t have been happ i 'e r i f she had had a d i f f e r e n t l i f e -s t y l e i n h e r y o u th . T h i s t y p e o f f a l s e enthymeme, o r i n co m p le t e s y l l o -g ism , i s t o be se en o f t e n i n t h e c o ur se o f h e r a rg um en ts .1 0As y e t , C e l es t i na has made no m en t i on o f t he c ou rs e o f ac t i on w h i c hs he i s s ubs equen t ly t o pe rs uade M e l i bea t o f o l l o w . H ow eve r, s he i s p r e -pa r i ng t he w ay . By comp la in ing ab ou t o l d age and mak ing i t sound so un-a t t r a c t i v e , she in s i n u a t e s t h a t one s ho u ld e n jo y l i f e w h i l e s t i l l young.T h is p o i n t w i l l be h e l p f u l l a t e r when C e l e s ti n a w is he s t h e tw o l o v e r s t ocome t o g e t h e r. The r e ad e r i s i n a p o s i t i o n t o d ou bt t h i s i n s i n u a t i o ns ince he knows that i t i s p a r t l y b ecause C e le s ti n a e n jo ye d l i f e r a t h e r t o o

much w h i l e s he was y oung t h a t she f i n d s h e r s e l f i n s uch a s o r r y s t a t e now.We l a t e r see t h a t M e li be a does n o t c o n s id e r t h i s p o i n t , e i t h e r t h ro u g ho v e r s i g h t o r , and pe r haps m o r e l i k e l y , bec ause she p r e f e r s t o i gno r e anypo i n t w h i c h sugges ts t h a t s he s hou l d no t f o l l ow he r ow n des i r ed c ou r s e o fa c t i o n .C e l e s t i n a ' s exordium a l s o c o n t a i n s e x t e n s i ve u s e o f ethos, t he a f f i r -m a t i o n a nd p r o o f o f t h e m o ra l c h a r a c t e r o f t h e sp e ak er . She a t t e m p t s t ogain Me1i e a 's c o n fi d en c e by p r o f e s s i n g i n t e r e s t o n l y i n he a ve n ly r i c h e s ,and dem ons tr a tes c om p l e t e d i s r e ga r d f o r w ea l t h :

Aquel es r i c o que es tS b ie n con D ios . Mds segura cosaes se r menosprec iado que tem ido . Me jor suefio duermee l pob re , que no e l que t i e ne de gua r dar c on s o l i c i t u d10 que con t r a ba jo gan6 y con do lo r ha de de ja r . N iam igo no se r d s im u lado y e l r i c o s i . Yo soy quer idapo r m i pe r sona ; e l r i c o po r s u hac ienda. ( IV, 91)

The r e ad e r ca n p e r c e iv e t h e h y p o c ri s y i n t h i s , b u t M e li be a i s n o t i n ap o s i t i o n t o ju dg e.


4/12

CELESTINESCA

F re qu e nt i n v o c a t i o n o f God a l s o h e l p C e l e s t i n a t o p r o j e c t h e r s e l f a tho rou ghly mora l person i n th e eyes of Me1 ibea : e .g. 'Has ta que Dq u i e r a ' . A m u t u a l l y b e n e f i c i a l f i c t i o n , r e s t i n g on r e 1 g i o u s commp l ac e s, i s b e in g c r e a t e d .Speak ing o f how she has aged, Ce le s t i na uses th e t y p ic a l apo lo g ia i n g r a t i a t e h e r s e l f w i t h M e lib ea : 'Que as7 goce de es ta alma pecadora y de e se c ue rp o g r a c i o s o ' . ( I V , 9 4 ) T h i s p a r t o f t h e sp ee ch i s s i m i l a r th e concZus io , o r pero ra t io n ; bo th a re des igned t o move th e m ind and swt h e e m ot io n s r a t h e r t h a n b e in g d i r e c t e d a t t h e u n de r st a nd i ng . T he se t e cn i qu e s a r e c o n t i n u e d t h ro u g h o u t t h e o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e sp ee ch b u t a r e mc onc en t r a t ed i n t hese tw o pa r t s . By em p l oyi ng t hes e t ec hn i ques, C e l es t isu cce ed s i n e vo k in g M e l i b e a ' s sym pathy a nd i s r ew ard ed w i t h t h e g i f t ofew coins.R o ja s ' p r o v i s i o n o f C e l e s ti n a w i t h an e x c e l l e n t sense o f t i m ia l l o w s h e r t o r e a l i s e t h a t t h e moment i s o p p or tu n e t o move o n t o t h e n es ta g e o f t h e e x or d iu m w h ic h c om p ri se s f l a t t e r y : ' i O h a n g e l i c a im ag eiOh pe r l a p r ec i os a , y c6mo t e 10 d i c e s ! ' ( I V Y 93) She beg ins w i t h exc lam at io , one o f th e innumerab le f i g u re s o f speech recommended f o r to rnamenta t ion and embe l l i shment o f an a rgument. She a ls o con t inu es hu se o f e t h o s t o make h e r s e l f a p pe ar v i r t u o u s :

