The poet meets Francesca in canto 5 of Dante's Inferno by Dante Alighieri. Virgil has just led him into the second circle of hell, where he encounters the great beast Minos. The spirits in this circle have been overcome by carnal lust. They whirl around in violent winds that represent the passions that overcame them in life.

Dante notices two sinners flying together and wants to speak with them. Virgil says they will come if he calls them in the name of their love. The lovers that answer Dante's summons are based on the historical characters of Paulo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini. Francesca was married to Paolo's brother Gianciotto, but she and Paolo were having an affair; Gianciotto found out about it and murdered them both

Francesca speaks to Dante, while Paolo cannot speak, being overcome by weeping. She explains that she and Paolo were reading a book about the knight Lancelot, who was one of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In the legend, Lancelot falls in love with Queen Guinevere, bringing on a civil war and the downfall of Arthur's kingdom. Francesca says that as she and Paulo read the book together they became emotional, and as they read about a kiss in the book, Paulo kissed her.

For this reason, Francesca blames the author of the book, whom she identifies as Galeotto (depending upon the translation of the Inferno), for her adultery. Galeotto, whose name is also spelled Galehaut or Gallahad, is another knight in the Arthurian legends.