“ Cause and effect, my love.
”― Persephone[src]
Persephone is the wife of The Merovingian and also the one who betrayed him to aid the Resistance.
Biography
History
Persephone and her husband came from an older version of the Matrix and remained in it avoiding deletion and thus becoming exiles. Persephone had been the neglected wife of the Merovingian, who sought temporal company from beautiful patrons of Le Vrai restaurant.
Betrayal for The Merovingian
The Merovingian and Persephone meeting with Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus.
When Neo, Morpheus and Trinity came to the restaurant for the Keymaker and were ousted by the Merovingian; Persephone, angry with her husband, offered them her help, in exchange of a passionate kiss from Neo as she has not received one from her husband in a very long time. Trinity draws her weapon and orders Persephone to change her mind, but relenting at a warning from Morpheus. Neo then reluctantly kisses Persephone.
Neo offering Persephone her desired kiss.
She declines her offer to help them due to Neo's unrealistic kiss until Neo offered one more with more will and feeling. After this, Persephone tells Neo and Trinity of the time that she and her husband arrived in the Matrix, commenting that the Merovingian was much like Neo at one time and she misses that part of him.
Persephone kills Abel.
She led the trio to the chateau where they met Cain and Abel. Persephone shot and killed Abel with her weapon and threatened Cain to go and summon the Merovingian.
Persephone then led Neo to the Keymaker offering help. While trying to leave the chateau, the Merovingian discovered that the trio came to take away the Keymaker and discovered that Persephone betrayed him. After talking about the Merovingian's "meeting" with the woman in the restroom, Persephone left the scene only to leave the Merovingian to handle Neo and the others.
Encounter at Club Hel
Persephone in Club Hel.
Though the Merovingian was furious when he discovered her betrayal, it did not appear to have any effect at all on their marriage, as they are still seen together in Club Hel during the visit by Trinity, Morpheus, and Seraph looking for the Merovingian for information on Neo's whereabouts. After the Merovingian was threatened by Trinity to help them find Neo, Persephone persuaded the Merovingian to help them as she knows Trinity is in love with Neo and she would kill for him.
After telling them where Neo can be found, Trinity and the others leave the Merovingian and Persephone. Soon after, Niobe met her in the TV room, who was looking for Morpheus. Given Smith's statement that Sati is "the last exile" when meeting her, he may have also absorbed Persephone during Revolutions.
Enter the Matrix
Interestingly, in Enter the Matrix, Persephone is also willing to kiss Niobe in the same way she kissed Neo. This illustrates her desperation to have the passion in her marriage back, since she is willing to share a kiss with anyone.
This could possibly be regarded as a form of "password access" or "test" built into her programming; much like Seraph's philosophy, "You do not truly know someone until you fight them", Persephone will only help someone if they meet her "criteria".
In the theatrical releases she is portrayed by actress Monica Bellucci.
The Matrix Online
In the Online game, she gives the Zion operatives the location of the Assassin's hideout during the critical mission, Death of a Destroyer. Beirn, one of Anome's lieutenants in Unlimit willingly betrayed his own leader and willingly helped the Merovingian because Beirn fancied her.
Her passion for poetry is also revealed in the final cinematic for Chapter 8, in which the Merovingian finds her reading Swinburne's Dolores and accuses her saying "more of your obsession?" causing her to walk out.
Symbolism
The name Persephone is a reference to Greek mythology, in which Hades, the god of the underworld, kidnapped and married a young maiden named Persephone, who always remained resentful of him and unhappy with her marriage. Similarly, The Matrix's Persephone is constantly working against her husband and trying to undermine his endeavors, even though there is never a mention of the possibility of their separation. However, that is only one version of Greek mythology of Hades and Persephone.