E s t o t uv e s iempre , que r e r mds t r a ba j a r s i r v i en do ao t r o s , que ho l ga r c on t en tando a m i . ( I V , 93 )By he r appa r en t s e l f l e s s n es s she encour ages M e li bea t o ac t l i k e w i s"Ha ven ido es to, sef iora, po r 1'0 que de c ia de l a s a jenas neces idades y m ias " ( I V , 94 ) . M e li be a i s o n l y t o o happy t o o f f e r h e r h e lp , bu t C e l et i n a c o nt in u e s t h e f l a t t e r y u n t i l she i s s ur e o f h e r g ro un d and M e li by e t aga i n begs he r t o ask what s he w i l l : "P ide 10 que quer rds , sea paqu i en f ue r e " ( I V , 94) , and on l y t hen does C e l es t i na f ee l r e ad y t o v e n t ui n t o t h e se con d p a r t o f h e r sp ee ch , t h e n a r r a t i o . T h i s s e c t i o n , b e i n g s ta te m e nt o f t h e f a c t s , o u g ht t o b e c l e a r , c o n c is e a nd w e l l -f o u n d e d.o ug ht a l s o f o l l o w t h e t e mp o ra l o r d e r o f e v e n t s a nd be s u i t a b l y ado r ned .C e l e s t i n a ' s n a r r a t i o i s an o r a t o r i c a l n a r r a t i o n , as opposed t o an h i s t oi c a l o r p o e t i c o ne . O n ly p a r t o f th e t r u t h i s used, t ho se p a r t s w h ic h a g a i n s t t h e o r a t o r ' s c as e b e i n g o m i t t e d .C e l e s ti n a i n t r o d uc e s h e r p e t i t i o n : "Yo de j o un enfermo a l a muer( IV , 9 4 ). T h i s i s o n l y a p a r t i a l t r u t h . C a l i s t o i s s i c k, o r so he w anus t o b e l i e v e , l Z b u t h i s s i c kn e s s i s l o v e . C e l e s t i n a makes no m e n t io n M el ib ea o f t h e n a t u re o f h i s i l l n e s s s in c e t h i s c o u l d j e op a r di s e h e r p l aShe p roceeds w i t h t he u t m ost c a r e, t e s t i n g t he g round w i t h am b i gu i t i eand a lw ays l ea v i ng he r s e l f an esc ape r ou t e . It i s h e r e t h a t we se er e p e t i t i o n o f t h e use o f a d ou ble d e c e i t , as i n t h e case o f C e l e s t i n at r i c k i n g L u c r e ci a t o g a i n e n t r y t o M e l i b ea ' s house. She t e l l s M e li bt h a t on e w ord w i l l h ea l h e r p a t i e n t a nd en co ura ge s h e r w i t h f l a t t e r y :

Que no puedo c re er que en b alde p i nt as e D ios unosges tos m5s pe r f ec to s que ot r os , mds dotados degrac ias, mds hermosas facc iones; s i n 0 p a r a h a c e r l o s


5/12

CELESTINESCA

almac6n de v i r t ud es , de m is er ic or d i a , de compasiC jn ,m in is t r os de sus mercedes y d id iv as , como a ti. ( IV , 94 )The abundance o f r e f e r e n c e s t o God i s an a tt e m p t t o a pp ea lbea 's apparent p i e t y , and seems t o succeed. Ce le s t in a employss e r i e s o f f a l s e a n a lo g i e s. She p r e se n t s a s e r i e s o f u n i v e r s a lh av in g a1 r ea dy r e f e r r e d t o t h e p a r t i c u l a r t r u t h o f Cal i s t o ' sW i t h a r h e t o r i c a l q u e s t i o n she s ug ge st s a c o m o n c o ur se o f a c t i o ntw o :

t o M e l i -a l s o at r u t h s ,i l l n e s s .f o r t h eE l pe l i can 0 rompe e l pecho po r da r a sus h i j o s acomer de sus entrafias. Las c igue i ias man t ienen o t rota n to t i emp o a sus p a d re s v i e j o s en e l n i d o , c u a n toe l l o s l e s d i e r o n cebo s ie nd o p o l l i t o s . Pues t a lc o n o c im ie n to d i o l a n a tu ra a 10s a n imales y a ve s,i p o r qu6 10s hombres habemos de se r mis cr u el es ?iP o r qu6 no daremos par te de nues tras gr ac i as yper son as a 10s prCjximos, mayormente, cuando e s td nenvu el tos en secr e tas enfermedades y ta l e s que,donde e s t d l a m e l e ci na , s a l i 6 l a c ausa d e l aenfermedad? ( I V , 95)

