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468 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1321
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Dante Alighieri
3,679?books5,884?followersDante Alighieri, or simply Dante (May 14/June 13 1265 ¨C September 13/14, 1321), is one of the greatest poets in the Italian language; with the comic story-teller, Boccaccio, and the poet, Petrarch, he forms the classic trio of Italian authors. Dante Alighieri was born in the city-state Florence in 1265. He first saw the woman, or rather the child, who was to become the poetic love of his life when he was almost nine years old and she was some months younger. In fact, Beatrice married another man, Simone di' Bardi, and died when Dante was 25, so their relationship existed almost entirely in Dante's imagination, but she nonetheless plays an extremely important role in his poetry. Dante attributed all the heavenly virtues to her soul and imagined, in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy, that she was his guardian angel who alternately berated and encouraged him on his search for salvation.
Politics as well as love deeply influenced Dante's literary and emotional life. Renaissance Florence was a thriving, but not a peaceful city: different opposing factions continually struggled for dominance there. The Guelfs and the Ghibellines were the two major factions, and in fact that division was important in all of Italy and other countries as well. The Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor were political rivals for much of this time period, and in general the Guelfs were in favor of the Pope, while the Ghibellines supported Imperial power. By 1289 in the battle of Campaldino the Ghibellines largely disappeared from Florence. Peace, however, did not insue. Instead, the Guelf party divided between the Whites and the Blacks (Dante was a White Guelf). The Whites were more opposed to Papal power than the Blacks, and tended to favor the emperor, so in fact the preoccupations of the White Guelfs were much like those of the defeated Ghibellines. In this divisive atmosphere Dante rose to a position of leadership. in 1302, while he was in Rome on a diplomatic mission to the Pope, the Blacks in Florence seized power with the help of the French (and pro-Pope) Charles of Valois. The Blacks exiled Dante, confiscating his goods and condemning him to be burned if he should return to Florence.
Dante never returned to Florence. He wandered from city to city, depending on noble patrons there. Between 1302 and 1304 some attempts were made by the exiled Whites to retrieve their position in Florence, but none of these succeeded and Dante contented himself with hoping for the appearance of a new powerful Holy Roman Emperor who would unite the country and banish strife. Henry VII was elected Emperor in 1308, and indeed laid seige to Florence in 1312, but was defeated, and he died a year later, destroying Dante's hopes. Dante passed from court to court, writing passionate political and moral epistles and finishing his Divine Comedy, which contains the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He finally died in Ravenna in 1321.
Politics as well as love deeply influenced Dante's literary and emotional life. Renaissance Florence was a thriving, but not a peaceful city: different opposing factions continually struggled for dominance there. The Guelfs and the Ghibellines were the two major factions, and in fact that division was important in all of Italy and other countries as well. The Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor were political rivals for much of this time period, and in general the Guelfs were in favor of the Pope, while the Ghibellines supported Imperial power. By 1289 in the battle of Campaldino the Ghibellines largely disappeared from Florence. Peace, however, did not insue. Instead, the Guelf party divided between the Whites and the Blacks (Dante was a White Guelf). The Whites were more opposed to Papal power than the Blacks, and tended to favor the emperor, so in fact the preoccupations of the White Guelfs were much like those of the defeated Ghibellines. In this divisive atmosphere Dante rose to a position of leadership. in 1302, while he was in Rome on a diplomatic mission to the Pope, the Blacks in Florence seized power with the help of the French (and pro-Pope) Charles of Valois. The Blacks exiled Dante, confiscating his goods and condemning him to be burned if he should return to Florence.
Dante never returned to Florence. He wandered from city to city, depending on noble patrons there. Between 1302 and 1304 some attempts were made by the exiled Whites to retrieve their position in Florence, but none of these succeeded and Dante contented himself with hoping for the appearance of a new powerful Holy Roman Emperor who would unite the country and banish strife. Henry VII was elected Emperor in 1308, and indeed laid seige to Florence in 1312, but was defeated, and he died a year later, destroying Dante's hopes. Dante passed from court to court, writing passionate political and moral epistles and finishing his Divine Comedy, which contains the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He finally died in Ravenna in 1321.
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October 21, 2021
Purgatorio = Purgatory (The Divine Comedy, #2), Dante Alighieri
Purgatory is the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, following the Inferno, and preceding the Paradiso.
The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Dante up the Mount of Purgatory, guided by the Roman poet Virgil, except for the last four cantos at which point Beatrice takes over as Dante's guide.
Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the undergloom to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world.
The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere, created by the displacement of rock which resulted when Satan's fall created Hell (which Dante portrays as existing underneath Jerusalem).
The mountain has seven terraces, corresponding to the seven deadly sins or "seven roots of sinfulness." The classification of sin here is more psychological than that of the Inferno, being based on motives, rather than actions.
