Don Juan?

[Alfonso]

Jane, una Celestina is a woman, generally an old one, who tries to link people with not very good intentions. She arranges marriages and relationships for money. She's not an angel at all.
It dates back to a character by Ovid, revised by Fernando de Rojas in his play/novel Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea, also known by La Celestina (1499).

[María José]

Celestina is a matchmaker( The book is great, BTW). If you say somebody is a quixote, or un quijote you mean they are idealistic.

[Jane]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

Jane, una Celestina is a woman, generally an old one, who tries to link people with not very good intentions. She arranges marriages and relationships for money. She's not an angel at all.
...

So if someone does the same job (matchmaking), but with VERY good intentions and not for money, who/what would she be?

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by Jane

So if someone does the same job (matchmaking), but with VERY good intentions and not for money, who/what would she be?

I think she would also be a celestina. But the target of this might not be filantropic.

[María José]

Philanthropic.Sorry, but I know you don't have your spell checking thingy with you.I will have to do.

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by Gemma

Philanthropic.Sorry, but I know you don't have your spell checking thingy with you.I will have to do.

Thanks a lot. I hope it won't be a lot of work. I'll do my best!

[poli]

Originally Posted by Jane

Thanks guys.
You´re both too kind.

Kind of what?
Incidentially in literature people whose characterisics are used to discribe
personalities are many. The Bible is loaded with them. In English language
literature Romeo (the lover) King Lear( the failed leader) Lady MacBeth (woman who provokes her husband to do horrible things in order to gain power) Shylock(bill collector), Uncle Tom, Walter Mitty. I skipped some centuries. I hope I didn't offend the ones I left out

[María José]

Who's Walter Mitty? And you forgot my favourite Shakespearean character: Othello.

[poli]

Othello was interesting but no one ever calls anyone an Othello. Romeo yes, King Lear -less so, Shylock-yes. Calling a jealous husband an Othello
would be an interesting thing to say, but I never heard it said.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a twentieth century comic novel in which the main character's personality gets the best of him.

[María José]

Poli, I've just read (but maybe it was on the British press): Obama is an Othello for our times.

[poli]

I hope not. Unlike Othello, he seems awfully cool to let jealousy devour him. If the British press is right, who is his Iago?

[María José]

I think they said he was an Othello only in the sense that he was a handsome black guy who has lots of power, which frightens those around him.Doesn't frighten me though. I think he's cute.

[Jane]

Originally Posted by poli

Kind of what?
...

Poli, I was responding to some compliments.

[Jane]

Originally Posted by Gemma

Poli, I've just read (but maybe it was on the British press): Obama is an Othello for our times.

...among other things.