T h i s s up er b p as sa ge i s r i d d l e d w i t h a m b i g ui t y. The s u g g es t i on t h a tone s h ou l d g i v e o n e ' s " g r a c i a s " a nd " pe rs on as " t o o t h e r s i s a n o v e r tr e fe re nc e t o t h e s e x ua l r e 1 a t i o n s h ip w h i ch C e le s t i n a w is h es Me1 i b e a t oi n d u l g e i n w i t h C a l i s t o , a nd t h e " s e c r e ta s e n fe rm ed ad es " t o t h e n a t u r e o fC a l i s t o ' s i l l n e s s , l ov e- si ck ne ss ( h i s "s ec re to d o l o r" o f t h e f i r s t scene)w h i ch has i t s c au se i n Me l ib e a . How ever, none o f t h e s e t h i n g s i s s a ido pe nly . C e l es t i na i s c l e v e r l y l a y i n g a f a l s e t r a i l . Here r h e t o r i c i ss e r v in g a d ua l pu rp os e --one s i d e o f t h e c o i n i s f a l s e and t h e o t h e r i st r u e . I f , when C e l es t i na f i n a l l y men t ions Cal i s t o ' s name, Me1 ibea re fu sest o h ave a n yt h i n g t o do w i t h t h e p l a n , she c an i n t e r p r e t t h e " s e c r e t a s e n-fermedades" as too thache and make .he r e n t i r e e n t e r p r is e seem in noc en t andh ar ml es s. When C a l i s t o ' s name i s i n f a c t m e nt io ne d, M e l i be a f l i e s i n t o arage. Bu t , Ce les t in a knows f rom exper ience t h a t i t i s u s e le s s t o t r y t ota c k le Me l ib e a i n h e r a n ge r. As A r i s t o t l e sa y s: "Men g ro w m i l d when t h e yhave exhaus ted t h e i r anger upon an o t he r . " l3 So C e le s ti n a a1 lows Me1i eato v e n t h e r r a g e and, a s S h ip l e y p o in t s o u t , i t does n o t l e a d t o M e l i b e a ' sb a n i s h in g C e l e s t i n a f r o m h e r p re se nc e, b u t r a t h e r t o a demand fo r a ne x p la n a t i o n o f s uc h a u d a c i t y . 1 4 T h i s , t h e n, s u gg e st s a d e s i r e o n M e l i -b e a 's p a r t t o f i n d a n o th e r , more d ec orou s, e ve n f i c t i o u s , l e v e l o f commu-n i c a t i o n . L a t e r , when she i s a g a i n calm , C e l e s t i n a p u t s M e l i b e a ' s o u t -b u r s t o f r a g e t o g ood u se .Me l i b e a knows, a f t e r t h e g a rd e n s ce ne o f A c t I, t h a t C a l is t o i st r y i n g t o woo h e r , a nd i n h e r r a g e she assumes t h a t he i s t r y i n g t o seduceh e r, t h u s g i v i n g C e l e s t i n a t h e c ha nc e t o e mb ar ra ss h e r b y r e v e a l i n g t h etrum ped -up " r e a l r e as o n" f o r h e r v i s i t . T r u t h an d f a l s i t y a r e re ve rs ed :.

Una orac iCjn , se f io ra , que l e d i e ro n que sab ias deSanta Apo lon ia pa ra e l d o l o r de l a s muelas . Asimismot u cordt in, que es fama que ha toca do todas [ la s ]


6/12

CELESTINESCA

r e l iq u i a s que hay en.Roma y Jeru sa lg n . Aquelcab a l le ro , que d i e , pena y muere de e l l a s . Es tafu e m i ven ida . ( IV , 97)C e l es t i na p l eads i gno r anc e o f any p r ev i ou s enc oun te r be tw een C a l iand Me l ibea . Bu t she has ach ieved one imp or ta n t a im . She has e l i c i tf rom M e l i bea t he adm i ss i on t h a t she f a i l e d t o denounc e C a l i s t o ' s adv ani n t h e g ar de n t o h e r p a r en t s . C e l e s t i n a ca n d ed uce f ro m t h i s t h a t M e l.ii s n o t so opposed t o C a l i s t o ' s adv ances as he r r age s ugges ted.The n e x t p a r t o f a r h e t o r i c a l sp eech , t h e p r o p o s i t i o n , may be c lu d e d o r o m i t t e d a c c o rd i n g t o i t s c on ve n ie n ce f o r an a rg um en t a t haT h i s f o rm s t he s t a t em en t o f t he ac t ua l c once r n o f a speech. The ac t uc on ce rn o f C e l e s t i n a ' s spe ech i s , o f c o ur se , t o a r ra n g e t h e l i a i sb etw ee n C a l i s t o a nd M e l i b e a. T h e r e fo r e t h e p r o p o s i t i o n , i n t h i s c as e, no t on l y unnec es s a r y bu t , i f i n cl u de d , w ou ld a lm o s t c e r t a i n l y p r o ve d e tm e nt al t o h e r c au se a t t h i s s t a ge . Thus t h e p r o p o s i t i o n does n o t a ppi n t h i s speech.T h e r e f o l l o w s t h e confirmatio, t he de f ense o f t he a rgum en t, and

refutatio, t he d i s m i s s a l o f any oppos ing a rgum ent w h ic h m i gh t a r i sThese t wo p a r t s a r e i n t e g r a t e d i n C e l e s t i n a ' s sp eech .She speaks o f " mi l i m p i o r no ti v o " and p roc eeds t o l ab ou r t he v i r t u ec om pass ion. The f l a t t e r y w h i c h we have obs e rv ed i n t he p r ec ed i ng pa r t sCe les t ina ' s speech con t inues und im in ished :