It is also drawn primarily from Christian theology, rather than from classical sources. However, Dante's illustrative examples of sin and virtue draw on classical sources as well as on the Bible and on contemporary events. ...
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????? ?????? ????? 11/04/1399???? ???????? 28/07/1400???? ???????? ?. ???????
Purgatory is the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, following the Inferno, and preceding the Paradiso.
The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Dante up the Mount of Purgatory, guided by the Roman poet Virgil, except for the last four cantos at which point Beatrice takes over as Dante's guide.
Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the undergloom to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world.
The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere, created by the displacement of rock which resulted when Satan's fall created Hell (which Dante portrays as existing underneath Jerusalem).
The mountain has seven terraces, corresponding to the seven deadly sins or "seven roots of sinfulness." The classification of sin here is more psychological than that of the Inferno, being based on motives, rather than actions.
It is also drawn primarily from Christian theology, rather than from classical sources. However, Dante's illustrative examples of sin and virtue draw on classical sources as well as on the Bible and on contemporary events. ...
????? ?????? ????? ???? ?????: ???1968??????
?????: ????? ???????: ????? ???????? ???????: ???? ????? ???? ?????? ????????? ???1335? ??? ???? ???1347? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ???1378? ???? ??? ???9640003999? ??? ???? ? ??? ???1393? ??? ????: ????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???: ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????????? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? - ??? 14?
???? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????? ? ??????
???? ??? ????
????? ???? ?????? ? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ? ???? ??? ?? ???? ? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ? ????????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ? ??? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????????? ??????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ???
??????? - ???????? ??? ?? ????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????????? ????? ????? ??????? ?????
???? - ?????? ?? ???? ? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ????? ??? ??????? ? ???? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ????????? ????????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?????????? ?? ??? ???????? ???? ?????? ? ???? ?? ????? ????? ????
????? ?????? ????? 11/04/1399???? ???????? 28/07/1400???? ???????? ?. ???????
March 25, 2025
Awakening is pure purgatorial fire. We know it under other names as well: sharp angst, a sick feeling of dread, or - as Sartre's Roquentin says, the pivotal point at which the whole world becomes de trop - just Too Much to stomach (so the name of that book is Nausea).
And at that moment, ordinary images become their negatives.
Roquentin, that day, comes to a prise de conscience: the world of unbridled consumption is suddenly seen as a vision of pure horror. Much more than hypocritical, it is fake enough to warrant the appellation of absurdity.
But, you know, the fun of the fair continues.
And of course, the fairs of the 19th century commonly had freak shows: curious displays of such outcasts to society as people the hidden, curtained sickrooms of short stories like Ursula le Guin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, or The Yellow Wallpaper.
The voiceless victims.
But, fret not - Dante Alighieri was such a one as these scarred victims when, in the end of the first book of his Divine Comedy, he staggered sightless, groping upwards from the riot of our society's own non-stop carnival into the dawn of a new day in a new world:
Purgatory.
And purgatory's just another word, if you can climb it, for no Illusions Left to Lose.
For the price of admission to freak shows in hell is plenty of comfortable illusions - enough to turn us into jeering Roman citizens watching the Christians die in the Coliseum...
But the price of admission to Paradise is to crave only the ingenuous vision of God, or Pure Being, so that you are glad to trash your illusory dreams.
Yes, the ones who walk away with Dante from the infernal fair of Omelas walk away to glory.
And I believe they can finally reiterate with Mallarme:
Oh, you thunder and rubies in the mud,
Tell me if I am not glad
To see in the air that this fire pierces
That the last of my earthly cares now ceases.
And at that moment, ordinary images become their negatives.
Roquentin, that day, comes to a prise de conscience: the world of unbridled consumption is suddenly seen as a vision of pure horror. Much more than hypocritical, it is fake enough to warrant the appellation of absurdity.
But, you know, the fun of the fair continues.
And of course, the fairs of the 19th century commonly had freak shows: curious displays of such outcasts to society as people the hidden, curtained sickrooms of short stories like Ursula le Guin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, or The Yellow Wallpaper.
The voiceless victims.
But, fret not - Dante Alighieri was such a one as these scarred victims when, in the end of the first book of his Divine Comedy, he staggered sightless, groping upwards from the riot of our society's own non-stop carnival into the dawn of a new day in a new world:
Purgatory.
And purgatory's just another word, if you can climb it, for no Illusions Left to Lose.
For the price of admission to freak shows in hell is plenty of comfortable illusions - enough to turn us into jeering Roman citizens watching the Christians die in the Coliseum...
But the price of admission to Paradise is to crave only the ingenuous vision of God, or Pure Being, so that you are glad to trash your illusory dreams.
Yes, the ones who walk away with Dante from the infernal fair of Omelas walk away to glory.
