From Singleton's Commentary to the Inferno: 97. la terra: Ravenna, a city on the Adriatic coast of Emilia between the Po and the Rubicon. Although originally it was only about a mile from the coast, the city now is about five miles inland, owing to the retreat of the sea. dove nata fui: The soul that speaks is not named until vs. 116, where she is addressed simply as Francesca. Francesca da Rimini, as she is known, was the daughter of Guido da Polenta the elder, lord of Ravenna (d. 1310), and the aunt of Guido Novello, Dante's host at Ravenna; Francesca married --possibly ca. 1275-- Gianciotto (see n. to vs. 107). No contemporary chronicle or document mentions the love between Francesca and Paolo (see n. to vs. 101) or their death, as Dante has Francesca relate it. The earlier commentators merely give the names of the three. For Boccaccio's account of the story, see below. E. G. Parodi (1920, p.63) notes that even the date of the tragic event is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 1283 to 1286.

According to the accepted story, Francesca, betrothed to Gianciotto for political reasons, fell in love with his younger brother Paolo, who had acted as his proxy at the betrothal, and shortly after the marriage was surprised with him by Gianciotto, who immediately killed them both. In reality, however, at the time of their tragic death--if it took place Ca. 1285--Francesca had a nine-year-old daughter by Gianciotto, and Paolo, who was about forty and had been married some sixteen years, was the father of two sons.

The story of the two lovers as told by Boccaccio, in his Comento, is greatly expanded and embroidered nicely to exculpate Francesca as much as possible:

È adunque da sapere che costei fu figliuola di messer Guido Vecchio da Polenta, signor di Ravenna e di Cervia; ed essendo stata lunga guerra e dannosa tra lui e i signori Malatesti da Rimino, addivenne che per certi mezzani fu trattata e composta la pace tra loro. La quale accioche' piu' fermezza avesse, piacque a ciascuna delle parti di 'volerla fortificare per parentado; e 'l parentado trattato fu che il detto messer Guido dovesse dare per moglie una sua giovane e bella figliuola, chiamata madonna Francesca, a Gianciotto, figliuolo di messer Malatesta. Ed essendo questo ad alcuno degli amici di messer Guido già manifesto, disse un di loro a messer Guido:-- Guardate come voi fate, perciochè, se voi non prendete modo ad alcuna parte, che in questo parentado egli ve ne potrà seguire scandolo. Voi dovete sapere chi è vostra figliuola, e quanto ell'è d'altiero animo: ed se ella vede Gianciotto, avanti che il matrimonio sia perfetto, nè voi nè altri potrà mai fare che ella il voglia per marito. E perciò, quando vi paia, a me parrebbe di doverne tener questo modo: che qui non venisse Gianciotto ad isposarla, ma venisseci un de' frategli, il quale come suo procuratore la sposasse in nome di Gianciotto.-- Era Gianciotto uomo di gran sentimento, e speravasi dover lui dopo la morte del padre rimanere Signore; per la qual cosa, quantunque sozzo della persona e sciancato fosse, il disiderava messer Guido per genero più tosto che alcuno de' suoi frategli. E, conoscendo quello, che il suo amico gli ragionava, dover poter avvenire, ordinò segretamente che così si facesse, come l'amico suo l'avea consigliato. Per che, al tempo dato, venne in Ravenna Polo, fratello di Gianciotto, con pieno mandato ad isposare madonna Francesca. Era Polo bello e piacevole uomo e costumato molto; e, andando con altri gentiluomini per la corte dell'abitazione di messer Guido, fu da una damigella di là entro, che il conoscea, dimostrato da un pertugio d'una finestra a madonna Francesca, dicendole:--Madonna, quegli è colui che dee esser vostro marito;--e così si credea la buona femmina; di che madonna Francesca incontanente in lui pose l'animo e l'amor suo. E fatto poi artificiosamente il contratto delle sponsalizie, e andatane la donna a Rimino, non s'avvide prima dell'inganno, che essa vide la mattina seguente al dì delle nozze levare da lato a sè Gianciotto: di che si dee credere che ella, vedendosi ingannata, sdegnasse, nè perciò rimovesse dell'animo suo l'amore già postovi verso Polo. Col quale come ella poi si giugnesse, mai non udii dire, se non quello che l'autore ne scrive; ii che è che così fosse. Ma io credo quello essere più tosto fizione formata sopra quello che era possibile ad essere avvenuto, chè io non credo che l'autore sapesse che così fosse. E perseverando Polo e madonna Francesca in questa dimestichezza, ed essendo Gianciotto andato in alcuna terra vicina per podestà, quasi senza alcun sospetto insieme cominciarono ad usare. Della qual cosa avvedutosi un singulare servidore di Gianciotto, andò a lui, e raccontògli ciò che della bisogna sapea, promettendogli, quando volesse, di fargliele toccare e vedere. Di che Gianciotto fieramente turbato, occultamente tornò a Rimino, e da questo cotale, avendo veduto Polo entrare nella camera da madonna Francesca, fu in quel punto menato all'uscio della camera, nella quale non potendo entrare, chè serrata era dentro, chiamò di fuora la donna, e die' di petto nell'uscio. Per che da madonna Francesca e da Polo conosciuto, crcdendo Polo, per fuggire subitamente per una cateratta, per la quale di quella camera Si scendea in un'altra, o in tutto o in parte potere ricoprire il fallo suo si gittò per quella cateratta, dicendo alla donna che gli andasse ad aprire. Ma non avvenne come avvisato avea, perciochè, gittandosi giù, s'appiccò una falda d'un carretto, il quale egli avea indosso, ad un ferro, il quale ad un legno di quella cateratta era; per che, avendo già la donna aperto a Gianciotto, credendosi ella, per lo non esservi trovato Polo, scusare, ed entrato Gianciotto dentro, incontanente s'accorse Polo esser ritenuto per la falda del coretto, e con uno stocco in mano correndo là per ucciderlo, e la donna accorgendosene, acciochè quello non avvenisse, corse oltre presta, e misesi in mezzo tra Polo e Gianciotto, il quale avea già alzato il braccio con lo stucco in mano, e tutto si gravava sopra il colpo: avvenne quello che egli non avrebbe voluto, cioè che prima passò lo stocco il petto della donna, che egli aggiugnesse a Polo. Per lo quale accidente turbato Gianciotto, si come colui che più che se medesimo amava la donna, ritirato lo stocco da cape, ferì Polo e ucciselo: e così amenduni lasciatigli morti, subitamente si partì e tornossi all'uficio suo. Furono poi li due amanti con molte lacrime, la mattina seguente, seppelliti e in una medesima sepoltura.

