There are numerous pieces of literature that tell the story of one's journey in the afterlife. For many, Dante's Inferno may be the first of these classical pieces that comes to mind, even if it's not something you've read, the name may still be familiar. But this is just one piece of a three-part work written by Dante Alighieri known as Divinia Comedia, the Divine Comedy, a narrative poem that follows the journey one must take after death as thought of by many during the middle ages.
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That's 20% off, free international shipping. and two free gifts by simply using the code MFE at checkout. The story is set in the year 1300, Dante wakes up on the evening of Good Friday in a dark wood, with no recollection of how he got there.
In the distance he can see a foothill, a mountain where the sun shines bright. He decides it must be safer than the wood and so he starts his ascent. But as he climbs he encounters a leopard, and then a lion, and then a she-wolf. Overwhelmed by these animals he has no choice but to turn back to the forest.
Here he comes across a spirit known as Vergil, a once famous poet or bard. He tells Dante that he can guide him to paradise, but first they must journey through hell. Dante himself, also a storyteller, immediately feels this connection to Vergil and so he trusts him as a guide. Together they pass through the gates of hell and begin their journey.
As one would imagine, this is not a pleasant place. A place where all hope is abandoned, a city of eternal woe and pain. The sky was pitch black but not a single star could be seen. The air was thick with the moans of grief and sorrow.
Dante recounts seeing a flag whirling through the air being followed by a train of naked spirits. These unfortunate souls were cursed to chase this unattainable flag while being stung by wasps and hornets. The tears they wept and the blood from their wounds dripped onto their feet and the ground was covered in maggots and worms. The only way to escape this torment is to journey deeper into hell, and the only way to do that is to cross the river Acheron. When they reach the riverbank, there are countless souls waiting for Charon, the ferryman of the dead.
We can immediately see the influence of Greek mythology on Dante here. The river Acheron running through the underworld, and Charon being the ferryman of the dead, are taken straight out of Greek myth. Charon eventually agrees to take them across the river in his boat.
When they arrive on the other side, Vergil explains It is said that this is the first circle of hell known as Limbo. The souls who reside here were not necessarily bad people in terms of sins committed but they did not possess the necessary faith. Many of them rejected Christianity, the unbaptised and virtuous pagans is how they are described.
They may not have been sinful but they were still sentenced to an eternity of damnation and denied entry into paradise. In the distance there is a large citadel which houses many of the great philosophers, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and many more. Before becoming Dante's guide this was also the home of Virgil and Dante does also come across other great poets such as Homer, Ovid and Horace.
There are also many great Greek and Roman musicians, statesmen, generals and physicians. Eventually, they depart and make their way onwards to the second circle of hell, Lust. The first circle was undoubtedly a punishment, but those who resided there still had some freedom.
The second circle onwards is where the real punishment began. There to greet souls as they entered the second circle was Minos, a giant serpentine figure. In Greek myth, Minos was the son of Zeus and the first king of Crete.
After his death, he would become one of the three judges of Hades. In Dante's interpretation, he certainly has a much more monstrous form. Minos would examine the crimes of those born before him and give them a sentence that he felt was fitting. He would wrap his tail around himself a certain amount of times.
and that number would determine which circle they were sentenced to. The second circle of hell was intended for those who had succumbed to lust, and many of these were kings, queens and rulers such as Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Paris and Achilles. Dante views lust as a mutual indulgence, and therefore sees it as the least heinous of sins. The punishment is also the most lenient inside of Hell itself. With help from Vergil, Dante is allowed past Minos and they enter the third circle of Hell, Gluttony.
Here there is an icy rain that never stops. As punishment for their insatiable appetites, the gluttonous are left to wallow and squirm around in the vile and putrid mud like worms. Gelatinous masses unable to stand or even crawl.
Guarding them is the three-headed hound Cerberus, who patrols up and down this filthy mire, flaying and mauling the gluttonous with his claws, tearing their spirits as they helplessly scream. Luckily, Vergil manages to calm Cerberus and they are able to pass safely through. They come across a few spirits who have suffered in this circle for some time. These unfortunate souls no longer have bodies and resemble not much more than foul-smelling liquid.
Dante then meets a spirit that he doesn't recognise called Ciaco. Ciaco however recognises Dante from back home in Florence. He also gives him the first of many political prophecies or predictions. He inquires about the state of civil conflict within Florence. and then tells Dante that the party he aligns with will be expelled with aid from Rome.
In the fourth circle of hell, Dante encounters a figure known as Pluto, a deity of wealth. We soon discover that this is the circle of greed, where those who cared too much for material goods would be punished. They are divided into two separate groups, The first consisted of those who would hoard their possessions and money.
The second consisted of those who spent their money freely, neglected the value of their possessions and squandered everything they had. These two groups were cursed to push enormous weights up a hill, only to meet each other in the middle where they would argue. Why do you hoard?
One group would ask. Why do you waste? The other would respond. When they clashed in the middle they would knock each other and the weights down to the bottom, only to repeat the process again and again. The hoarders and wasters are housed together as a punishment, forever arguing and screaming, never listening or trying to understand the other's perspective.
A pretty accurate description of today's society. As they descend deeper they reach the river Styx and the fifth circle of hell, Wrath. The river is more of a swampy mire where the wrathful fight and battle. The boatman known as Phlylegius arrives and after a short disagreement with Vergil, he agrees to ferry them to the other side.
As they journey across the marsh, a soul jumps up and grabs the boat. Filippo Argenti, a bitter political rival of Dante back in Florence. The two exchange some rather harsh words and Dante wishes for Filippo to suffer more punishment.
Ironically Dante's behaviour here is not too different from the souls that reside in this circle. In the far distance Dante notices fiery towers and burning walls. Virgil explains that they are approaching the city of Dis in the lower portion of hell where the heretics are housed.
When they arrive they are denied entry by the fallen angels who guard the gates. They grant Virgil passage with only one condition, that he may never return to his own circle. It's at this point Dante begins to worry that he may never leave hell himself.
Virgil agrees to enter alone and open the gates from the inside for Dante, but in this task he is unsuccessful. He returns to Dante with the angels slamming the gates shut behind him, but he vows to Dante that he will not abandon him. Despite both poets being terrified, Virgil is adamant that their journey shall continue.
For the first time Dante starts to doubt his guide, having seen Vergil fail. It's also apparent that he has no real plan, and things can only get worse. He asks Vergil if he's ever been this deep into hell before, and Vergil replies that he has ventured this deep into hell once before, when the sorceress Erycto sent him to retrieve a soul for one of her necrotic rituals. All of a sudden out of nowhere appeared the Furies, three female figures stained in blood with serpents entwined around their bodies, Electo, Megara and Tisiphone.
They were far from pleased to see Dante and decided to summon Medusa to turn him into stone. Virgil warns Dante of Medusa's gaze and covers his eyes to ensure he isn't turned into stone and trapped. wrapped in hell forever. From the river Styx emerges a figure that Virgil recognises and he tells Dante to bow and remain quiet. As the angelic figure approaches it becomes clear that it was sent from heaven.
