Dante, Matelda, Proserpina

Abstract

The article focuses on the question of the identification of the character of Matelda starting from the XXVI canto of Purgatory, recovering hypotheses debated by scholars but still legitimate, to arrive at a plausible identification through little-investigated sources and above all through the comparison with the myth of Proserpina, in the light of the observations that were made by a great interpreter like Maria Corti.