You must know that she was the daughter of Guido da Polenta the elder, lord of Ravenna and Cervia. A long, harsh war had raged between him and the Malatesta, lords of Rimini, when through certain intermediaries, peace was treated and concluded. To make it all the more firm, both sides were pleased to cement it with a marriage. Whereupon it was arranged that Messer Guido was to give his beautiful young daughter, called Madonna Francesca, in marriage to Gianciotto, son of Messer Malatesta. When this became known to some friends of Messer Guido, one of them said to him:

"Be careful how you proceed, for if you do not take precautions, this wedding may bring scandal. You know your daughter, and how high-spirited she can be. If she sees Gianciotto before the marriage is concluded, neither you nor anyone else can make her go through with it. And so, by your leave, it seems to me that you ought to go about it in this way. Do not let Gianciotto come here to marry her, but rather one of his brothers who, as his representative, will marry her in Gianciotto's name.

Gianciotto was a very capable man, and everyone expected that he would become ruler when his father died. For this reason, though he was ugly and deformed, Messer Guido wanted him rather than one of his brothers as a son-in-law. Recognizing that what his friend had told him was true, he secretly ordered that his advice be carried out. So that, at the agreed-upon time, Paolo, Gianciotto's brother, came to Ravenna with mandate to marry Francesca in Gianciotto's name.

Paolo was a handsome, pleasing, very courteous man. he was walking together with some other gentlemen about the courtyard of Messer Guido's home, he was pointed out through a window to Madonna Francesca a young handmaiden inside, who recognized him and said to her: "Madonna, that is the man who is to be your husband." The good woman said it in good faith. Whereupon Madonna Francesca immediately fell completely in love with him.

The deceptive marriage contract was made, and the lady went to Rimini. Nor did she become aware of the deception until the morning after the wedding day, when she saw Gianciotto getting up from beside her. Whereupon she realized she had been fooled, and, as can well be believed, she became furious. Nor did the love she had conceived for Paolo disappear. I have never heard tell how they then got together, other than what [Dante] writes; and it is possible that it did happen that way. But I believe that that is probably a fiction constructed upon what might possibly have happened; and that the author did not know what really took place.

In any case, the feelings of Paolo and Francesca for each other were still very much alive when Gianciotto went off to some nearby town as podestà. With almost no fear of suspicion, they became intimate. But a certain servant of Gianciotto found them out, went to Gianciotto, and told him all he knew, promising to give him palpable proof should he want it. Gianciotto, completely enraged, returned secretly to Rimini. When the servant saw Paolo entering Francesca's room, he immediately went to get Gianciotto and brought him to the door of the room. Since it was bolted from within and he could not enter, he shouted to her and hegan to push against the door.

Paolo and Francesca recognized him immediately. Paolo thought that if he fled quickly through a trapdoor that led to a room below, he might conceal his misdeed, in whole or in part. He threw himself at it, telling the woman to go open the door. But it did not happen as he had planned. As he jumped through, a fold of the jacket he was wearing got caught on a piece of iron attached to the wood. Francesca had already opened the door for Gianciotto, thinking she would he able to make excuses, now that Paolo was gone. Whereupon Gianciotto entered and immediately noticed Paolo caught by the fold of his jacket. He ran, rapier in hand, to kill him. Seeing this, Francesca quickly ran between them, to try to prevent it; but Gianciotto had already raised his rapier, which he now brought down with all his weight behind it.

And thus happened what he would not have wanted: before reaching Paolo, the blade passed through Francesca's bosom. Gianciotto, completely beside himself because of this accident--for he loved the woman more than himself--withdrew the blade, struck Paolo again, and killed him. Leaving them both dead, he left, and returned to his duties. The next morning, amidst much weeping, the two lovers were buried in the same tomb. Singleton, Charles. Inferno 2: Commentary.Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, Bollingen Series LXXX., 1970.