Matilda has long been considered one the greatest mysteries in Dante’s Comedy. As a result of my full spectrum Dante Alighieri studies; only Matilda’s historical namesake is a mystery to me.
Alas, Matilda is Joan, who is also nicknamed Primavera (name means “Spring”), from La Vita Nuova XXIV.
Matilda directly preceded Beatrice’s arrival atop Mount Purgatorio in The Comedy. Flowers, like the flowers of spring are strewn about the verses regarding Matilda. Let’s also not ignore the fact that Matilda baptizes Dante in preparation for his reunion with Beatrice. So she plays the role of a John the Bapist-like figure in Purgatorio.
In Dante’s real life, Joan AKA Primavera preceded her friend Beatrice as the two walked down the street one day. Of course Dante likened the scene to John the Baptist preceding the True Light. Also he noted the fact that the name Joan is a derivative of the name John. Dante was ridiculous during his obsession with Beatrice, but an enjoyable kind of ridiculous.
THE EXILE OBSERVER 