The Furies immediately flee in terror and the angels who denied entry are reprimanded. The angel then does what Virgil could not. and opens the gates allowing the two poets to enter.
The city of Dis, or the city of Dite, contains circles 6 through 9, with circle 6 being located just within its walls and the rest closer to the centre. In the circle of heresy Dante and Virgil come across a group of heretics who have been locked inside burning tombs as punishment. These were known as the Epicureans, a sect of people who believed when the body died, so did the soul. And so they valued pleasure above all else, as it allowed them to enter a state of tranquility. So they lived their lives believing pleasure allowed them to escape all sorts of pain and discomfort, which makes their punishment in hell all the more ironic.
Dante comes across two of the tortured souls. one of which is from Florence, but once again is on the opposite side of Dante politically. Before leaving this region the poets experience the most vile smell imaginable permeating from the lower regions, a smell so bad they had to stop and rest.
Virgil takes this time to explain what they will encounter next. The next three circles contain smaller circles inside themselves. The circle of violence for example is divided into three sections.
In the first you have those who committed acts of violence against others and their property. In the second you have those who committed acts of violence against others and their property. violence against themselves, such as suicide. And lastly you have those who committed acts of violence against God or nature. As their time shortens they must descend into circle 7, the circle of violence.
Before entering the circle they must pass a narrow passage of broken rocks. Here they encounter the Minotaur who blocks their path. Virgil begins to mock the creature.
asking if its murderer can also be found in the circle of violence, sending it into a blind rage. The Minotaur charges and ends up severely wounded, rendering itself unable to continue giving chase to the poets. The first section of Circle 7 is reserved for those who committed acts of violence against their fellow man.
There is a river of boiling blood that these souls must wade through every day. The level of blood one is submerged in is dependent on the severity of the crime. Those who committed murder would be fully submerged, whereas someone who committed assault may only be submerged partially. As they approach the river they see it's guarded by a group of centaurs who immediately point their bows at Dante and Virgil demanding to know what business they have here.
Virgil then tells them he will only speak to their leader. These centaurs guard the river not to stop individuals like Dante and Virgil from entering, but to stop the souls of this circle from escaping the river itself. When Chiron notices that Dante is not actually dead, he draws his bow and demands Virgil explains their story.
He agrees for the centaurs to take the poets to a shallow point in the river, and allow them to cross on one of these centaurs'backs. The centaur chosen for this task is Nessus, which is very ironic in itself, because in Greek myth, Nessus was a centaur who agreed to take Heracles and his wife across a river. When he crossed the river with Heracles'wife, he then forced himself upon her, and left Heracles no choice but to kill him.
In Dante's story, there is no betrayal from Nessus. He does as he was instructed, and ferries the two poets across the river. After crossing the river of blood they walk through a wood. The trees in this wood are gnarled and twisted with no leaf in sight.
All around him Dante hears moans and shrieks, but other than the two poets there is no one else in this wood. Weary that there may be terrors hiding Dante urges Virgil to tread quietly, but Virgil knows where these noises are coming from. Virgil breaks a branch off the tree, And to Dante's surprise blood pours from the branch and the tree cries out in pain, Oh why have you come to cause me pain, I was once a man just like you.
The second part of this circle is reserved for those who committed suicide, as they did not value their bodies in life, that in hell those bodies would be taken away. Everyday harpies would swoop down to claw and feed off the trees. Only when they were broken and bleeding were they permitted to speak. Virgil explains that he meant the tree no harm, but witnessing it first hand was the only way Dante would believe him.
He asked the tree to tell Dante his story. He was once a man named Pietro della Vigna, a diplomat under the service of Frederick II King of Sicily. He was a reputable man with status until he was accused of treason and locked away.
Watching as his good fortune turned to grief was too much for Pietro and so he took his own life. Dante determines that this man must have been wrongfully accused and convicted, otherwise he would have been in the circle for traitors. But the fact that he is here with others who committed suicide means he must have been an honest man led down a dark path by others.
And so he returns the twigs and branches broken by Vergil and they move on. The third part of this circle is a desolate, barren plain where flakes of fire fell from the sky. It housed those who committed violence against art, nature and God.
The souls found here were subjected to a burning heat. The blasphemers who committed crimes against God were laid out onto the burning sand while fire rained down on them, unable to move. The sodomites who harmed nature were left to run around the desert through the lava like sand.
Those who committed crimes against art were left huddled together. All three of these groups were perpetually screaming out in pain as the ashy flakes fell to the ground and caught fire, leaving these sinners to experience an eternal burning. The two poets travelled through the desert waving away flakes of fire whenever they fell near them, trying their best not to catch fire.
Dante stops when he sees a man who isn't crying out in pain. The fire doesn't seem to bother him at all as he lays in the sand. This man is Capernaus. During the siege of Thebes he stood on a ladder over the walls and screamed, that not even Zeus himself could stop him entering and laying waste to the city.
Of course arrogance and hubris of this kind would not be tolerated by Zeus. who then killed Cappaneus with a thunderbolt, proving that he could indeed stop him from entering the city. In Dante's story, Cappaneus is in this circle of hell for blasphemy against Jupiter or Jove, the equivalent to Zeus, who also struck him down with a bolt of thunder.
He shows no remorse for his sin, as he lay there in the burning sand cursing the name of the god who struck him down. As they continue on they come across a stream covered in a thick mist which offers them protection from the fire above. Along this stream Dante is recognised by a man who is completely covered in burns.
This man is Brunetto Latini, Dante's mentor and guardian when his father passed away. He asks Dante if he may walk with him and Dante eagerly accepts, suggesting that maybe they should sit down so they can catch up. Brunetto however tells Dante that he cannot. Because of his sins, he must never stop wandering the desert.
So far, we've only really seen political enemies of Dante in Hell, but Brunetto is one of the first spirits he meets from back in Florence who shares his political beliefs. He even warns him that he faces exile if he somehow escapes Hell and returns to Florence. Florence.
They would eventually come to the end of the stream, and in front of them was the edge of a cliff and a roaring waterfall below. Dante sees three men in front of him that he recognises from Florence. They ask him not to judge them based on their burnt and scarred appearance, for they were once famous and esteemed men.
As they were guilty of sodomy, they could not stop walking, and so they formed a circle around Dante. asking him of the current political situation in Florence, a question that leaves Dante with an expression of grief. He then tells them the story of his journey and they wish him luck. If he ever escapes hell they ask only that he speaks of them favourably. As they look down into the abyss below, Virgil asks Dante to throw the belt he wore around his waist over the edge and wait.
They are now approaching the eighth circle of hell. A strange shape that Dante can't quite make out rises from below and stops before them. Behold the beast with a pointed tail that crosses mountains, leaves walls and weapons broken, and makes the stench of which the world is full.
The creature answers Vergil's call and makes itself visible. A creature with human bestial and reptilian elements all combined into one. Its name is Gerion, a winged monster with the face of a man, a scorpid stinger, and a body that is part beast, part reptile. Its general shape can be compared to that of a wyvern, with some elements of a chimera or manticore. In Greek myth, Gerion is a three-headed giant.