And I believe they can finally reiterate with Mallarme:
Oh, you thunder and rubies in the mud,
Tell me if I am not glad
To see in the air that this fire pierces
That the last of my earthly cares now ceases.
December 8, 2016
This is a great book, but does require the notes to make any sense of it. Hundreds of characters from Dant¨¦'s Italy not to mention host of mythological and Biblical ones tended to distract me just reading the poetry and appreciating Dante's wonderful descriptions. I have to stop at the end of each chapter and read the notes to understand the context and people that Dante is referring to. I agree that it would be impossible to ever write this book without references to contemporary politics and so it probably felt dated in that manner even as Boccacio was writing Dante's biography and promoting this up-to-then banned masterpiece 50 years after Dante finished it. Perhaps a lot of postmodern literature will suffer from the same feeling of obsolescence? Am I a hypocrite because I also adore Pynchon, DFW, Proust and Joyce who also require dense footnotes to completely understand? Perhaps but my point was more that I have to read this in a stop and start manner and it takes a little away from the pleasure of reading straight through.
All that being said, there is nothing in Western literature quite like the Divine Comedy and this central volume of 33 cantos is of unsurpassed depth and beauty.
If I were to express this book in a picture, I would probably see something like this: from Dong Qichang (¶Æä²ý, 1555-1636) as it seems to express the long hazardous climb and yet the peaceful conclusion awaiting Dante at the top.
All that being said, there is nothing in Western literature quite like the Divine Comedy and this central volume of 33 cantos is of unsurpassed depth and beauty.
If I were to express this book in a picture, I would probably see something like this: from Dong Qichang (¶Æä²ý, 1555-1636) as it seems to express the long hazardous climb and yet the peaceful conclusion awaiting Dante at the top.
January 2, 2022
After struggling through Inferno and having everyone tell me that it just gets worse, my hopes for Purgatorio and Paradiso were basically non-existent. I was bracing myself for a lengthy and boring reading experience and lots of frustration. Turns out, everyone was wrong! This book fucking slaps! I'm not kidding ... I really enjoyed myself!
I think the game-changer for me was the fact that I read some summaries (online) and the commentary (at the back of the book) before each canto. With Inferno, I did it the other way around because I didn't wanna "spoil" myself but it just hindered my understanding of the text. The new technique was amazing because it enabled me to prepare for the canto and I could also specifically look for the passages in the text that spoke of certain events that were detailed in the summary or commentary. This way, I had no problem at all to understand what Dante was babbling about and was even able to form my own thoughts and join Dante's philosophical musings, at least in spirit. ;)
Purgatorio picks right up where Inferno left off, at the base of Mount Purgatorio, which Dante and Virgil have to climb in order for Dante to ascend to Heaven. The mountain is structured into nine sections, the first two (base) levels are called "Ante-Purgatory" (on these levels the excommunicate and late repentants are punished and detained for a period 30 times as long as their period of contumacy on Earth), the next seven levels form the actual mountain and are structured around the capital vices (more commonly known as the seven deadly sins), in the following order: Pride - Envy - Wrath - Sloth - Avarice - Gluttony - Lust.
Canto 1-9 are set in Ante-Purgatory where Dante, among other things, speculates with the penitent on the value of knowing why things were made in a certain way versus simply being satisfied with examining how they are. Canto 10-27 are set on the terraces of Purgatory Proper (with each terrace/vice taking up around three canti). Canto 28-33 are set in the Garden of Eden and concern themselves with Dante's and Beatrice's reunion and his final preparations before he is able to enter Heaven.
In Canto 9, Dante and Virgil reach the Portal to Purgatory Proper and are met with an Angel of God who sketches seven 'P's on Dante's brow and tells him that with the passage of each terrace and the corresponding purgation of his soul, one of the 'P's will be erased by the angel granting passage to the next terrace.
The first nine canti were a bit harder to navigate because they lacked a clear structure and Dante was kinda jumping all over the place, talking to the penitent souls. One thing that I really didn't enjoy is the message of Canto 3 where Dante basically "learns" that human beings shouldn't speculate WHY things were made by God in a certain way, they should simply be satisfied with examining things as they exist. Dante learns that if humanity had been content with HOW (not why) things were, they wouldn't have fallen into sin. That's such bullshit. Knowledge is power, and we should always try to get to the bottom of things.
Virgil also explores his own fate (aka him being forced to stay in Circle 1 of Hell forever because he lived BEFORE Christ was even fucking born and therefore, his "lack of faith" forbids him to enter Heaven) and it made me fucking mad. Virgil slowly but surely became my favourite character in this epic and despite the fact that I'm not Christian at all, I think it's hella stupid that unbaptised people are automatically thrown into Hell. It gets even worse when you think about the fact that Virgil, during his lifetime, didn't even have ANY CHANCE to get baptised because CHRISTIANITY WASN'T EVEN A FUCKING THING. Make it make sense. Gosh, this makes me so mad. Virgil (and all his pals in Limbo) deserve so much better.
