Celestina, Acts I, II

I'm afraid I'm not so familiar with the story of Adam and Eve, so please bear with me :)

The fact that the opening scene takes place in a garden is clearly representative of the Garden of Eden. Calisto, in a role representing Adam, is rejected by Melibea, who represents Eve. The fact that Melibea is portrayed to be somewhat wicked or evil in denying Calisto is very true to the story of Adam and Eve, in which women are demonized. Calisto wants to pursue his one-sided infatuation regardless of Melibea’s feelings, expecting her to love him back just as much. In this sense, Calisto employs Adam’s characteristic of separation from knowledge: he denies Melibea’s lack of interest in him, further courting her and expecting reciprocation; this self-sheltering and distancing from the truth is symbolic of Adam’s disinterest in attaining the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Melibea, with Eve’s characteristic curiosity, is convinced by the serpent (the devil) to try the fruit, thus supplying her with knowledge of both good and evil (and therefore, of the reality of the world). Melibea thinks (which is quite unlike Calisto) and comes to the conclusion that she has no ambition for Calisto, and that he will have to accept this. In tandem with the Bible, just as Eve is attacked for wanting to break free of ignorance, Melibea is blamed for not breaking free of the traditional courtship of a man she doesn’t care for. As Eve is blamed for having a curiosity outside of her own being (unlike Adam), Melibea is interested in her life options outside of Calisto’s offers. Melibea represents truth in her actions: there is a world apart from the courting of one childish, desperate man. In eating the fruit, the reality of their lack of equal feelings is revealed- though Calisto further denies this, viewing Melibea’s judgment as clouded by a separate force (the serpent, or the devil for Eve). Therefore, Calisto sees Melibea’s disinterest as a symptom: as a work of the devil that should be cured or overtaken immediately.