Compasi6n de su do l o r , con f ian za de t u ma gn i f i ce nc iaahoga ron en m i boca a1 p r i n c i p i o l a ex p r es i 6n de l acausa. ( IV , 97)To make Me l ibe a ashamed o f he r anger, and t o encourage fe e l in gs co mp assio n w h ic h w i l l l e a d h e r t o s u r re n d e r t h e g i r d l e , C e l e s t i n a ub i b l i c a l q u o t a t i o n a nd a n im a l i ma ge ry :

No semejes l a t e l a r a i i a que no mues t ra su fue rza s in oc on t r a 10s f l a c os an i m a l es . No paguen justos porpecad ores. I m i t a l a d i v i n a j u s t i c i a , que d i j o : e lin im a 'que pecare, aq ue l l a misma muera; a l a humana,que jamds condena a1 pad r e po r e l d e l i t o de l h i j on i a1 h i j o po r e l d e l pa dre . ( I V Y 9 8)B e f o r e c o n t i n u i n g , C e l e s t i n a w is he s t o e ns ur e that any anger on Ml i b e a ' s p a r t w i l l n o t f a l l on h e r si nc e she i s me re ly ( i n t he f i c t i o n )

i n t e r m e d i a r y h e l p i n g a s i c k man. She f i n a l l y co n vi nc e s M e li b ea t h a thad o n l y good i n t e n t i o n s : ' T a n to a f i n a s t u i g n o r a n c i a , que me h acreer 10 que puede ser ' . ( I V , 98 ) And Me1 i bea t r i e s t o ex p l a i n he r em bar ras si ng bu r s t o f r age :No tengas en mucho n i t e ma ra v i l l es de m i pasados en t i m i en t o , po rque c on c u r r i e r o n dos c osas en t uh a b la , que c u a l q u i e r a d e e l l a s e r a b a s t a n t e pa ra


7/12

CELESTINESCA

me saca r de seso: nombrarme ese t u ca ba l le ro , queconmigo se a t r e v i6 a ha bl ar , y tambiEn pedi rmepala bras s i n mds causa, que no se pod ia sospechar s in odafio pa ra mi honra. Pero pues todo v ie ne de buenapa rt e , de 10 pasado haya perd6n. ( IV, 98-99)T hi s same escape ro u te which Ce le st in a uses becomes an excuse fo rM e li b ea who i s b e g i n ni n g t o a l l o w h e r p a ss io n s t o o ve rco me h e r i n i t i a l i n -d i gn a ti o n. 1 5 She j u s t i f i e s s e nd in g h e r g i r d l e t o C a l i s t o by i t s b e in g ana c t o f c h a r i t y t o a man s u f f e r i n g f r om t o ot ha ch e :

Que en a lguna manera es a l iv ia d o mi coraz6n, v iendoque es obra p i a y santa sanar 10s apasionados yenfermos. ( IV, 99)C e le s t i n a r e a l i z e s a t t h i s p o i n t t h a t h e r ca se i s n e a r l y won, s i n c e

i t seems l i k e l y t h a t M el ib ea w i l l s ub mit t o C a l i s t o a f t e r l i t t l e f u r t h e rcoax ing. She moves on t o th e concZusio t o n e a t ly t i e up a l l th e s t ra yends o f her p rev io us work , beg inn ing w i t h an indignatio:

i Y t a l en fe rrnd, s e ti or a ! P o r D i os, s i b i en l econoc ieses , no l e juzgases por e l que has d ich o ym o st ra do c on t u i r a . ( IV, 99). She l e ad s i n t o p r a i s e o f C a l i s t o u s i ng e x t r i n s i c t o p i c s o f t h e n a t ur eo f man as des c r i bed by C i c e r o i n h i s Topica. Co nv ic t ion can be won, C ice-r o sa ys, by e x e m p l i f y i n g v i r t u e i n tw o ways: by c om pa ri son o f t he s ub j ec tt o t he gods who a r e by na t u r e v i r t u ous , and t o men famous f o r t h e i r v i r t u eachieved by har d work. Ce le s t i na uses both:

En D ios y en m i a lma, no t i e n e h i e l ; g ra c ias , dos m i l ;en franq ueza , A1ejandre;e.n esf ue rzo , HEctor;,gesto,d e un r e y ; g r a c i o s o , a l e g r e ; jamds r e i n a e n e l t r i s t e z a .De no bl e sangre, como sabes; gran ju st ad or , pues v e r l earmado, un San Jorg e. Fuerza y es fue rzo , no tu voH E r c u l es t an t a . La p r es enc i a y f ac c i ones , d i s p os i c i 6n ,des env o l t u r a , o t r a l engua hab i a m enes te r pa r a l a s c on t a r .Todo ju n to semeja Lnge l de l c ie lo . Por f e tengo que noer a ta n hermoso aquel g e n t i l Na rc iso , que se enamor6 desu p r op ia f i gu ra , cuando se v ido en l a s aguas de l afu en te. ( I V, 99.)