After Dante and Virgil step through the Portal, they explore the first terrace of Purgatory Proper ¨C the one were the vice of PRIDE is being purged. What really helped my understanding all of the following canti was the fact that they are all (!) structured in the same way: 1) description of the terrace, 2) exemplars of the virtue that counters the sin purged here, 3) description of the penitent, 4) some of the penitent speak about their sins, 5) exemplars of the vice, and 6) appearance of the angel who removes a 'P' on Dante's brow.
Once you figure that out, Purgatorio is super easy to follow and understand because you basically just have to search for the right passage in the text and read up on all the references you don't get. When it comes to the "exemplars of virtue", Dante always (!) uses one example from the life of the Virgin Mary (because she's like virtue incarnate lmao), and at least one from classical history.
I will not go through all of the terraces in detail, but to illustrate this structure, let's talk about Terrace 1: Pride. On this terrace, proud souls purge their sin by carrying a stone on their back, its heaviness matching the weight of their sin. Similarly to Inferno, the "punishment" (in this case: "repentance") counters the original sin, and is therefore seen as most effective in teaching these souls a lesson.
The countering virtue to PRIDE is HUMILITY. The shown exemplars of humility are the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, where she responds to the angel Gabriel with the words "Behold the handmaid of the Lord" (such humility, wow). The example of humility from classical history is the Emperor Trajan, who, according to a medieval legend, once stopped his journey to render justice to a poor widow.
The shown exemplars of pride (the vice) are, of fucking course, Satan (proud Lucifer), Nimrod (the builder of the Tower of Babel), Arachne (who challenged Athene to a sewing competition and won [...I mean, you go gurl, it's so stupid that Athene turned her into a spider as a punishment, I mean it's not Arachne's fault that she's better than her ... smh]) and Niobe (who bragged about her seven children).
I found it fascinating to learn so much about history and even about some of the Biblical stories (even though the life of the Virgin Mary got boring real fast...). However, oftentimes, I simply couldn't agree with Dante on the premise of his exemplars for these vices and virtues, just to give you an example: as an exemplar of CHASTITY, Dante cites the Virgin Goddess Diana. So far, so good. I don't particular care for virgin goddesses but I can see where he is coming from. HOWEVER (!), the example he cites out of Diana's life to showcase her most perfect moment of chastity is when Diana exiled Helice from her lands after Helice was raped by Jupiter and was no longer seen as "pure" (="chaste"). UMM?? How is that VIRTUOUS behaviour? I'm so confused. And I hate it here.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't think that my values would align with the values of a white man who lived over 700 years ago (I mean, how sad would that be) but I still wanted to mention that some of the examples that Dante gives are just fucking BONKERS and make no sense.
Personally, even though I don't agree with the notion of countering vices with virtues (I think we all have both inside of us ¨C and that's good!), I really loved to see all the different punishments that Dante came up with: envious souls are punished by having their eyes sewn shut with iron wire (ouch!) (countering virtue: GENEROSITY); wrathful souls have to walk around in blinding acid smoke which symbolises the blinding effect of wrath (countering virtue: MEEKNESS); slothful souls are forced to engage in ceaseless activity (by constantly running around) (countering virtue: ZEAL); greedy souls have to lie face-down on the ground whilst being bound at their hands and feet (countering virtue: "WILLING POVERTY"); gluttonous souls are starved in the presence of trees whose fruit will forever be out of their reach (countering virtue: RESTRAINT); lustful souls must pass through an immense wall of flame (= the fire symbolises the purifying of love and prepares the soul for God's love in Heaven) (countering virtue: CHASTITY).
A lot of these punishments show how important human senses are and what a huge impact it has when you aren't allowed to use them, e.g. if you're bound and unable to move your body. I think from a modern perspective it's definitely interesting to analyse how ableist Dante's underlying beliefs are, e.g. the notion that being blind is a punishment. Again, I don't even agree with the premise of being punished in the first place (and most punishments are fucking brutal), however, I still found it fascinating to learn about (and disagree with) this essential part of Dante's world building.
Talking of the world building, there were quite a few things that I enjoyed this time around, e.g. the fact that souls aren't able to climb up the mountain after sunset because in Dante's world, the sun represents God and therefore, progress for these penitent Christian souls can only be made through Divine Grace (so, when the sun is out). At one point, we also learn what happens when a soul's repentance is finished: Mount Purgatory is shaken up by an earthquake which symbolises the tremor of a soul that knows that it is ready to ascend to Heaven. I find these little tidbits of information very interesting and they made Purgatory come to life.
