Teiko Kamiya
Member
When people ask me what name I give to the Lady in Red (that mysterious woman who turns around to look at Vergil in his opening cutscene in Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition), I answer: Ploutia Heria (or Plotia Hieria, depending on the spelling).
The reason is a beautiful and quite deep reference. The name Vergil of the character was clearly inspired by Publius Vergilius Maro, the great Roman poet Virgil (author of the Aeneid, who was portrayed as Dante’s guide through Hell and Purgatory in The Divine Comedy). In real life — or rather, in ancient biographical tradition — the only woman romantically linked to Virgil is Plotia Hieria, a figure surrounded by rumor and renunciation. Ancient biographies tell us that Virgil supposedly refused or left behind any involvement with her, reinforcing his image as a chaste man entirely devoted to poetry.
The Lady in Red works as a perfect echo of that: it’s the only moment when Vergil (the son of Sparda) shows a glimpse of humanity — a look that suggests a brief romantic past, which resulted in the birth of Nero. After that, he moves on, cold and obsessed with power — exactly like the poet Virgil “renounced” love.
And there’s more: Ploutia Heria appears in a symbolic and powerful way in the novel The Death of Virgil (Der Tod des Vergil, 1945) by Hermann Broch. In the book, she emerges in the dying poet’s visions and deliriums as the love he abandoned in the name of art, calling on him to burn the Aeneid and choose real life instead. It’s one of the most philosophical and poetic works about Virgil, and her presence there makes the connection even richer.
That’s why, in my headcanon, Nero’s mother is named Ploutia Heria — the woman in red whom Vergil met, loved for an instant, and then left behind, unknowingly repeating the same pattern as the poet from whom he borrowed his name.
It’s just my personal fan theory. I haven’t seen anyone else connect her to Plotia Hieria, but it blends the classical world with the Devil May Cry universe perfectly. What do you guys think?
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The reason is a beautiful and quite deep reference. The name Vergil of the character was clearly inspired by Publius Vergilius Maro, the great Roman poet Virgil (author of the Aeneid, who was portrayed as Dante’s guide through Hell and Purgatory in The Divine Comedy). In real life — or rather, in ancient biographical tradition — the only woman romantically linked to Virgil is Plotia Hieria, a figure surrounded by rumor and renunciation. Ancient biographies tell us that Virgil supposedly refused or left behind any involvement with her, reinforcing his image as a chaste man entirely devoted to poetry.
The Lady in Red works as a perfect echo of that: it’s the only moment when Vergil (the son of Sparda) shows a glimpse of humanity — a look that suggests a brief romantic past, which resulted in the birth of Nero. After that, he moves on, cold and obsessed with power — exactly like the poet Virgil “renounced” love.
And there’s more: Ploutia Heria appears in a symbolic and powerful way in the novel The Death of Virgil (Der Tod des Vergil, 1945) by Hermann Broch. In the book, she emerges in the dying poet’s visions and deliriums as the love he abandoned in the name of art, calling on him to burn the Aeneid and choose real life instead. It’s one of the most philosophical and poetic works about Virgil, and her presence there makes the connection even richer.
That’s why, in my headcanon, Nero’s mother is named Ploutia Heria — the woman in red whom Vergil met, loved for an instant, and then left behind, unknowingly repeating the same pattern as the poet from whom he borrowed his name.
It’s just my personal fan theory. I haven’t seen anyone else connect her to Plotia Hieria, but it blends the classical world with the Devil May Cry universe perfectly. What do you guys think?
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