But here Dante's Geryon is an amalgamation of three separate beings and is a visual representation of the next circle. The friendly human face makes him seem trustworthy, but his grotesque body and stinger present us with the idea of a trickster or fraudster. Behind the pleasant face is a cold-blooded monster.
Virgil explains the only way down this waterfall is on the creature's back. But he makes sure that he sits behind Dante and warns him to be wary of Geryon's stinger. Those who are not wary of his true nature never make it to the bottom of this abyss. The eighth circle of hell is fraud, for those who committed fraudulent and malicious crimes. This circle is also known as the Malibolger, meaning the ditches of evil.
This also refers to the layout of the circle as it's divided into ten narrow ditches, each one punishing a different act of fraud. The first ditch contains seducers and panderers, a fancy name for a pimp or someone who owns a brothel. These two groups lined the walls of this ditch walking in opposite directions, being whipped by horned demons.
At first this may not seem like a harsh punishment, but these demons can be seen as symbolic of slave drivers. Just as these men chose to treat women like objects that could be disposed of and sold, in the afterlife they would be nothing more than a commodity themselves to these demonic slave drivers. Dante recognises one man as Venediccio, who he recalls arranged the sale of his own sister to a nobleman. On the other side, Virgil points out a man named Jason, Jason of Argo, the once famous hero.
Jason is there for the seduction of the sorceress Medea, which to be fair had more to do with Athena and Hera trying to help him. But he did also seduce the Queen of Lemnos and then sail away after she had two of his children, so for that douchebaggery Jason is condemned to an eternity in hell. Next to this trench are those considered guilty of false flattery, exploiting others'fears and desires by twisting and corrupting language to manipulate them. These individuals are covered in their own faeces, which represent the falsehoods they told whilst alive.
They do nothing but writhe around and howl at each other, not a sight Dante and Virgil were keen on observing for very long. In the third ditch Dante finds those guilty of simony, gaining position in the Christian church due to monetary means or through other favours. This term comes from Simon Magnus, a magician or sorcerer who tried to pay Saint Peter to bestow the power of the Holy Spirit upon the poor. upon him.
The simoniacs as they are referred to were placed head first into holes with flames burning the soles of their feet. Dante notices one pair of feet squirming more than the others because the flames are much higher. This sole was Pope Nicholas III who mistakes Dante for the then Pope Boniface.
He explains to Dante that because he tried to abuse his position in the church. He must serve a lifetime in this hole and below him are all the other popes guilty of the same crime. When the next pope dies he will take his place at the very top, pushing pope nicholas further down the hole like all those before him. The corruption of the church by the simoniacs is something Dante makes very clear he despises, which is why we see it so deep into hell. In the fourth hole were the sorcerers who dabbled in divination, fortune telling and astrology, arts that were associated with a false prophet.
The punishment for being a sorcerer was having their head twisted backwards, leaving them to slowly walk forward and only being able to look back at the other hideous distorted sorcerers. In the fifth hole were the Beraters, also known as grifters. These souls are immersed in a lake of boiling tar, a visual representation of their shady dealings and sticky fingers.
They are also guarded by winged demons known as the Malebranche. When a grifter tries to emerge from the surface, they claw at them and attack them with hooks until they are once again fully submerged. For some reason Dante ends up insulting these demons which results in them being pursued.
They eventually escape down a slope where they encounter hole number 6. These men are dressed in what appear to be regular robes, but judging by how slowly they're moving and the discomfort in their face, this isn't true. These robes are weighed down by lead. On the outside, everything looks fine, these robes appear just as you would expect from any holy man, but the weight inside is symbolic. of the weight one carries with them in lies and deceit.
Dante and Virgil climb across a ruined bridge and stand above pit number seven. This hole is full of naked people being chased by snakes and lizards. Their hands are bound behind their backs with snakes. These souls are the thieves, those who stole in life will now have everything stolen from them, their possessions, their identity and their humanity. Dante finds one man willing to tell him his story, Vanni Fucci, a man who stole holy items from a cathedral, who committed violent crimes and murder.
As they talk, a viper bites his neck and kills Vanni, only for him to burst into flames and resurrect from the ashes like a phoenix. Vanni shares a prophecy with Dante, that all those Dante aligns with back in Florence shall die, including Dante. As the snake attacks him again, Vanni curses the gods and flees from Dante.
After this, a centaur arrives with a fire-breathing dragon on his shoulder. and he asks where the bitter one has gone, implying that he is there to punish Vanni. Dante wonders why the other centaurs in hell watch over the river of blood, but this one, known as Cassus, finds himself with the other thieves.
Virgil explains that this is because Cassus was killed by Heracles when he tried to steal his cattle. So although centaurs by nature are violent, this one was also a thief. They also observe quite a disturbing process, where a snake with feet bites a man and then the two begin to merge together and mutate into one creature, with body parts from both. Another snake bites a man and smoke pours from his wound and the snake's mouth.
This time the two swap places and mutate into each other. The man's body shrinks and distorts until he becomes a snake and the snake subsequently becomes a man. Giving us the impression that everything in this hole may be a thief, even the snakes and lizards we thought existed in the hole to punish the thieves.
In hole 8 Dante sees the fraudulent counsellors who are literally burning in a pit of flames for their sins. These are individuals who use their positions to convince and manipulate others to engage in fraud. Here we notice two heroes in particular. Odysseus and Diomedes who were held accountable for the idea of the Trojan horse, as well as numerous other failings that led to the fall of Troy.
The ninth hole was dedicated to the sowers of discord, those who tried to create divisions between people. When Dante looks down into the pit, he struggles to find words to describe what he sees. Those guilty of creating these divisions were being hacked away by a demon wielding a large bloodstained sword. Their bodies were torn into pieces, entrails were dragged along the floor, and most bodies no longer even resembled a human shape.
Just as they sought to tear others apart in life, in death their bodies are physically torn apart and mutilated. Dante eventually describes this by saying, If you gathered all the people who were injured in the bloodiest and most grotesque battles, their wounds and injuries could still not match the mutilation that took place in the ninth hole. When their bodies were torn apart they would drag themselves around this hole, regenerating once a full circuit was complete. The demon would then tear them apart again, and this cycle would repeat for eternity.
Dante, unable to shake what he saw from his mind, approached. approach the tenth and final hole. From this hole came a horrendous stench. Bodies were scattered around laying on top of each other, disease ridden and writhing. These bodies belonged to the falsifiers, the alchemists, the counterfeiters and the impostors.
Just as they were a plague on humanity in life, they experienced every plague and disease possible. Dante noticed some of them were covered in leprous scabs, furiously scratching until there was no flesh remaining. After everything Dante has seen and been through, he finally approaches a giant well, the entrance to the final circle of hell, the circle of treachery.
Outside they see numerous giants, one blowing on a horn was Nimrod. who built the Tower of Babel. In Hell, however, he is incapable of coherent speech. Next to him is a much larger giant in chains. Ephialtes, who was punished for his uprising against Jove.
This is referring to the Gigantamachy, where the giants try to storm Olympus. Leading this army against Zeus was Ephialtes. Another giant who isn't in chains is Antaeus, and it's this giant who places both poets in the palm of his hand and carries them down to the ninth circle.