At the summit of Mount Purgatory is the Earthly Paradise (the Garden of Eden). It represents the state of INNOCENCE that existed before Adam and Eve fell from grace. Personally, I really didn't enjoy any of the canti being set in the Garden of Eden, probably because I wasn't ready to let Virgil go (his farewell was so bittersweet ¨C I mean, in his most vulnerable moment, Dante wanted to turn to his mentor when he sensed the power of what love was, only to realise that Virgil was no longer with him - I AM IN TEARSSS!!!) and also because Beatrice (so far) isn't doing it for me. In case you don't know, Beatrice is the girl that Dante was obsessed with and saw as the ultimate exemplar of innocence and virtue. In the text, she is the one who pleaded with God, so that Dante could make this journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, in order to be set on the right path again. However, in these canti, she is a sternful bitch who was having none of it and constantly shamed Dante for crying and showing emotion. Yeah ... I want Virgil back ... but wait, he has to rot in Hell!! Gargh. Can you tell how mad I still am?
What I found most interesting about the Garden of Eden (in regards to the world building) were the two rivers - Lethe and Euno?. Those are the two streams that every soul needs to cross in order to enter Heaven. Lethe is the river of oblivion and basically takes away all your memories of sin; Euno? recovers the memory of all the good deeds that one has done in their lifetime. Again, I don't agree with the notion that you're only allowed to face God when you're picture-perfect and prim, but I found it interesting nonetheless.
The procession that was going on in the Garden of Eden and that revealed Beatrice's presence to Dante wasn't doing anything for me though. I found that shit so hard to understand, and I think Dante should leave the literary device of the masque to Shakespeare. The only canto set in the Garden of Eden that I found somewhat engaging was Canto 32, where Dante goes through the seven phases/ stages that brought upon the downfall and corruption of the Church, from the persecutions that the Church suffered from under Nero in 37-86 AD to Dante's own time. Overall, I think it is well-known that Dante was hella critical of the Church (as an institution) and the state of politics in most European countries, most notably Italy and France.
At one point, Dante (like myself) wonders how these souls can even show bodily reactions, like becoming thin (starved) when they don't even require food in the first place? Similarly, at different points in the story, Dante tries to touch or hug some of the souls but is unable to grasp them. I was also wondering what the value of memory is for these souls because all of these soul introduce themselves by citing what their name on Earth WAS but it doesn't seem like they fully connect with that part of themselves anymore. Basically, Virgil explains that souls are forever linked with the person and aren't separate from the body, which explains Dante's ability to recognise certain individuals he was familiar with on Earth. However, the bodies in Purgatory are spiritual and no longer earth-bound, so that Dante (who is still an alive earth-bound person) isn't able to touch them.
Each of the three nights that Dante spends in Purgatory, he has a dream. The first dream symbolises God's grace in carrying a person toward himself. Dante's second dream is a powerful visualisation of false goods and desires (a concept that Virgil had explained earlier but Dante struggled to understand): Dante dreams of a siren who lures him into thinking that she is beautiful and desirable, even though, (in reality) she's not. This teaches Dante how free will can be wrongly directed and/ or perverted. During his third night on the mountain, Dante dreams of Leah who symbolises the active Christian life and her sister Rachel who symbolises the contemplative Christian life, and realises that both are necessary if you want to be a good Christian. Each of the dreams bring him closer to Beatrice and his understanding of Christianity.
So, overall, Purgatorio is hella rich and provides a lot of food for thought. I'm very happy/ proud of myself that I "forced" myself to read at least three canti every single day (some days, I even managed nine, whoop whoop!), so that I could power through this epic poem within six days. Reading it in such a short timespan really helped me with immersing myself in the story and connecting the dots. Ya'll know that my memory is a sieve. Meanwhile, when I read Inferno, it took me over two months to finish it and it was literally hell (pun intended). On to Paradiso at last!
I think the game-changer for me was the fact that I read some summaries (online) and the commentary (at the back of the book) before each canto. With Inferno, I did it the other way around because I didn't wanna "spoil" myself but it just hindered my understanding of the text. The new technique was amazing because it enabled me to prepare for the canto and I could also specifically look for the passages in the text that spoke of certain events that were detailed in the summary or commentary. This way, I had no problem at all to understand what Dante was babbling about and was even able to form my own thoughts and join Dante's philosophical musings, at least in spirit. ;)
Purgatorio picks right up where Inferno left off, at the base of Mount Purgatorio, which Dante and Virgil have to climb in order for Dante to ascend to Heaven. The mountain is structured into nine sections, the first two (base) levels are called "Ante-Purgatory" (on these levels the excommunicate and late repentants are punished and detained for a period 30 times as long as their period of contumacy on Earth), the next seven levels form the actual mountain and are structured around the capital vices (more commonly known as the seven deadly sins), in the following order: Pride - Envy - Wrath - Sloth - Avarice - Gluttony - Lust.