T h i s e nu me ra ti on o f C a l i s t o ' s q u a l i t i e s , b u i l d i n g h im i n t o a s up er -human be i ng , has i t s i r o n i c s i de . F i r s t , C e l es t i na does no t know C a l i s t owe l l enough to know whether he embodies these q u a l i t i e s . I n any case , anyrecommendation f rom a dub ious cha rac t e r l i k e Ce l es t i na must be suspec t .S ec on dly , t h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n o f C a l i s t o l e a ds u s t o r e g a r d h im as much l e s sthan a hero when we see h im p la y -a c t i ng and assum ing th e r o l e o f th ec o u r t l y l o v e r . C a l i s t o ' s h e r o i c q u a l i t i e s , as d e sc ri b ed by C e le s ti n a, a r enow th ro wn i n t o s t a r k c o n t r a s t w i t h t h e p a t h e t i c l i t t l e a i lm e n t w hich shenow says has h im inc ap ac i ta te d : 'Agora , se iio ra , t i 6 n e le der r iba do unaso la muela, que jamiis cesa [de l qu ej ar . ( I v , 9 9 ) From here onwards i t i s


8/12

CELESTINESCA

M e li be a who i s d o i n g t h e w or k. C e l e s t i n a h as r o u se d h e r e c u r i o s i t y aM e li be a g i ve s h e r t h e ch ance t o t e l l h e r more a b o u t C a l i s t o t o s ec u re hf a v o u r : " i Y q u6 t a n t o t i e m p o h a ? " ( I V , 9 9 ) It i s n o t q u i t e c l e a r w he tht h e s ub se qu en t m i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n by C e l e s t i n a i s i n t e n d e d b y M e l i b e a n o t, b u t e i t h e r way i t p r o v i d e s C e l e st i na w i t h t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o g iC a l i s t o ' s a g e .

M el ib ea f i n a l l y c re a te s a r ea so n f o r C e l e s t i n a t o r e t u r n , t o c o l l et he p r a ye r and begs h e r n o t t o t e l l C a l i s t o o f h e r r ag e l e s t he s h out h i n k h e r u n c h a r i t a b l e a nd t h u s f o r m a n u n f av o u ra b l e o p i n i o n o f hc h a r a c t e r :Pues m adr e, no l e des p a r te de 10 que pas6 a es ec a b a l l e r o , p o rq u e n o me t e ng a p o r c r u e l o a r r e b a t a d ao d e s h o n e s ta . ( I V , 10 0 )

A l l t h a t M e l i b e a s ay s h e r e , a nd t h e comments f r o m L u c r e c i a , b ew i t ne ss t o t h e e f f i c a c y o f C e l e s t i n a ' s r h e t o r i c :i Y a , ya , p e r d i d a e s m i ama! i s e c r e t a m e n t e q u i e r e q uevenga C e l e s t i n a ! F ra ud e h ay ; m i s l e q u e r r i d a r, que1 0 d i c h o ! ( I V , 1 00 )

And e f f e c t i v e l y t h i s i s wh at M e li b ea p r om is es :M i s h ar e p o r t u d o l i e n t e , s i m e n es te r f u e r e , en pagod e 1 0 s u f r i d o . ( I V , 1 0 0)

C e l e s t i n a ' s f i n a l pi&e de r5sistance i s t h e s u b t le r e v e l a t i o n o f tr e a l m o t i v e o f h e r v i s i t a nd t h e i n t e n t i o n b e h in d t h e d i s p l a y o f r h e t o r iT h i s s e r i e s o f commonplaces w hi ch C e l e s t i n a c l e v e r l y l i n k s t o t h e s tt h i n l y v e i l e d o b j e c t i v e o f a n a mo ro us l i a i s o n a l s o s e r v e s t h e p u rp o s e p r o v i d in g M el ib e a w i t h a means o f j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r a ny f u r t h e r s t e p s sm i g h t t a k e r e g a r d i n g C a l i s t o . R e f e r r i n g t o t h e a mb ig uo us n a t u r e o f Cl i s t o ' s i l l n e s s a s she had d e sc r i be d i t e a r l i e r , she s ay s:P o rq ue , a un qu e [ l a s p a l a b r a s ] f u e r a n l a s q ue t dp en sa b as , e n s i n o e r a n m a la s ; q ue ca da d i a h a yhom br es penados po r m u je r es y m u je r e s po r hom br es,y e s t o o b ra l a n a t u r a y l a n a t u ra o r d en 6 la D io s yD i o s n o h i z o c o sa m a l a . ( I V , 1 0 1 )