And so the last part of Dante's journey through hell begins, in a circle he describes as the bottom of the universe, full of treachery and betrayal. At the very bottom they come across another lake, but there is no blood or tar. This lake has frozen over. It spans almost the entirety of the circle and is divided into four sections, with the sinners being trapped in the ice itself.
These are known as the betrayers of family, community, the guest, and lords. Dante then describes two immediate regions. The first is known as Cana, which is referring to the biblical figure Cain, who kills his own brother. No surprise, this area houses those who betrayed their family. These sinners are not fully submerged in the ice.
They can still move their heads, but nothing else. Dante sees two bodies frozen so close together that their foreheads are almost glued by the cold and he recognises them as two brothers who murdered each other over a dispute involving family inheritance. The second area is known as Antenora, named after the Trojan soldier Antenor who betrayed his people to the Greeks.
This area housed those who committed treason. and betrayed their country and community. As Dante continues across this lake he accidentally kicks someone in the head and they shout back asking, why do you trample me?
The bodies in this area are submerged in a similar way to the previous, the main difference being they can't move their neck. The man who Dante kicked was someone who betrayed Florence and Dante gives this man no apology or sympathy. The third region in this icy wasteland is Ptolemy, named after a man who invited his father-in-law to dinner only to kill him.
Dante stumbles upon a man who asks him if he can remove the ice from his eyes. The man then explains that after murdering a guest, the soul falls into Ptolemy long before the body dies. The empty body is then inhabited by a demon until a natural death occurs. so their suffering begins long before they actually die. The fourth area of this lake is known as Judeka, of course being named after Judas and those who betrayed the lord.
Those in Judeka are fully encased in ice and as a result not a sound is made. As there is no one to speak to the poets move quickly on to the centre of hell. Virgil tells Dante that the banner of the king of hell draws closer. meaning there is only one soul left to observe. When they reach the very centre, Dante is frozen to the spot and no words can be formed.
In the very centre of hell, Satan is condemned for the worst act of all, treachery against God himself. It's explained here that his name was once Lucifer, the fairest of the angels in heaven, but his rebellion against God led to him being cast from heaven. and frozen in ice from the waist down. Dante struggles to comprehend how big Lucifer's body really is, only being able to see the upper half which is free from ice.
What's more stunning than his size is the fact that he has three heads, one that is fiery red, one that is pale yellow, and one that is black. Underneath each head are a pair of bat-like wings. which have been flapping and causing the icy winds Dante and Virgil experienced while crossing the lake. These wings are also to ensure the lake stays frozen so Satan and everybody else can never leave this prison.
Satan himself cannot speak but only cry and blubber into his mouth. Each mouth is also constantly chewing on a treacherous man, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Two men responsible for the assassination of Julius Caesar hang from the left and right mouths.
In the centre mouth hangs Judas, punished for his betrayal of Jesus Christ. Judas suffered the worst punishment as he represented treason against the divine, whereas the others were guilty of treason against man. Virgil tells Dante that now is when they escape hell, by climbing down Lucifer himself.
which makes no sense to Dante as surely that would only take them deeper into hell. Virgil assures him that this is the only way and so they climb down Satan's legs. Once they reach his genitalia they pass through the centre of the universe. Virgil turns his body around and then starts climbing back up, which again makes no sense to Dante as that's the way they just came from. As Dante follows Virgil he's amazed to see everything is essentially upside down and they are now climbing up Lucifer's legs.
Virgil explains that they are essentially climbing up through the crater left by Lucifer when he crashed into the earth. They eventually climb out of hell on the morning of Easter Sunday and before them is the river Lethe which flows from the mountain of Purgatory. Before we begin, a brief explanation into the idea of Purgatory itself may provide some context.
The Bible doesn't really mention Purgatory, at least not by name, but it does mention that one's punishment after death may not always be eternal. In some cases it may only be temporary. Once your debt has been repaid there is hope of one day joining others in paradise.
To explain as simply as possible, both hell and paradise are what Dante considers eternal realms. Purgatory is different as it's the only realm that is not eternal. Those who come here may not be ready for hell or paradise, instead they are given the chance to cleanse their sins and grow as a person.
When it's time for the last judgement, all the souls in Purgatory will be sent to either Hell or Paradise, and the realm of Purgatory will cease to exist entirely. At the base of the mountain Dante and Virgil meet an old man named Cato who guards the entrance. Naturally he is hesitant to let them pass, not entirely sure how Dante and Virgil were able to escape from Hell.
Virgil explains the journey thus far. and how it would only be possible for them to escape if God himself allowed them to. Cato is persuaded and allows them to pass, but only if Virgil wraps a reed around Dante and washes his face. A ritual many saw as representing a baptism. An interesting thing to note is that Cato is what we described before as a virtuous pagan who was placed in purgatory by God himself.
Which is rather strange because not only could he be found in the first circle of hell but he also committed suicide. I've seen many discussing the significance of Cato in purgatory, so why would Dante place Cato here in purgatory and not in hell? It could be because Cato was as patriotic as Dante and would do anything to defend Rome's liberty or maybe Dante was just fond of Cato and decided he shouldn't suffer. In the first circle of hell souls are ferried across the river by the boatman Charon, some of them crying and others with looks of worry and anguish on their face. Here they are ferried to the foot of the mountain by an angel whilst singing songs of hope and joy.
When they arrive at the shore the angel disappears and the crowd gathers around Dante realising he's not actually dead. Luckily Cato breaks up the crowd and orders them to disperse. The two stand at the base of the mountain deciding how they will begin their climb as a group of souls pass by.
The first two sections of the mountain are known as Anti-Purgatory. The first slope is where they find the excommunicate, those who are excluded or exiled from the Christian church. The time they spent away from the church living in sin would be multiplied by 30, so if they spent even just one year excommunicated, they would have to remain here for 30. The most noticeable figure they meet here is Manfred, the last king of Sicily who tells them the story of his death. During the battle of Benevento he suffered multiple fatal wounds, whilst he lay on the battlefield dying he managed to repent for all of his sins. Unfortunately for Manfred his opposition Pope Clement IV had his body excommunicated after death.
which led to the belief that he was going to hell. Manfred then explains that the prayers of the living can help reduce the time one spends in purgatory. Naturally he asks Dante to find his daughter when he returns, to let her know her father is not in hell but in purgatory.
If she prays for him he may reach paradise quicker. Before reaching the terraces there is still one more part of anti-purgatory for those who were too late or too lazy to repent. Many of these souls died before receiving the last rites because they suffered a violent or unpredictable death.
Dante comes across a group of souls laying in the shadow of a boulder and decides to have a conversation. The first man tells him he was betrayed when fleeing his hometown, the second man was fleeing a battle when he fell down a riverbed and died. After repenting the man recalls an angel coming to collect him but there was also a demon. They argued whether he belonged in hell or paradise and that is why he now finds himself in purgatory. The last spirit was a woman named Pia de Tolomei.
