Melibea's metamorphosis in the Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea

Abstract

The authors of the Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea astutely structure the work in order to highlight the new woman they see in their Melibea, providing her with a metamorphosis that is initiated in the first scene of Act I. The reader sees only her rejection of the gallant Calisto but other areas of the text show that she indeed is captivated by him and she guards for many days her secret love, from her parents and even from Celestina until Act 10 when her tensions explode and she becomes capable of directing her own destiny. In the end Melibea acts on her own and accepts full responsibility for her tragic downfall, accompanied always by her faithful servant, Lucrecia. She emerges as a prototype of a modern woman.