La Celestina

The company El Aedo Teatro produces a contemporary adaptation of Fernando de Rojas's classic that focuses on the role of women in the Middle Ages. A production that arrives at Teatro Serrano on 10 October and 7 November.

Written and directed by Jesús Torres, the performance is based on respect for the original work, but introduces a significant twist: Elicia, maid to the celebrated go-between, becomes the narrator and guide for the audience. Through her eyes, we journey not only through the tragic love story that forms the backbone of the work, but also through the moral, literary and social context surrounding its characters. This choice allows for a more intimate approach to a fundamental text of Spanish literature.

Published at the end of the 15th century, La Celestina narrates the obsessive love of Calixto, a young nobleman, for Melibea, a lady of high social standing. Faced with the young woman's initial rejection, Calixto turns to Celestina, a cunning and manipulative old go-between who, driven by financial interest, weaves a web of deceit with the help of the young man's servants.

Celestina's intervention triggers a chain of uncontrolled passions, betrayals and ambitions that lead to the death of the go-between, the punishment of the servants and, finally, the fatal end of the lovers. Thus, the work stands as a fierce critique of moral corruption, the power of money and the excesses of human desire.

El Aedo's production delves into the female condition through the various archetypes present in the piece: the maiden, the witch, the maid and the marginalised woman. In doing so, it proposes a reflection on freedom, passion and the social exclusion of women in the Middle Ages, establishing clear resonances with modern issues. Furthermore, the dramaturgy is enriched by the incorporation of verses by female authors such as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and María de Zayas, which broaden the poetic framework and create delicate bridges between eras, sensibilities and shared struggles.

Fi