Canto 1-9 are set in Ante-Purgatory where Dante, among other things, speculates with the penitent on the value of knowing why things were made in a certain way versus simply being satisfied with examining how they are. Canto 10-27 are set on the terraces of Purgatory Proper (with each terrace/vice taking up around three canti). Canto 28-33 are set in the Garden of Eden and concern themselves with Dante's and Beatrice's reunion and his final preparations before he is able to enter Heaven.
In Canto 9, Dante and Virgil reach the Portal to Purgatory Proper and are met with an Angel of God who sketches seven 'P's on Dante's brow and tells him that with the passage of each terrace and the corresponding purgation of his soul, one of the 'P's will be erased by the angel granting passage to the next terrace.
The first nine canti were a bit harder to navigate because they lacked a clear structure and Dante was kinda jumping all over the place, talking to the penitent souls. One thing that I really didn't enjoy is the message of Canto 3 where Dante basically "learns" that human beings shouldn't speculate WHY things were made by God in a certain way, they should simply be satisfied with examining things as they exist. Dante learns that if humanity had been content with HOW (not why) things were, they wouldn't have fallen into sin. That's such bullshit. Knowledge is power, and we should always try to get to the bottom of things.
Virgil also explores his own fate (aka him being forced to stay in Circle 1 of Hell forever because he lived BEFORE Christ was even fucking born and therefore, his "lack of faith" forbids him to enter Heaven) and it made me fucking mad. Virgil slowly but surely became my favourite character in this epic and despite the fact that I'm not Christian at all, I think it's hella stupid that unbaptised people are automatically thrown into Hell. It gets even worse when you think about the fact that Virgil, during his lifetime, didn't even have ANY CHANCE to get baptised because CHRISTIANITY WASN'T EVEN A FUCKING THING. Make it make sense. Gosh, this makes me so mad. Virgil (and all his pals in Limbo) deserve so much better.
After Dante and Virgil step through the Portal, they explore the first terrace of Purgatory Proper ¨C the one were the vice of PRIDE is being purged. What really helped my understanding all of the following canti was the fact that they are all (!) structured in the same way: 1) description of the terrace, 2) exemplars of the virtue that counters the sin purged here, 3) description of the penitent, 4) some of the penitent speak about their sins, 5) exemplars of the vice, and 6) appearance of the angel who removes a 'P' on Dante's brow.
Once you figure that out, Purgatorio is super easy to follow and understand because you basically just have to search for the right passage in the text and read up on all the references you don't get. When it comes to the "exemplars of virtue", Dante always (!) uses one example from the life of the Virgin Mary (because she's like virtue incarnate lmao), and at least one from classical history.
I will not go through all of the terraces in detail, but to illustrate this structure, let's talk about Terrace 1: Pride. On this terrace, proud souls purge their sin by carrying a stone on their back, its heaviness matching the weight of their sin. Similarly to Inferno, the "punishment" (in this case: "repentance") counters the original sin, and is therefore seen as most effective in teaching these souls a lesson.
The countering virtue to PRIDE is HUMILITY. The shown exemplars of humility are the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, where she responds to the angel Gabriel with the words "Behold the handmaid of the Lord" (such humility, wow). The example of humility from classical history is the Emperor Trajan, who, according to a medieval legend, once stopped his journey to render justice to a poor widow.
The shown exemplars of pride (the vice) are, of fucking course, Satan (proud Lucifer), Nimrod (the builder of the Tower of Babel), Arachne (who challenged Athene to a sewing competition and won [...I mean, you go gurl, it's so stupid that Athene turned her into a spider as a punishment, I mean it's not Arachne's fault that she's better than her ... smh]) and Niobe (who bragged about her seven children).
I found it fascinating to learn so much about history and even about some of the Biblical stories (even though the life of the Virgin Mary got boring real fast...). However, oftentimes, I simply couldn't agree with Dante on the premise of his exemplars for these vices and virtues, just to give you an example: as an exemplar of CHASTITY, Dante cites the Virgin Goddess Diana. So far, so good. I don't particular care for virgin goddesses but I can see where he is coming from. HOWEVER (!), the example he cites out of Diana's life to showcase her most perfect moment of chastity is when Diana exiled Helice from her lands after Helice was raped by Jupiter and was no longer seen as "pure" (="chaste"). UMM?? How is that VIRTUOUS behaviour? I'm so confused. And I hate it here.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't think that my values would align with the values of a white man who lived over 700 years ago (I mean, how sad would that be) but I still wanted to mention that some of the examples that Dante gives are just fucking BONKERS and make no sense.