She tells Dante of her murder at the hands of her husband who betrayed her and disregarded their wedding vows. She also attempts to convince Dante to pray for her once he returns to the living because none of her family do so. and she would like to leave Purgatory.
Dante begins to notice how interested all the souls in Purgatory are in himself, or more so the fact that he is not dead, meaning he can pray for them and reduce the time they spend here. The next soul they meet is Sordello, a performer from the same town as Virgil, who explains the rule of the mountain. Once the sun has set, the souls of purgatory are no longer allowed to climb. They can go down if they wish to rest, but never the other way.
You can look at the sun as an allegory for God, meaning these souls can only progress in their penitent Christian life through his divine grace. As it is getting late in the afternoon, they move on and find a spot to rest. Sordello recommends they should stop for the night in the Valley of Princes. As darkness engulfs the valley the spirits sing hymns you would hear during night prayer in Christian churches. Sordello shows them the various kings and rulers who reside here, making note of Emperor Rudolf, the only soul who refuses to join in on the singing.
He also regards him as the one ruler who could have restored Italy to its former glory. but he failed and that is why he finds himself here. As the night goes on the spirits here do not tire as they do not possess a human body.
Dante however does and so he must sleep. In his dream Dante sees a golden eagle soaring through the sky, it swoops down and grabs Dante and while they fly through the air they begin to burn. This was enough for Dante to wake from his dream. Virgil explains that they are now at the gates of Purgatory. Whilst Dante dreamt he was carried to the gates by a woman named Lucia, this is referring to Saint Lucia or Saint Lucy.
In front of them is the gate, the door to Purgatory proper. Before the gate there are three steps, each one a different colour. One is a polished white marble, so bright Dante can see himself in the reflection. This represents the purity of one's soul.
The next stone is cracked and much darker, either black or purple in the shape of a cross which represents the act of mourning. The last stone is red which represents the blood of Christ, restoration and a new beginning. At the top of these steps there is an angel guarding the entrance wielding a large sword, an angel who shines so bright it's difficult for Dante to even look at him.
Virgil explains they have been guided upon this patch by Saint Lucy and he urges Dante to step forward and ask the angel to let him pass. Dante opts for the more dramatic approach. As he climbs the steps he falls to his knees at the feet of the angel and begs for entry into purgatory.
Looking down at Dante the angel takes the point of his sword and carves the letter P into Dante's forehead seven times. The P meaning peccatum, the latin for sin. He tells Dante he may wash these wounds away.
As he travels through the seven terraces, each time he has successfully washed away the sins of a terrace, one letter will disappear. The last piece of advice they are given is to cleanse themselves of their sins and never look back or dwell on the past as they may struggle to move on to the next terrace. With the gates closing behind them the poets are left to climb the seven terraces, each one representing one of the seven deadly sins.
Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony and lust. The sins we saw in Inferno were based on physical actions, in purgatory the focus is on self improvement and so the sins are emotional and psychological. The first terrace represents the sin of pride.
As they enter Dante notices beautiful sculptures surrounding him which represented humility, the virtue considered the opposite of pride. These images were of individuals who were considered classic examples of humility such as the Virgin Mary and the Angel Gabriel. Gabriel pulls Dante away from the beautiful sculptures and paintings. because in front of them are the prideful souls who can guide them to the next terrace.
These souls are barely visible as they are hunched over forced to carry enormous weights on their back. They ask the man before them if he can help them travel up the mountain. The man physically cannot look upwards but he tells them he will offer his assistance. His name is Umberto, a man who was so proud it led to his death. His arrogance caused himself and his family much pain but now he is slowly learning to be humble.
Ahead of him is another man, Odorisi, a once famous artist who was replaced by a much younger artist. He now understands that in the bigger picture human fame means nothing, success and fame are fleeting. As Dante talks to these souls he finds himself bending over to see their faces.
In doing so he is imitating their suffering and starting his own cleansing process. As they continue on Dante realises that pride is a sin he has been guilty of, his self awareness is another sign of self improvement. When he looks down he sees several hideous statues and carvings, Lucifer falling from the heavens, Arachne who was turned into a spider and Briareus, a giant impaled on a thunderbolt. These figures all represent represent the acts of succumbing to pride or one's ego.
As he witnesses more Dante remembers instances where his own pride has clouded his judgement. Agreeing to pray for the souls in this terrace they show him the path he must follow. When they arrive standing before them is the angel of humility. He takes them to the stairway that leads to the next terrace and acknowledges that Dante's prideful sins have been absolved.
With his wing he brushes off one of the letter P's from Dante's forehead. As they leave this terrace they hear songs of joy and Dante points out the difference between this and the screams in hell whenever they entered a new circle. He also notices he feels lighter, making the ascent slightly easier than before.
Virgil explains that this is because his sins of pride have been cleansed and as this process continues the journey will become easier. The second terrace is that of envy. Once there Dante and Vergil notice no one else around them and so Vergil uses the sun as a compass to guide them.
When they eventually come across other souls Dante notices they are dressed in black and blue matching the colour of the stone in this terrace. As they approach they hear these souls singing and holding onto each other. It is now Dante sees their true punishment.
The reason their hands rest on the shoulders of the soul in front of them is because they are blind, their eyelids have been sewn shut using iron wire. This sight is enough to bring Dante to tears as he is reminded of the blind begging on the streets. Despite Virgil's disapproval Dante still feels the need to speak with them and so he asks if any are from Italy.
A woman named Sapia responds, telling him she often received more enjoyment from the misfortune of others than her own good fortune, she was extremely envious of those in power. When she questions Dante as to who he is and why he's still alive, he tells her he will pass through this terrace and only be momentarily blinded because he felt he was more prideful than envious. Sapir agrees to guide them through the terrace in exchange for Dante's prayers back on earth. To Dante's amusement, she asks him to give two souls in front of him argue amongst each other before they notice him observing, one of which tells him he was jealous of his neighbours happiness and his envy only grew as time went on. As they continue Dante hears the booming of several different voices, these are the envious who are punished, serving as examples for the rest of the souls to learn from.
Some examples given were Cain who was jealous of his brother and Aglaurus who was turned into stone. because she was jealous Hermes loved her sister more than her. In order to pass through this terrace Dante and Virgil must walk where the sun shines bright and as they do they are blinded, mimicking the punishment of those in this terrace.
Virgil explains that Dante should not fear this light because it is merely an angel coming to welcome them to the next terrace. The angel of charity greets them and brushes away another sin from Dante's forehead. inviting them to move on.
As the poets enter the Terrace of Wrath, the blinding sunlight is still apparent. Dante is then greeted by several visions, examples of meekness and wrath. The first vision is in a temple with a woman reprimanding a young boy.
This is meant to represent a similar story featuring the Virgin Mary and a young Jesus Christ. The next vision is the wife of the King of Athens begging him to kill the man who loves their daughter. His response is no, if they condemn those around them for showing love then they will soon be their enemies. The last vision is of a boy who prays for his persecutors to be forgiven by God as they stone him to death. When Dante comes to he explains what he has seen to Virgil, hoping this will start the process of cleansing his own sins relating to wrath.