As a s t u d e n t o f Law, R o j a s w o u l d p e rh a p s h av e b ee n m or e f a m i l i a r wj u d i c i a l r h e t o r i c t h a n w i t h d e l i b e r a t i v e o r e n co m ia s t ic .1 6 However, tr h e t o r i c i n LC c an be c o ns id e re d t o b e o f t h e d e l i b e r a t i v e t yp e s i n cei s u se d a s " c o un s e l t o p e rs u ad e o r d i ss u a de t h e a u d ie n c e" [ i n t h i s c as e t w o l e v e l s : ( 1 ) t h e f i c t i o n a l c h a ra c t er s , a nd ( 2 ) t h e r e a d e r ] , w i t h r ep e ct t o a p a r t i c u l a r c ou rs e o f a c ti o n .1 7 T hu s i n LC , Rojas shows h i s cop ete nc e i n r h e t o r i c o u t s i d e h i s own s p e c i a l i z e d f i e l d . I t i s n o t p a r t i cl a r l y s u r p r i s i n g t h a t R ojas s h ou ld do t h i s , i n s p i t e o f h i s c l a i m i na u t o r a u n su a m i g o ' t h a t t h i s t yp e o f w r i t i n g was o u t s id e h i s own f i e ls i n c e , a s P.E. R u s s e l l p o i n t s o u t , " i t i s o f t e n t o o r e a d i l y assumed t h


9/12

CELESTINESCA

l e ga l s t ud i es t hen w ere as d i v o r c e d fr om humane l e t t e r s as t hey t end t o bei n m odern u n i v e r s i t i e s . " l 8 He goes on t o sa y t h a t " t h e l i n k b etw ee n l e g a land humane s t u d i e s was s u b s t a n t i a l l y r es t o r e d tow a rds t he end o f t he f i f -t e e n t h c e n t u r y [. . . ] T h er e i s no r ea so n t o d o u bt t h a t s uc h i n f l u e n c ea l s o a f f e c t e d t h e l a w f a c u l t y a t S alamanca a t t h e t i m e R o ja s was a s t u d e n tt h e r e " (192)The f i r s t a u di en ce o f Lc was p r obab l y c omposed o f s t uden t s a t S a l a -manca U n i v e r s i t y . Such an educa t ed aud ience , f a m i l i a r w i t h t he p r ec ep t so f l o g i c and r h e t o r i c , c o u l d e a s i l y p e r ce i ve t h e u n d e r l y in g s u b t l e t i e swhich Rojas sugges ts . I n s te a d o f t h e a u t h o r p r e s e n t j n g a d i r e c t r h e t o r -i c a l a rgument, i n th e hope o f sway ing h i s aud ience , he takes them ones t age f u r t h e r . T hey become t he on l ook e r s who w i t ne s s r h e t o r i c a t w ork i na n o t h e r w o r l d , t h e w o r l d o f f i c t i o n - - a w o r l d , however, t o w h ic h t h e y c anr e l a t e . I t i s t h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p w h ic h made t h e w ork p o p u l a r f o r a muchw i de r and l e s s h i gh l y - t r a i n ed p ub l i c . T he r eade r s t oo c an be, and un-d o u b t e d ly w i l l h ave been, s u b j e c t t o r h e t o r i c , a nd now t h e y see t h e i rf i c t i o n a l c oun t e r pa r t s unde r go ing t he same p r oc ess . As ob j e c t i v e on l ook-e r s , f r e e d m o m e n t a r il y f r o m t h e i r own s e l f - i n t e r e s t , t h e y c an see t h e p r o -

cess c l e a r l y and a r e a b l e t o p e r c e iv e t h e d e c e i t i n C e l e s t i n a ' s a d ep tm a n ip u la t io n o f r h e t o r i c a l t ec hn iq u es .O c c a s i ona l l y , how eve r, R o jas enc ou rages t he r eade r t o i d e n t i f y h im -s e l f w i t h t h e c h a r a ct e r s w i t h i n t h e f i c t i o n , t h u s m akin g him aw are t h a t h et oo s ha res t he same p r ob lem o f c l ouded v i s i o n as t he c ha r ac t e r s , when hei s p e r s o n a l ly i n v o l ve d i n t h e s i t u a t i o n and i s s u b j e c t t o h i s own em otio nsand d e s i r e s . R oja s p o i n t s o u t t h a t even t h e r h e t o r h i m s e l f i s i n d an ge ro f f a l l i n g u nd er h i s own s p e l l , as i n t he c as e o f C e l e s t i n a who p roducesa rgument s w h ic h , t hough f a l s e , c onv inc e even , h e r s e l f a t t i m es .19

Al is a, l lamada a l a casa de su hermana, de ja l ugaroportuno a Celestina para que practique su arte re-tbrico con Melibea. Auto X, Comedia (~ Bu rg os , 1499?)