Personally, even though I don't agree with the notion of countering vices with virtues (I think we all have both inside of us ¨C and that's good!), I really loved to see all the different punishments that Dante came up with: envious souls are punished by having their eyes sewn shut with iron wire (ouch!) (countering virtue: GENEROSITY); wrathful souls have to walk around in blinding acid smoke which symbolises the blinding effect of wrath (countering virtue: MEEKNESS); slothful souls are forced to engage in ceaseless activity (by constantly running around) (countering virtue: ZEAL); greedy souls have to lie face-down on the ground whilst being bound at their hands and feet (countering virtue: "WILLING POVERTY"); gluttonous souls are starved in the presence of trees whose fruit will forever be out of their reach (countering virtue: RESTRAINT); lustful souls must pass through an immense wall of flame (= the fire symbolises the purifying of love and prepares the soul for God's love in Heaven) (countering virtue: CHASTITY).
A lot of these punishments show how important human senses are and what a huge impact it has when you aren't allowed to use them, e.g. if you're bound and unable to move your body. I think from a modern perspective it's definitely interesting to analyse how ableist Dante's underlying beliefs are, e.g. the notion that being blind is a punishment. Again, I don't even agree with the premise of being punished in the first place (and most punishments are fucking brutal), however, I still found it fascinating to learn about (and disagree with) this essential part of Dante's world building.
Talking of the world building, there were quite a few things that I enjoyed this time around, e.g. the fact that souls aren't able to climb up the mountain after sunset because in Dante's world, the sun represents God and therefore, progress for these penitent Christian souls can only be made through Divine Grace (so, when the sun is out). At one point, we also learn what happens when a soul's repentance is finished: Mount Purgatory is shaken up by an earthquake which symbolises the tremor of a soul that knows that it is ready to ascend to Heaven. I find these little tidbits of information very interesting and they made Purgatory come to life.
At the summit of Mount Purgatory is the Earthly Paradise (the Garden of Eden). It represents the state of INNOCENCE that existed before Adam and Eve fell from grace. Personally, I really didn't enjoy any of the canti being set in the Garden of Eden, probably because I wasn't ready to let Virgil go (his farewell was so bittersweet ¨C I mean, in his most vulnerable moment, Dante wanted to turn to his mentor when he sensed the power of what love was, only to realise that Virgil was no longer with him - I AM IN TEARSSS!!!) and also because Beatrice (so far) isn't doing it for me. In case you don't know, Beatrice is the girl that Dante was obsessed with and saw as the ultimate exemplar of innocence and virtue. In the text, she is the one who pleaded with God, so that Dante could make this journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, in order to be set on the right path again. However, in these canti, she is a sternful bitch who was having none of it and constantly shamed Dante for crying and showing emotion. Yeah ... I want Virgil back ... but wait, he has to rot in Hell!! Gargh. Can you tell how mad I still am?
What I found most interesting about the Garden of Eden (in regards to the world building) were the two rivers - Lethe and Euno?. Those are the two streams that every soul needs to cross in order to enter Heaven. Lethe is the river of oblivion and basically takes away all your memories of sin; Euno? recovers the memory of all the good deeds that one has done in their lifetime. Again, I don't agree with the notion that you're only allowed to face God when you're picture-perfect and prim, but I found it interesting nonetheless.
The procession that was going on in the Garden of Eden and that revealed Beatrice's presence to Dante wasn't doing anything for me though. I found that shit so hard to understand, and I think Dante should leave the literary device of the masque to Shakespeare. The only canto set in the Garden of Eden that I found somewhat engaging was Canto 32, where Dante goes through the seven phases/ stages that brought upon the downfall and corruption of the Church, from the persecutions that the Church suffered from under Nero in 37-86 AD to Dante's own time. Overall, I think it is well-known that Dante was hella critical of the Church (as an institution) and the state of politics in most European countries, most notably Italy and France.
At one point, Dante (like myself) wonders how these souls can even show bodily reactions, like becoming thin (starved) when they don't even require food in the first place? Similarly, at different points in the story, Dante tries to touch or hug some of the souls but is unable to grasp them. I was also wondering what the value of memory is for these souls because all of these soul introduce themselves by citing what their name on Earth WAS but it doesn't seem like they fully connect with that part of themselves anymore. Basically, Virgil explains that souls are forever linked with the person and aren't separate from the body, which explains Dante's ability to recognise certain individuals he was familiar with on Earth. However, the bodies in Purgatory are spiritual and no longer earth-bound, so that Dante (who is still an alive earth-bound person) isn't able to touch them.
Each of the three nights that Dante spends in Purgatory, he has a dream. The first dream symbolises God's grace in carrying a person toward himself. Dante's second dream is a powerful visualisation of false goods and desires (a concept that Virgil had explained earlier but Dante struggled to understand): Dante dreams of a siren who lures him into thinking that she is beautiful and desirable, even though, (in reality) she's not. This teaches Dante how free will can be wrongly directed and/ or perverted. During his third night on the mountain, Dante dreams of Leah who symbolises the active Christian life and her sister Rachel who symbolises the contemplative Christian life, and realises that both are necessary if you want to be a good Christian. Each of the dreams bring him closer to Beatrice and his understanding of Christianity.
