Maria Madalena : lágrimas, amor e culpa

Abstract

The author identifies and studies the references to St. Maria Magdalena in portuguese poetry of the 16-17th centuries, dealing with the forms and meanings taken by the figure of the "beata peccafrix" in the cultural and spiritual context of the period. As a metaphor of penitence and as a symbol of mystic love, the Saint  appears  at  the core of  religious  controversies  raised by  the protestant  and catholic  reformations.  The  personal  and  privileged  relationship  of  the  Saint  to Christ, however, is the main feature that defines her permanence and salience in the work of Portuguese poets over that period of three centuries.