10/12

CELESTINESCA

NOTES

C o l b e r t N ep au ls in gh , "The R h e t o r i c a l S t r u c t u r e o f t h e . ~ r o l o g u e sthe L i b r o de Buen Amor and th e CeZes t ina" , BHS, 51 (1974) . I n h i s s tuo f t h e r h e t o r i c a l s t r u c t u r e o f t h e e p i s t l e - p r e fa c e and p r ol og u e t o LNepau l s i ngh no t es t h a t we s om etim es f i n d t he au t ho r h i m s e l f p r e f i x i n g tan sw ers t o h i s w ork as an i n t r o d u c t i o n . . C e r t a i n l y h e r e R oj as i n d i c a tone o f h i s o b j e c t iv e s - - t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n o f t he power o f r h e t o r i c .

Fernando de Rojas, La CeZest ina, ed. Doro thy Seve r in, 2nd e(Madr id : A1 ianza E d i t o r ia l , S.A., 1971), p . 40 . A l l r e fe renc es a re t h i s e d i t i o n .Carne lo SamonB, a s p e t t i d e l re to r i e i sm o neZZa CeZest ina , Fac o l t ( M a g i st e ro d e l l ' U n i v e r s i a d i Roma, 1 95 3 ( S t u d i d i l e t t e r a t u r a s pa gn oQ uade rno 2 ) , makes an ex t ens i v e s t udy o f t he c om b i na t i on o f r h e t o r i ct r a d i t i o n and r e a l l i f e i n t h e mouths o f R o ja s ' c ha ra ct er s.

A lso cons ider ing language and rh e to r i c i n LC: Ma lco lm Read, "Lu CeZestand the Renaissance Ph i loso phy o f Language" , PQ, 55 (1976), 166-77.J u l o R od r iguez- P uC rt o las , L i t e r a t u r a , h i s t o r i a , aZ i enac i 6 n ( B ar clona: Labor , 1976), po in ts o u t the emphasis p la ced on human communicati n LC and t he po t e n t i a l o f s peec h as a means o f dec ep t i on : "Pero l a p abra puede tambien ser engafiosa, y s e rv i r para 10 que ' i dea lmente debe su t i l i z a d a . Los d i i l o g o s de 10s persona jes de LC as7 10 p rueban: v i e ja - - y no s610 e l la -m an ej a habi lmente 1,a pa lab ra para engai iar a sus sme jan tes, i n c l us o a sus m is cercanos segu idores [. . . ] La palab[ . . .], u t i l i z a d a p erv er sa m

in instrument0 de comunicac(pp. 153-54).en t e , des v i r tuada , puede c o nv e r t i r s e as i no 6n au ten t i c a , s in o de con f us id n y de engaf

"I o l d t h a t no oneand, even i f he cou ld be ,t r a n s l a t e d b y H.E . B u t l e r iHeinemann, 1963), pp. 40-41.

c an be a t r u e o r a t o r un l es s he i s a good mI would not have -it s o . " Q u i n t i l i a n , V o l .n t he Loeb C l a s s i c a l L i b r a r y ( London : W i l l

A n t o n i o M a r t i , La p r ec ep t i v a r e t 6 r i c a espa%oZa en eZ si gZ c(Mad rid: Gredos, 197 2), pp. 23-24."There i s however one p o i n t wh ich I us t emphas ise before Iw hic h i s t h i s . W i th o ut n a t u r a l g i f t s t e c h n i c a l r u l e s a r e u s el es s"19) .

beg( I , 1

D i sp o s i t i o i n i t s t u rn i s d i v id e d i n t o s i x p a rt s : 1 ) e x o r d( i n t r o d u c t i o n ) , 2 ) n a r r a t i o ( n a r r a t i o n ) , 3 ) p r o p o s i t i o - -a l s o known d i u i s i o o r p a r t i t i o - - ( t h e p r o p o s i t i o n , s u b j e c t o f t h e s pe ec h) , 4 ) c o n fim a t i o ( p r o o f ) , 5 ) r e f u t a t i o - - o t h e r w i s e known as c on f u t a t i o o r r ep rehes i o - - ( r e f u t a t i on o f opposi ng a rgumen ts ), and 6 ) c oncZ us io ( pe r o r a t i oc oncl us i on ) .


11/12

CELESTINESCA

George Kennedy, The A r t of Rh eto ric i n t he Roman WorZd ( P r i n c e t o n :Pr in ce to n Un iv e rs i t y P ress, 1972) , pp . 114 and 221 ,l0e l e s t i n a i m p l i e s t h e s y l l o g i s m ' o l d age i s u n co m fo r ta b le , I amo l d , t h e r e f o r e I am unc om for t ab le ' . The enthymeme i s f a l s e s i nc e o l d age

i s n o t , o f i t s e l f , n e c e s s a r i l y u nc om fo rt ab le . I n t h i s ca se C e l e s ti n a maybe c o ns i d e re d t o be p a r t l y t o b la me f o r h e r own d i s c o m f o r t .l1os e R i c o VerdG, "Resumen de l a s do c t r i n i s r e t 6 r i c a s en e l s i g l o deo ro ", i n h i s La ret6rica esp ai i~l a e 20s sig lo s XVI y XVII (Madr id : CSIC,l973) , p . 258.l2eorge A. Sh ip le y , "Con cer t ing th roug h Conce i t : Unconvent iona lUses o f Convent ion al S ickness Images i n La CeZes tina", MLR, LXX ( l975),324-32. S h i pl e y r e f e r s t o C a l i s t o ' s r e l i a n c e on t h e c l i c h e s o f l o v e - s i c k -ness f o r t h e e xp re ss io n o f h i s f r u s t r a t i o n : "Pena, aftigido, dolor, reme-dio , and a dozen r e l a te d words become key pa r t s o f a complex image sys temfro m w h ic h C a l i s t o d e r i ve s c o n s i d er a b l e s a t i s f a c t i o n , h i s v e rb a l s u b s t i -

