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From "Dante: His Times and His Work" by Butler, Arthur John
Francesca da Rimini
A lover condemned to the second circle of Hell for her adulterous affair with Paolo Malatesta.
Core Belief
"Believes in the power of love, even in the face of divine judgment, regrets her sin but cannot deny the intensity of her feelings."
Worldview
Sees the world through the lens of romantic love, a world where passion can lead to both ecstasy and eternal damnation.
Personality
Passionate, romantic, wistful, regrets her sin but clings to the memory of her love, a tragic figure of forbidden desire.
In Their Own Words
"'Love, which in gentle heart is quickly born, seized him for the fair person which was taken from me, and the mode still gives me pain.'"
"'Love, which to no one loving will remit, seized me so strongly with delight in him, that, as thou seest, even now it doth not quit me.'"
"'One day, for our delight, we read of Lancelot, how love constrained him: Alone we were, and without any fear.'"
Other Characters from Dante: His Times and His Work
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