Abstract
Conceived as a warning against the dangers of passion and cupidity, the ‚Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea‘ (1499) presents the illicit relationship of two young lovers, bound together by the art of the witch Celestina. Several studies have shown how the tragicomedy mocks the respect of secrecy which is usually at the centre of courtly love. However, concealment is not limited to this literary motive, but is a driving force in this Spanish masterpiece as the game between dissimulation and revelation also appears in the settings of the text. This paper aims to analyse how secrecy and manipulation are linked to specific places. To do so, it underlines the opposition that exists between exterior and interior spaces in the text, and how this dichotomy is used by the author to support the interaction between different characters. For example, doors are mentioned surprisingly often, since they are used as a symbol indicating a transition between public space and privacy. Houses can also be very different settings depending on who lives in them and how the characters behave; thus, Calisto’s bedroom is presented as an intimate place where all his secrets can be revealed, whereas Celestina’s house is a spot of encounter, where all the servants plot together to scheme their misdeeds. Finally, we will also study how shelters are progressively invaded and corrupted as we consider Pleberio’s tower and Melibea’s garden, questioning whether secrets could exist at all in Fernando de Rojas’s Spain.
