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"La Morte Amoureuse" (in "The Dead in Love") is a short story written by Théophile Gautier and published in La Chronique de Paris in 1836. It tells the story of a priest named Romuald who falls in love with Clarimonde, a beautiful woman who turns out to be a vampire.

Femmes Fatales
La Morte Amoureuse follows the trope of femmes fatales, the fatality to the male victim from female seduction. Femme fatales are often depicted in medieval literature as “an alluring woman who leads men into dangerous situations”. The story begins with an elderly Romuald answering the question if he has ever loved. He answers that he has but describes this occurrence as a "bewitchment to which [he] fell victim". Clarimonde shows up in Romuald's life during the day of his Ordination and is described by Romuald as "a young woman of rare beauty". From this moment onward, Romuald is encaptured by Clarimonde's beauty and is taken away from his life as a priest to live in Venice with Clarimonde, who is later revealed to be a vampire who survives by drinking his blood as he sleeps.

Analysis
Both characters fall in love despite the oppositions of both of their worlds; for Romuald, that of God and the church, and for Clarimonde, that of Satan (woman and pleasure). These two traditionally opposed realms of existence create a divide in what is considered the physical and metaphysical.

Characters

 * Romuald, a young priest who falls in love with Clarimonde. Throughout the short story, Romuald struggles to reconcile two distinct parts of himself-- one that wishes to be a celibate priest and one that wishes to be Clarimonde's lover.


 * Clarimonde, a courtesan who is revealed to be a vampire. Her name suggests the embodiment of both good and evil. She survives by drinking Romuald's blood, but only taking what is needed (a few drops) for her vitality.


 * Sérapion, a priest who discourages Romuald's relationship. He is solely linked to the Church and his intervention provides appropriate moral imperatives that Romuald is to follow as a priest.