Misreading the Pearl: A Parable Distorted in the Celestina

Abstract

Abstract

This article examines how La Celestina reconfigures traditional symbolic meanings of gemstones – particularly pearls – within a late medieval context. While pearls in earlier religious and literary texts often symbolize purity, virtue, spiritual transcendence, La Celestina complicates these associations by linking the pearl to desire, commodification and moral ambiguity. Central to this analysis is the biblical Parable of the Pearl (Matthew 13:45–46), which portrays the kingdom of heaven as a pearl of great value, worthy of total sacrifice. In La Celestina , this imagery is subversively echoed through Celestina’s references to Melibea as her ‘precious pearl’, an allusion that invites reflection on the spiritual and moral consequences of erotic and material pursuit. The article draws on Voragine’s Golden Legend , particularly the entry on Saint Margaret, to highlight how Rojas’s work engages with and destabilizes hagiographic and theological frameworks. By tracing these intertextual connections, the study argues that La Celestina inherits and disrupts the symbolic tradition of the pearl, reflecting a broader cultural moment when sacred emblems are reimagined through the lens of worldly conflict. The pearl becomes a focal point for exploring tension between spiritual ideals and human desire in a text that marks a turning point in early modern literature. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .