Beatrice
Beatrice is the central figure of the work, the one who inspires the Poet in his visions of Love. The woman, who really existed, was an illustrious figure in 13th century Florence. Little is known of Beatrice Portinari's biography, but it is certain that she died young in 1290. The meeting between her and Dante took place when they were both 9-years-old, and this number is not accidental: in the Vita Nuova (and in the Commedia) the link between 9 (3x3 and a sacred number) and Beatrice immediately suggests how the woman is a divine creature, capable of performing God's miracles on earth. The miracle Beatrice performs in the Vita Nuova, still living, is that of beatifying people with her greeting. Love for Beatrice is not purely passion; Dante, at the end of the Vita Nuova, comes to the realization that woman is the conduit to God, thus it is a love that unites transcendence, human love, and divine Caritas. Beatrice, even (and especially) after her death, inspires the Poet to write and, as a result, poetry inspires even the citizens of Florence and pilgrims on their way to Rome, testifying to the woman's extraordinary influence. Dante's purpose, in the Vita Nuova, is to celebrate Beatrice and to say of her what had never previously been said of other women.
The Poet (Dante)
Dante is the other protagonist of the Vita Nuova. Its historicity is confirmed by the prose sections of the work itself, in which the Poet speaks of himself, of his love for Beatrice, and of certain events that actually occurred in the city of Florence (including the death of the gentle Beatrice herself). Dante explains the nature of his feeling for Beatrice, the nature of which changes in the course of the work, eventually becoming a love that unites the human and the sacred. Dante appears vulnerable to the (personified) Love that appears to him in dreams and visions throughout the work and is susceptible to Beatrice's very presence (so much so that, in one episode, that of the "gabbo," he faints). Unlike Beatrice, Dante never names himself by his first name, although his identity is easily identifiable from certain clues concerning his activity as a poet. Dante implicitly announces, in the finale of the Vita Nuova, his intention to celebrate Beatrice more worthily, in a larger work in which he will be able to say of her what has never been said of any other woman.
Guido Cavalcanti
Named as "Dante's friend," he is the dedicatee of the work. With Dante, Guido is one of the exponents of the current known as the Dolce Stil Novo (Dante's definition). Guido Cavalcanti's role in Dante's early work is fundamental; from him, in fact, the Poet takes up themes, stylistic features, and definitions. Also present in the Vita Nova is Guido's woman, Giovanna, referred to by the senhal Primavera, whose role is to accompany Beatrice.
Screen Women
These are two women whose function is to conceal the Poet's true love interest in Beatrice. Dante employs the courtly procedure of the senhal (a nickname is given to conceal the identity of the woman who is the object of his amorous attentions) for these two figures, whose historical identity is impossible to define.
Compassionate Woman
She comforts Dante after the death of the kindly Beatrice. The Poet pours out his sorrow in the affection of this woman, but then realizes that it was merely a distraction.
Manetto Portinari
Manetto is Beatrice's brother, whose identity can be reconstructed through biographical notions about the woman. Possibly a friend of Dante's, he knew the poet's feelings for his sister and commissioned him to write a piece to celebrate her.
Folco Portinari
Folco is Beatrice's father, who died shortly before his daughter. Dante writes a poem about his death. This, and the death of Beatrice's friend, along with Dante's troubled visions, foreshadow the death of the woman herself in 1290.