The current time is 3pm, the poets continue to follow the light up the mountain until they are surrounded by black smoke, which now blinds them. Dante compares himself to a blind man being guided by Virgil. Unable to see Dante hears more singing.
One voice calls out to Dante recognising that he's alive and in response Dante and Virgil ask for directions. The spirit agrees and tells the poets to listen carefully because their voices are the only way to keep track of each other within the smoke. The spirit's name is Marco Lombardo. Dante asks him why he believes there is wickedness in the world.
Marco explains he thinks it's because of the belief that humanity has no free will. When something terrible happens people look to the heavens as the cause, the action must have been preordained by God. But Marco believes we must have free will over some actions, otherwise the reward and punishment system of heaven and hell makes no sense.
You can't punish or reward someone for an action they are not responsible for. That being said, Marco believes he came from a time where the morals of men were much greater than Dante's present day. Eventually the smoke begins to clear and this is Marco's cue to leave before the angel of this terrace arrives. Before leaving Dante has several more visions that represent the sin of wrath. He's woken by Vergil as the sun shines bright on them.
From the light they hear a voice telling them it's time to ascend to the next terrace. As Dante approaches intrigued as to the source of this beautiful voice, he is once again blinded. The voice they hear is the angel of this terrace who has come to guide them. As they climb the steps to the next terrace, the angel removes another sin from Dante and gives them a blessing.
By the time they leave this terrace, night falls upon them. As they enter terrace number 4, Dante asks Virgil which vice is to be cleansed in this terrace. The answer to that question is sloth.
Now this doesn't necessarily mean physical laziness but more of a spiritual laziness or neglect that would lead to someone being sad and depressed. Virgil explains sloth by using love as an example. He states there are two types of love, we can choose what or who to love. and whether we love them too little or too much.
These are mistakes we can make. The second type of love is love towards God himself which can never be a mistake. If your love for God is your priority then you can never succumb to evil, however this changes when your love for God takes a back seat. In Virgil's worldview love is the driving force for all of our actions and decisions. All of our vices and virtues stem from love.
Those guilty of sloth in this case have given up on the pursuit of love and have turned their backs on God and their own happiness. Most of the spirits in this terrace don't have much time to talk to Dante and so Virgil guides him through how to cleanse this vice. As the night goes on Dante decides to get some rest and begins to dream about a beautiful woman, this woman is actually a siren.
The siren here is a symbol of gluttony and lust. Dante is seduced by the siren's song. He doesn't notice the arrival of a second woman who is dressed much more saintly.
This woman doesn't seem too happy that Virgil allowed this situation to happen. Realising his mistake, Virgil runs over to the siren and tears off her clothes. Rather than being in awe of the naked woman in front of him, Dante snaps out of his trance. He smells the siren's putrid stench and foul appearance.
He now sees her true nature. When Dante wakes they hurry to the entrance of the next terrace, and there to greet them is the angel of zeal. Having proven himself in his dream, the angel brushes off another sin and shows them passage to the next terrace. The last three terraces are devoted to those who either misplaced their love or showed too much. They are the terraces of avarice, gluttony and lust.
Terrace number five relates to the vice of avarice, meaning greed for physical goods and extravagance. or the ambition to gain power and social standing. As they pass through this terrace they see the penitent souls lying face down on the ground in chains weeping.
When they ask for directions they are told if they do not share a similar punishment then they should look to the path on the right. The first soul Dante speaks to is Pope Adrian V who is here because of his ambition for political power within the church. Eventually he began to lose interest in his mortal life and so he began to focus on the afterlife which is why he finds himself here and not in hell.
They continue down the path when they hear a female voice calling out to them. She describes Mary giving birth to Jesus in a stable as an example of how poor she was. This becomes common with other souls discussing their stories of poverty. Soon the poets realise the way to cleanse the sin of greed is with generosity.
Dante begins to hear more stories of generosity as opposed to avarice. Fabricius was a Roman politician who refused to take bribes that would have furthered his own position. He then hears several stories of someone who gave money to poor women so they could afford to get married. The next soul Dante comes across is Hugh Capet.
a king of France who shares some of his stories. He also tells Dante the souls in this terrace discuss acts of generosity during the day and sins of avarice during the night. All of a sudden the earth begins to shake and only Dante and Virgil seem concerned so they take this as a sign to make haste. The last man they come across is compared to Jesus Christ shortly after his resurrection.
Dante and Virgil here are the two disciples he meets on the road. When he questions who they are, Virgil explains that Dante was meant to reign with the righteous but he has fallen off his path and it is Virgil's job to guide him. The man is overjoyed hearing this, mostly because he is a big fan of Virgil's work. The man reveals himself as the Roman poet Statius.
The tremor they felt earlier only happens when a soul is ready to ascend to paradise. On this occasion the tremor is because of Statius. Statius explains it was the work of Virgil that inspired him to change his ways.
The three are then greeted by the Angel of Moderation who removes another of Dante's sins and ushers them to the next terrace. As Statius himself will be moving through the terraces he decides to join Dante and Virgil on their journey. Terrace number 6 is where those guilty of gluttony reside.
As somebody who's covered the story of Tantalus within Greek mythology a few times, what comes next is a very nice reference. The souls in this Terrace experience a punishment very similar to Tantalus, eternal hunger and thirst. In front of them is a large tree ripe with fruit and below a pool of water.
As they approach they begin to hear voices. telling stories of temperance, the virtue Dante will need to purge his gluttony. John the Baptist chose to eat locusts and honey when he was in the wilderness and the Virgin Mary cared more about her guests than herself.
Dante is unable to place where the voices are coming from but it seems as if they may be coming from the tree itself. Before he can be tempted by the fruit, Virgil urges Dante to continue on the path ahead of them. Now they finally see the souls that reside in this terrace. Dante is horrified by how starved and skinny they are. Their skeletons are almost completely visible.
Again Dante begins to hear voices. Warning him this tree represents the tree of knowledge that Eve ate from in the Garden of Eden. They also begin to tell stories of gluttony.
The stories continue as they walk on. Eventually they come to a halt when they see a red light. This is the Angel of Temperance. who shows them the path they must not stray from.
As Dante was able to avoid temptation, he had shown enough temperance or self-restraint for the angel to remove the sin of gluttony. Now we move on to Terrace number 7, where the lustful reside. To enter this terrace, one must pass through a giant wall of fire.
Our poets tread carefully before reaching the wall. Here they see other souls walking through the flames and giving examples of lust, one of them being the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that were mentioned in the book of Genesis. Those repenting here do so for acts of inappropriate and misdirected sexual desire.
To purge themselves of this sin, they look towards the Virgin Mary and chastity. As the sun begins to set, the poets are greeted by the angel of chastity. who urges them to proceed through the fire, but Dante remains frozen to the spot.
Virgil persuades him that there is nothing to fear, unlike hell there is no chance of death here. With this Dante shows his faith in God as well as in Virgil who has led him this far. He steps forward and passes through the wall of fire.
On the other side they are greeted by another set of steps, which they choose to rest on until sunrise. When light breaks Dante and his two guides climb to the very top. Here Virgil congratulates him. Dante is now free, he no longer needs a guide.
