Beatrice Portinari (The Divine Comedy)

In the Inferno, Beatrice is the object of Dante’s love and the one who, from heaven, graciously arranges for Virgil to escort Dante through Hell. Long before Dante writes the Inferno, he sees Beatrice from afar and, awed by her beauty and virtue, describes the sight of her as a spark of “new life,” a renewal of his Christian faith. Yet Beatrice dies young, and Dante wanders away from his religious commitments into the “dark wilderness” that symbolizes his waning faith. From heaven, Beatrice sees that Dante is lost and sends Virgil to “set him free” by means of the trip through Hell.