Book Section
Grace Delmolino
Dante’s Lucy in the Canon Law of Consent
St. Lucy, a fourth-century martyr, is key to the theological and legal treatment of consent in Christianity. The life of Lucy tells how she resisted gang rape by asserting the holy power of her consent. In the Middle Ages, Gratian and Aquinas use her story to explore violence, compulsion and free will. This essay analyzes Lucia of Dante’s Commedia in the context of canon law, placing Lucia in a genealogy of women — Beatrice, Francesca, Piccarda — whom Dante uses to raise issues of consent and will.
| Title |
Dante’s Lucy in the Canon Law of Consent
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| Author(s) |
Grace Delmolino
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| Identifier | |
| Description |
St. Lucy, a fourth-century martyr, is key to the theological and legal treatment of consent in Christianity. The life of Lucy tells how she resisted gang rape by asserting the holy power of her consent. In the Middle Ages, Gratian and Aquinas use her story to explore violence, compulsion and free will. This essay analyzes Lucia of Dante’s Commedia in the context of canon law, placing Lucia in a genealogy of women — Beatrice, Francesca, Piccarda — whom Dante uses to raise issues of consent and will.
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| Is Part Of | |
| Place |
Berlin
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| Publisher |
ICI Berlin Press
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| Date |
December 2025
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| Subject |
consent
rape
free will
Canon Law
Lucy (Lucia)
Gratian
Aquinas
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| Rights |
© by the author(s)
Except for images or otherwise noted, this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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| Language |
en-GB
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| page start |
183
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| page end |
208
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| Source |
A World of Possibilities: The Legacy of The Undivine Comedy, ed. by Kristina M. Olson, Cultural Inquiry, 37 (Berlin: ICI Berlin Press, 2025), pp. 183–208
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