He urges Dante to go ahead and explore the earthly paradise on his own. We then have one final verse from Virgil. Wait no further word or sign from me.
Your will is free, erect and whole. To act against that will would be to err. Therefore I crown and miter you over yourself. Dante is free from purgatory, but he doesn't know these are the last words he will ever hear from the man he considers his guide, mentor and friend. At the very top of mount purgatory sits the earthly paradise, which is pretty much the garden of Eden.
A vibrant forest full of greenery and lush surroundings, that embody the peace of Eden before Adam and Eve fell from grace. The earthly paradise cantos are notoriously difficult to completely understand because much of it is symbolism. This is where Dante must confess all of his sins. The first person Dante comes across is a young woman holding flowers singing by a riverbed.
When he gets closer he recognises a song similar to one sung by Demeter when her daughter Persephone leaves for the underworld during the winter. Dante is confused as to why all of a sudden he can feel the wind on his cheeks as Statius told him purgatory does not experience weather. The woman explains that as the Garden of Eden is where humanity committed the original sin, things here work slightly differently.
She also mentions the waters here have special properties, the power to make one forget all of their previous sins or remember all of the good deeds they have done. When Dante turns around both of his companions are there smiling. A bright flash of light passes through the forest and when Dante regains his sight he sees what appears to be seven trees in the distance.
As he gets close he realises the trees form a candelabra and the flames from the candles light the sky. The lights are closely followed by a group of people all dressed in white. Dante describes 24 elders dressed in white with crowns made from lilies.
Behind the elders are four animals wearing crowns made of green leaves, each with six wings, feathers full of eyes. Behind the animals is a chariot being pulled by a griffin. On the right side there are three dancing women, one dressed in red, one in emerald and the third in white. On the other side there are four more women dressed in dark red or purple. Behind the chariots there are seven men, two elderly men, four humble men and one man walking alone.
Much of the Divine Comedy at times feels like a lucid dream and you'd be forgiven for reading this description and having no idea what is actually happening. It may not be entirely comparable, but processions relating to the church were fairly common in the Roman Empire. Everything we see in this ritual is symbolic of something else, much of it borrowing from the New and Old Testament. As the chariot comes to a halt, angels rise and cast flowers into the air, from which emerges a woman in a red dress and white veil, with a crown A crown of olive branches.
Dante recognises this as Beatrice. When he turns to Virgil to tell him he was right, his friend is no longer there. Beatrice symbolises the path of God that Dante must follow. Virgil if you remember from Inferno resides in the circle for virtuous pagans.
He wasn't necessarily a bad person, he just didn't believe in God. In Hell and Purgatory Virgil's guidance was needed. But now Dante must ascend to heaven, and for that he needs a true believer.
And so we see Vergil pass the torch to Beatrice. Dante sheds a tear for his friend who has taken him this far, but Beatrice tells him to cry no more because of Vergil's disappearance. The earthly paradise is no place for tears or sorrow.
Dante confesses to Beatrice that after her death he turned to material belongings to distract himself from his pain. She then admonishes him, claiming her death should have had the opposite effect. She continues to push Dante to confess his sinful actions, and he does so feeling more and more shame.
Eventually Beatrice removes her veil, and Dante is so taken back by everything, he just faints. When he wakes, he finds himself being placed in the river Lethe by a young woman who along with Statius takes him back to Beatrice. This is the process of forgetting one's memories of past sin.
The next river he comes to is the river Yuno, which Dante must drink from in order to restore his memories of all the good deeds he has done. Dante is now ready to ascend to paradise and the final canto ends with these words. From that most holy wave I now return to Beatrice, remade, as new trees are renewed when they bring forth new boughs. I was pure and prepared to climb unto the stars.
Having escaped the events of Inferno with his companion and friend Vergil, together they were also able to complete the ascent of Mount Purgatory. However, with Vergil's job complete, he passes the reins to Beatrice who will accompany and guide Dante through heaven or paradise, hence the name Paradiso. So far you may have noticed some patterns forming. In inferno there were 9 circles each one representing different sins.
This journey was about punishment and acknowledgement of one sin. In purgatory there were 9 or 10 terraces each one representing a sin but also a virtue that can cleanse the sin. The focus here is on repentance and cleansing one's soul, a clean slate for heaven. Paradise consists of 9 spheres with each one representing different celestial bodies and virtues.
The earth is at the very centre of the universe surrounded by these 9 spheres. As Dante travels to each one Beatrice will help him understand the theology or concepts behind these ideas. With each sphere his comprehension grows and his consciousness expands. Once he has absorbed the knowledge from the nine spheres he will gain access to the Empyrean, the highest heaven and the home of God. Similar to Purgatory where there were nine terraces with the earthly paradise at the very peak, we see the same 9 plus 1 solution in paradise, 9 heavenly spheres with number 10 being the Empyrean, the final layer of heaven.
The poem begins in the earthly paradise at the very top of Mount Purgatory. Dante's journey through paradise had taken 24 hours, meaning he had ascended from hell to paradise in about one week total. Dante and Beatrice begin their ascent through the atmosphere.
When Dante questions how this is even possible, Beatrice explains that one's soul is naturally drawn towards God. Now that he has freed himself from his earthly desires, his soul is able to soar freely towards God and Heaven. The first heavenly sphere is the moon, representing the inconstant.
Dante questions the dark markings on the moon's surface that we can see from the earth, and Beatrice lets him come to his own conclusion. Here they end up having a scientific debate about the concentration of matter and light. However, this is cut short when he has a vision of nearby souls that he confuses for reflections.
Beatrice explains that the lunar cycle and how much we can see of the moon is associated with inconsistency. The sphere of the moon is made up of the souls who abandoned their vow to God for numerous reasons. They lacked what Beatrice describes as the virtue of fortitude. These souls have all still been saved and have access to all the spheres in heaven but Dante's perception of them is limited as he is still mortal. Dante has a conversation with the soul of Picarda, the sister of one of Dante's friends.
Picarda died shortly after being forcibly removed from her convent by evil men. Her vow to God was broken, and though it was not entirely her fault, she did not completely resist, showing a lack of fortitude. Beatrice explains that a vow to God consists of giving yourself freely and entirely. These vows should be taken very seriously, and everything should be done to maintain the vow. one must remain consistent in their conviction.
Dante wonders if there is a way one can atone for broken promises. Beatrice explains that God's greatest gift is free will, and pledging yourself to God is essentially you giving up that gift. However, the church does have the ability to release people from their vows through one loophole. When one makes a vow, a certain amount of worth can be established to that promise. If you then make another vow that the church deems to be of higher value, then the vow is not broken but simply adjusted.
Now if your initial vow is seen as priceless then this cannot be amended as there is no higher value. The only exception to this is when keeping a vow would result in a greater evil. Dante uses King Agamemnon's willingness to sacrifice his own daughter in the Trojan War. as an example of when a vow can descend too far towards evil. The second sphere is the planet Mercury, the representation of the ambitious who desired fame and glory, those who are lacking in the virtue of justice.
