Student Research

Celestina and Ruffo: Echoes of Witch-Lore in Renaissance Plays

Both The Celestina and The Comedy of Calandro, attributed to Fernando de Rojas and Bernardo Dovizi da Bibbiena respectively, revolve around characters trying to become romantically involved with someone, to the point of making a deal with a character claiming to possess supernatural powers to achieve that goal. Both Celestina and Ruffo the necromancer are involved with magic, which to the people of the Renaissance, would have been something to be cautious of. However, between both characters, there are a few fundamental differences. Celestina is attributed to being able to take her power from her service to the Devil, regarded as Pluto, the Roman lord of the Underworld. Meanwhile, the necromancer Ruffo is said to achieve his magical goals through the use of a familiar spirit--- not quite on the same level as that of Celestina, who appears to have the powers of Hell at her hand, provided that she pray to them. Celestina is portrayed as being a genuine witch who believes herself to be in service to the infernal forces, while Ruffo is set up from the beginning as a fraud who knowingly uses witch lore in order to achieve notoriety.

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