# Clelia Conti — The Charterhouse of Parma character guide > Clelia Conti in The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal. **Role:** major **Also known as:** little Clelia, Clelia, Signorina, young Clelia Conti, Signorina Clelia Conti **First appearance:** 0005-iv ## Snapshot A devout young woman bound by a sacred vow never to see the man she loves, caught between piety and an unbearable desire. ## Who they are Clelia Conti, daughter of the citadel's commander, moves through Parma's rigid society with a modesty that makes her almost invisible, yet her inner life is a battlefield. She has sworn to the Madonna never to look upon Fabrizio again, and the vow costs her years of youth and peace; when she finally breaks it, she does so trembling, convinced she is damning herself. Her struggle between religious duty and love gives the novel its most tender and agonizing thread, and her choices shape Fabrizio's fate as much as any political intrigue. ## Relationships ### [Fabrizio del Dongo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/fabrizio_del_dongo) _romantic_ Deeply in love, their relationship is marked by intense passion, secret meetings, and tragic obstacles. ### [Duchessa Sanseverina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/duchessa_sanseverina) _rivalry_ A tense rivalry born from Clelia's love for Fabrizio and the Duchessa's possessive, manipulative interference. ### [Fabrizio del Dongo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/fabrizio_del_dongo) _romantic_ Deeply in love, their relationship is marked by intense passion, secret meetings, and tragic obstacles. ### [Fabrizio del Dongo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/fabrizio_del_dongo) _romantic_ Deeply in love, their relationship is marked by intense passion, secret meetings, and tragic obstacles. ### [Duchessa Sanseverina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/duchessa_sanseverina) _rivalry_ A tense rivalry born from Clelia's love for Fabrizio and the Duchessa's possessive, manipulative interference. ### [Duchessa Sanseverina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/duchessa_sanseverina) _rivalry_ A tense rivalry born from Clelia's love for Fabrizio and the Duchessa's possessive, manipulative interference. ## In the story ### [The Charterhouse of Parma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/the-charterhouse-of-parma) Vows never to see Fabrizio again after the death of their son Sandrino, leading to Fabrizio's retreat. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xv) Governor's daughter; feels profound guilt for not responding to Fabrizio's greeting and is deeply moved by his plight. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xvi) Mentioned as having spoken with the Duchessa the previous evening; her youth contrasts with the Duchessa's despair. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xviii) Tends to her birds in the aviary, deeply troubled by her pity for the Duchessa and her conflicting feelings for Fabrizio, whom she secretly watches. ### [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xix) Torn by jealousy and fear, she struggles with her love for Fabrizio and her father's pressure to marry the Marchese Crescenzi. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xx) Torn between duty and love, she helps Fabrizio by arranging communication with the Duchessa and struggles with the moral implications of her actions. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxi) Assists the Duchessa by delivering cords and signaling Fabrizio, despite her fear and vow. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxii) Tormented by remorse for betraying her father, she agrees to marry Marchese Crescenzi if ordered, and discovers Fabrizio's love notes in books. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxiii) Mentioned as the object of Fabrizio's love and the Duchessa's jealousy; her marriage to Marchese Crescenzi is being hastened by the Duchessa. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxiv) About to marry Marchese Crescenzi; Fabrizio returns to the citadel to be near her. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxv) Despairing over her vow to the Madonna and her love for Fabrizio; she faints upon seeing him and later flees, reaffirming her vow never to see him again. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxvi) Bound by a vow to the Madonna, she rejects Fabrizio but agrees to listen; later marries the Marchese Crescenzi. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxvii) Now the Marchesa Crescenzi, she is consumed by remorse and avoids Fabrizio, refusing his letters and staying confined to her palazzo. She resists his floral overtures. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/chapters/xxviii) The Marchesa Crescenzi, bound by a vow to only meet Fabrizio in darkness, is torn between her love for him and her religious guilt, and is devastated by the plan to fake Sandrino's illness. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters/clelia_conti - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charterhouse_of_parma_se/characters