Abstract: Although aware of the clichéd nature of the figure inspired by Dürer’s Melencolia, Verlaine still referred to this iconographic heritage in some of his poems. This article looks in particular at “La Princesse Bérénice,” “Henri III,” and “Dites n’avez-vous pas . . .” to see how the poet intermittently returned to this motif, without ignoring its stereotypical or even “kitsch” dimensions.