Mercury being so close to the sun makes it hard to see, it pales in comparison to the sun's glory, just as the earth pales in comparison to the glory of God. Here Dante meets the Roman Emperor Justinian who narrates the vast majority of this canto. Justinian realises that in heaven who he is as a person remains the same, however the glory he so eagerly seeked to acquire on earth is gone.
He talks about the great history and conquests of the Roman Empire but acknowledges that this sphere is for those who placed self-interest above all. We hear tales of the Roman Emperor Constantine who committed the crime of moving the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium or Constantinople, which to Justinian symbolised the empire turning its back on God and hundreds of years of good leadership. Justinian then explains that when Rome was under his rule years later he was able to reform the laws allowing Rome to find peace once again, he was only able to do so because he was converted to Christianity.
He then makes the point that there are many who pretend to support the Roman church publicly, but behind closed doors are actually opposed to it. The third sphere is the planet Venus, the sphere of lovers because of its association with Venus the Roman deity of love. This is where those lacking temperance or self-restraint reside.
Dante himself starts to feel its effect as when he turns to Beatrice he finds her even more beautiful than before. Dante meets Charles Martel who believes he would have led Italy to new heights and created harmony amongst his people if he had not died so early. The rest of the Martel family cause disaster and disharmony. Charles explains that one's family does not decide destiny nor human nature, that is down to the providence of God. Dante speaks to some other souls who warn him of the dangers of love and its corruption within the church, Florence used as a prime example of what happens to a city devoid of temperance.
Sphere number 4 is the sun, the sphere of the wise, here Dante enjoys and bathes in the light. There are only positive examples of the previous virtues here. The sun illuminates the rest of the universe, just as those who reside here illuminate the world with their intellect. This sphere is the center of the universe, and it is the center of the universe. is full of scholars, religious leaders and the wisest philosophers.
Among those Dante meets are Thomas Aquinas, King Solomon, Peter Lombard and many more. Aquinas explains that creation is completely random because of how matter is filtered and trickles down from the different spheres, hence why no two people are the same. The only exceptions to this are Christ and Adam who were created directly by God. and therefore must be perfect by design. Dante also sees bright lights which represent different saints, orders that may not have seen eye to eye on earth or even agreed with each other's ideas.
Here they are at peace with each other and only show love even to those of an opposing faction. Sphere number 5 is the planet Mars. which as with Venus is associated with Mars the Roman God of War.
Mars is home to what Dante describes as the warriors of faith, those who died giving their life for God, displaying the virtue of fortitude, courage beyond what most are capable of. Dante recounts seeing millions of sparks of light, representing souls that form the shape of a Greek cross on the planet's surface. he compares this to the Milky Way.
On Mars Dante meets an ancestor of his that took part in the second crusade. Just like most of those Dante meets in his poem, his great great grandfather reminisces about Florence in the 12th century and expresses his sorrow over the current state of Florence. Dante asks what his future holds and is told that hardships will fall upon him because he will be exiled from Florence. All is not lost though, it is Dante's mission to write and tell the world about his journey, what he has seen in hell, purgatory and paradise.
This mission is of utmost importance. Sphere number 6 is the planet Jupiter, the place of just rulers because of its association with Jupiter the king of gods. The souls here form to spell love, justice, ye that judge the earth, with some of the other souls forming the shape of an imperial eagle. The imperial eagle speaks to Dante, telling him despite its composition of all the just kings, divine justice is the single concept that Dante must trust even when its workings are beyond his comprehension. Justice can seem unfair and flawed at times when in the hands of false leaders.
however divine justice is unwavering. The eagle's eyes are made up of King David, Emperor Constantine, Hezekiah, William II of Sicily and two pagans, Emperor Trajan and the Trojan hero Rifeus who were saved by God himself. Dante recalls seeing Trajan in purgatory on the terrace of pride surrounded by his soldiers.
Dante questions what happens to those born before Christ and Rifeus is used to explain. Rifeus was deemed so worthy of grace that God saved him and made him a Christian a thousand years before anyone else. The main premise of this idea is that salvation is the belief that Jesus is the Messiah, it makes no difference if you were born before or after Christ, everyone is given a chance to ascend to heaven. Sphere number 7 is the planet Saturn, home to those who are masters of self-restraint and temperance.
The souls on Saturn climb up and down an enormous golden ladder and find themselves very close to God. This sphere mostly consists of the discussion regarding practices of devoted Christians, with the monk Peter Damian, together they discuss the sad state of the current church. Saint Benedict discusses his disappointment in his own monks who nowadays seem more interested in material value than spiritual existence.
Beatrice persuades Dante to climb the golden ladder himself and look down at the earth, a tiny insignificant speck below, a lesson in perspective. Sphere 8 is the fixed stars of faith, love and hope, home to the church triumphant. Dante is immediately overwhelmed by the presence of the Virgin Mary. Saint Peter steps forward to challenge and test Dante regarding the nature of his faith, a test that Dante passed. Next is Saint James who appears to test Dante on the subject of hope.
Dante again is successful and is taken to Saint John. His presence is so bright that Dante loses his sight. Saint John tests Dante on the subject of love.
Using his experience so far, Dante's new look on love allows him to pass the third and final test. His vision is restored and now he can see even more than he could before. Before leaving the sphere, Saint Peter denounces the modern church.
Dante looking down at the earth once more is taken to the Primum Mobile, sphere number 9 and the home of the angels. This sphere is moved by God himself and in turn causes all of the surrounding spheres to also move. Dante sees a piercing and burning light surrounded by nine circles of fire.
Unable to comprehend what's before him, Beatrice explains that these represent the nine different ranks of angels that orbit around the love of God. The angels were created at the same time as the universe, and so they radiate God's love throughout the various different spheres. Beatrice and Dante finally pass into the Empyrean, a region beyond physical existence. The restraints of time and space do not exist here.
The Empyrean is what many refer to as true paradise. In order to understand and comprehend the wonders around him, Dante must drink from a river of lights. When he sees Beatrice she is even more beautiful than before.
The souls here bathe in the light and gather in the shape of a white rose. Everything here is infinitely happy, something that Dante can now finally begin to understand. Beatrice takes her rightful place with the other souls and by Dante's side to guide him now is Saint Bernard.
Here the souls have earned different ranks and must trust this judgement to be divine. Dante looks at the Virgin Mary shining brighter than everyone else around her. Bernard prays to Mary so that she may give Dante the strength required to gaze into the light of God.
This is the one moment that Dante's entire journey has led to. With the prayer complete, he finally looks into the light of God. The light is unlike anything he has experienced before. So powerful he struggles to express the wonders before him.
There are three lights total, three large circles that represent the trinity. The circles allow Dante to gaze upon the human form of Christ. He tries to understand how these circles fit together, but all of a sudden Dante is hit with a burst of love so powerful that his memory disappears and the only thing he remains conscious of is the fact that he is not alone. is his own free will. Finally Dante knows how it feels to be in complete unison and harmony with God's will.
But already my desire and my will were being turned like a wheel, all at one speed, by the love which moves the sun and other stars. I hope you've enjoyed Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. It is a goal of mine this year to cover more epic pieces of literature both classic and modern, so stay tuned for those.