t u t e f o r t h e a p p a re n t ly i n a c c e s si b l e p le a su re s o f M el ib ea . I n s i s t e n t l yi n t h e f i r s t a c t s t h e l o v e r im po se s t h e same l an g ua g e on a l l t h o s e whom us t d e a l w i t h him . H i s s e r v a n t s r e p e a t e d l y o b j e c t t o t h e e x a g g e r at i o n i nh is speech [. . . . l , a nd t h e i r a l i e n a t i o n f ro m t h e p u rv ey or o f s uch s ca rc e-l y persona l images i s shared by th e rea der (who may be taken aback by th ed is co ve ry o f h i s s o l i d a r i t y , i n q u es t i on s o f s t y l i s t i c decorum, w i t hl a c ke y s , p r o s t i t u t e s , a nd p r o c u re s s [ s i c ] ) " ( p . 3 2 4) . S h i p l e y p o i n t s o u tt h e way i n w h ic h s ic k ne s s im ag ery, i n i t i a t e d by C a l i s t o , i s m a n ip u la t ed bya l l p a r t i e s c on ce rn ed and t u r n e d t o t h e i r a dva nta ge , p a r t i c u l a r l y by Ce-le s t in a , as we see her do here. He a l s o a t t r i b u t e s r a t he r m ore awa renesst o M e li be a i n t h e e s ta b li sh m e n t o f t h e f a l s e l e v e l o f c om mu nic atio nc e n t r e d on C a l i s t o ' s i n v e n te d t oo t ha c h e.l3r i s t o t l e , The 'A rt ' of Rhetoric, t r ans l a t ed by J ohn H en r y . Freese(London: W i l l am Heinemann, l9 59 ), p. 189.l4C onc e r t i ng t h r ough C onc e i t " , p. 327.l5.K. Read, "Fernando de .Ro jas l V is io n o f the B i r t h and Death o fLanguage", MLN, X C I I I ( 1978 ), 169- 70 : " Such i s t he od d i t y , i n c o ng r u i t yand d i s p a r i t y betw een t he s t anda r d m ean ing o f t h e w ords used by t he o l dbawd and t h e n a tu r e o f t h e s i t u a t i o n i n w h ic h th e y o cc u r t h a t t h e y s i g n a l

~CI.M e li b ea t h a t she i s t o . i n t e r p r e t them a c c o r d in g l y . T h i s she does~ P ~ e n s a sue no tengo sen t idas tu s p isa das e en ten d ido t u dai iado mensa-j e ? ; ' ) a nd t ho u gh t h e l an gu a ge o f in nu e nd o i n h i b i t s h e r r e t a l i a t i o n , i ta l s o a l l o w s h e r t o i n d u l g e i n d e c e i t w i t h ap p a re n t i m p u n i ty ( "E s o b ra p i a6 Santa sanar 10s pass ionados 6 enfe rmos . " )l6s C i c e r o e x p l a i ne d i n h i s Topica, t r a n s l a t e d b y H.H. H ubbe l l(Cambridge, Mass .: Harvard U n iv e rs i t y Press , 1949), p . 453, th er e a ret h r e e k i n d s o f r h e t o r i c a l speeches: j u d i c i a l , t h e a im o f w hi ch i s t oa c h i e ve j u s t i c e ; d e l i b e r a t i v e , t h e e nd o f w h ic h i s a dv an ta ge ; a nd e nc o-m i a s t i c , t h e a i m o f w hi ch i s h on ou r.


12/12

CELESTINESCA

l7ee A. S onn ino, A Handbook h ixteenth-Century Rhetoric (LondoRout ledge Kegan Paul, 1968), p. 243.'l8. E. Russell "The Celest im cmentuda" i n Medievat HispmStudies Presented t o Rita Hamilton (London: Tamesis, l9 76 ), pp'. 175-9

a t p. 191.l9he au t hor i s most g ra te fu l t o P ro fess or A.D. Deyermond, DDoro thy Sever in , P ro fe ssor J. Snow an d D r. R o b i n C a r t e r f o r t h e i r i n v a la b le a d vi ce and c o r r e c t i o n s d u r i n g t he p r e p a r at i o n o f t h i s a r t i c l e .-

La ' f u r i a ' de Me l i bea . A u to I , escena p r i mera de l a o b ra .De l a t r adu cc i 6n a l emana d e C . Wi rsung (1520) .

Rhetorical Technique in the Persuasion of Melibea

Documents