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Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis is the wife of fictional mafia boss Tony Soprano on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos, played by Edie Falco.

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Carmela tries to maintain the Soprano household while Tony is out working. At times, she seems to be the stereotypical wife of the mob boss: supportive and friendly, even strong at times, never asking about the details of her husband's work. Tony has trusted his wife enough to confide in her (to a degree) with some of his Mafia dealings, notably regarding the failed attempt on his life and the death of Richie Aprile. However, the years of having a husband missing at all hours, coupled with his constant infidelity have put a serious strain on their relationship. Carmela is also an observant Roman Catholic and has difficulty rationalizing both her husband's profession and her subsequent separation.

Carmela's resentment of her husband's infidelity had often driven her to the brink of breaking her half of the marriage vows during some sexually charged moments with her priest, Father Phil Intintola, and painter-decorator Vic Musto, only to become disillusioned with each. During the fourth season, Carmela had a mutual romantic infatuation with Furio Giunta, one of Tony's men. Carmela had reached a low point with Tony's constant string of affairs and the two had a romantically-tense but "arms-length" relationship. The two both confided to separate friends that they were falling for each other but Furio, fearing for his life for loving the boss' wife, sold his house and moved back to Italy.

By the end of the fourth season, Tony and Carmela separated after she learned of his latest indiscretion, although Tony was continuing to provide for her and the kids. Carmela even began dating AJ's guidance counselor, Robert Wegler, and pursuing divorce with Tony, but was drawn back to her husband by financial concerns and difficulties in rearing AJ, as well as a difficult breakup with Wegler, who accused Carmela of manipulating him into giving special treatment for her son. At the end of the fifth season, Carmela agrees to reunite with Tony after he agrees to purchase a $600,000 investment property in Montville, under Carmela's name, on which Carmela plans to build a spec house. Despite some initial awkwardness, the two seem to be firmly reunited.

Carmela's willingness to look the other way on Tony's numerous infidelities over the years and her acceptance of the fruits of Tony's labor without regard to how they were earned, combined with her decision to get back together with Tony in exchange for his purchasing the investment property, have fed the perception that Carmela is primarily motivated by greed.

She has admitted that she is not sure whether she loved him in spite of his criminal lifestyle, or because of it, but she rationalizes it by saying that "there are far bigger crooks than my husband."

Carmela's character is also called into question in the fifth season. Mr. Wegler, a brief romantic fling and AJ's guidance counselor, accuses Carmela of being sexually manipulative. Wegler asserted that Carmela was using sex to help AJ get into a good college.

As of Season Six, Carmela appears to be happy in her relationship with Tony, and the two frequently indulge in expensive dinners at their favorite sushi restaurant. Carmela cared for Tony after he was shot by Uncle Junior, both during his coma and after his hospital release. The crisis seems to have strengthened their bond.

Carmela's materialistic nature, however, is still on display. After Tony surprised his delighted wife with a Porsche Cayenne, Carmela proceeded to flaunt her new car in front of Ginny Sacrimoni and Angie Bonpensiero. Carmela was somewhat embarrassed when Angie informed Carmela that she recently purchased a Corvette, which she paid for herself.

Carmela's own efforts to become financially independent have been less successful, as Tony neglected to intervene when an inspector determined that the materials used on her spec house were not up to code, halting construction. Tony later recanted however, and ordered Silvio to lean on the inspector in order to change his mind. Around this time, Carmela was concerned for the whereabouts of Adriana La Cerva, who had disappeared. Her concern intensified when Adriana's mother, Liz La Cerva, attempted suicide. The story at the time was that Adriana had broken up with Christopher and ran off with another man. What she didn't know was that Adriana was a low-level informant for the FBI, and Christopher, who had learned the truth from Adriana, informed Tony, who in turn had her executed at the hands of Silvio. Tony's intervention was an effort to distract Carmela from the "disappearance" of Adriana.

Trivia

• Carmela is often seen reading Memoirs of a Geisha.

External link

• HBO Character Profile: Carmela Soprano

• The Sopranos characters
• Fictional Italian-Americans
• Fictional adulterers