Abstract
ABSTRACT This essay explores the mysterious deer associated with the beloved in Rerum vulgarium fragmenta (Rvf) 190 and examines its significance in connection with the visio beatifica of the lady in Rvf 191–193. The deer in sonnet 190 recalls the traditional imagery found in bestiaries and in the patristic tradition, where the animal allegorises the good Christian and Christ himself in their fight against evil. The statement ‘Nessun mi tocchi’ (Rvf, 190, 9) on the deer’s neck, in turn, echoes the words that Jesus says to the former sinner Mary Magdalene after his resurrection. These elements portray the lover as a penitent sinner, and the beloved embodied by the deer as a Christic presence, introducing the beatific vision in Rvf 191–193. The association of the lady with Christ, however, will prove to be a symptom of idolatry, in contrast with the moral conduct that the subject pursues in Rvf 264.
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