Dante encounters Francesca in the second circle of hell, where the lustful are punished. Francesca had an affair with her husband's brother, Paolo Malatesta. The two of them were innocently reading romantic stories and became swept up with romantic passion. As a result, the two are punished together in hell.
Francesca da Rimini Quotes in Inferno
The Inferno quotes below are all either spoken by Francesca da Rimini or refer to Francesca da Rimini. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Canto 5
Quotes
Love, that so soon takes hold in the gentle breast,
Took this lad with the lovely body they tore
From me; the way of it leaves me still distrest.
Love, that to no loved heart remits love's score,
Took me with such great joy of him, that see!
It holds me yet and never shall leave me more.
Love to a single death brought him and me.
Related Characters:
Francesca da Rimini (speaker), Paolo Malatesta
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Inferno LitChart as a printable PDF.
Francesca da Rimini Character Timeline in Inferno
The timeline below shows where the character Francesca da Rimini appears in Inferno. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Canto 5
...her and the man she loved; both of them were murdered. Dante recognizes her as Francesca da Rimini, who fell in love with her husband's younger brother, Paolo (the other soul...
(full context)
Francesca and Paolo passed the time innocently reading stories about Lancelot and his love for Queen...
(full context)
