Maiden, prostitute and procuress: the alternation of celestine roles in the Comedia Florinea by Rodríguez Florián (1554)

Abstract

In Rodríguez Florián's Comedia Florinea (1554) the story of the lovers Floriano and Belisea and the story of the lower classes are developed in parallel. The servants Fulminato, Felisino and Pinel share a close relationship with Marcelia, Liberia and Gracilia. At first glance, the protagonists of the prostibulary world might appear to be a correlate of Celestina, Elicia and Areúsa. However, none of them fulfills what is expected of their character: Marcelia, a prostitute who becomes a procuress by chance, is the one who tries to protect the honesty of her daughter Liberia. Liberia, although she maintains her virginity at the beginning of the story, is gradually corrupted throughout the Comedia, which results in her transformation into a clandestine prostitute. Gracilia is the one who pushes Liberia into prostitution and is her main ally and advisor. The female characters of the underworld present an individualisation uncommon in the Celestinesque genre. Therefore, the aim of this article is to analyse these peculiarities in order to characterise the three marginal female characters of the piece. From their statements and from the comparison with other characters of the story and of the cycle, it will be possible to determine the role played by these figures within the Florinea and in the Celestinesque genre in general. In short, the aim is to highlight the role of this work within the cycle in order to rescue it from the oblivion to which the critics have relegated it.