So, overall, Purgatorio is hella rich and provides a lot of food for thought. I'm very happy/ proud of myself that I "forced" myself to read at least three canti every single day (some days, I even managed nine, whoop whoop!), so that I could power through this epic poem within six days. Reading it in such a short timespan really helped me with immersing myself in the story and connecting the dots. Ya'll know that my memory is a sieve. Meanwhile, when I read Inferno, it took me over two months to finish it and it was literally hell (pun intended). On to Paradiso at last!
August 26, 2022
The Purgatorio is the second part of Dante's masterpiece, The Divine Comedy. This is where according to Dante the sinners purge their sins by being repentant of the sins they have committed on earth. Unlike in Inferno, purgatory deals with sins more psychological than physical with many tiers (or "terraces" as they are called) punishing the sins committed through the mind rather than by the body.
Purgatorio too is influenced by Christian theology, mythology, philosophy, literature, and Dante's own political and religious views. But on a comparative note, one can sense that more of theology and Dante's views on the relationship of God, Church, and State taking shape in the beautiful verses. Dante chooses his sinners from real life and mythology as in Inferno. Interestingly, Dante meets another guide here - Statius, the Roman poet, who team with Virgil helps him through his journey until finally, Dante meets ¡°she who makes his journey from hell to paradise possible¡± - Beatrice.
The same lyricism and the beautiful metaphors that I have come to love in Inferno are preserved here as well, and that makes this poetic exercise an unforgettable one. However, if I'm to compare Purgatorio with Inferno, I have to admit, Purgatorio lacks the imagination that encompassed Inferno. But as a stand-alone, Purgatorio has its own beauty and can be enjoyed for its own merit.
There is nothing much to add after the second read. I was quite surprised and happy to find that I have understood the work to a considerable degree in my first read. The only thing I want to add here is that I haven't appreciated enough the picturesque quality the Cantos bring to light, the vivid imagination they create in your mind. It was a fascinating experience. I would still say it is less imaginative than the Inferno, but only in comparison. As a stand-alone work, it has all the wonders to draw in the readers. Quite honestly, after this reread, I'm beginning to appreciate the quality of this work and to fully understand why The Divine Comedy has been regarded as a masterpiece all through these centuries.
Purgatorio too is influenced by Christian theology, mythology, philosophy, literature, and Dante's own political and religious views. But on a comparative note, one can sense that more of theology and Dante's views on the relationship of God, Church, and State taking shape in the beautiful verses. Dante chooses his sinners from real life and mythology as in Inferno. Interestingly, Dante meets another guide here - Statius, the Roman poet, who team with Virgil helps him through his journey until finally, Dante meets ¡°she who makes his journey from hell to paradise possible¡± - Beatrice.
The same lyricism and the beautiful metaphors that I have come to love in Inferno are preserved here as well, and that makes this poetic exercise an unforgettable one. However, if I'm to compare Purgatorio with Inferno, I have to admit, Purgatorio lacks the imagination that encompassed Inferno. But as a stand-alone, Purgatorio has its own beauty and can be enjoyed for its own merit.
There is nothing much to add after the second read. I was quite surprised and happy to find that I have understood the work to a considerable degree in my first read. The only thing I want to add here is that I haven't appreciated enough the picturesque quality the Cantos bring to light, the vivid imagination they create in your mind. It was a fascinating experience. I would still say it is less imaginative than the Inferno, but only in comparison. As a stand-alone work, it has all the wonders to draw in the readers. Quite honestly, after this reread, I'm beginning to appreciate the quality of this work and to fully understand why The Divine Comedy has been regarded as a masterpiece all through these centuries.
May 5, 2017
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September 20, 2022
Dante anuncia que ahora tomar¨¢ como tema "el segundo reino". Aqu¨ª es donde se limpia el alma del hombre: la monta?a del Purgatorio.
3.5 en realidad
Si bien esta vez pasamos al Purgatorio; centro de limpieza, reflexi¨®n, arrepentimiento y penitencia para las almas que han pecado; la historia sigue teniendo los mismos temas, centrados en el amor, la esperanza, la fe y adoraci¨®n con mucha pol¨ªtica, filosof¨ªa y teolog¨ªa incluida que se advierte en el pensamiento de Dante, y tambi¨¦n mucha cr¨ªtica hacia comportamientos de su tiempo.
Es curioso pero sustancial que si el Infierno era un abismo, este sea una monta?a. Y que si antes los pecados estaban del m¨¢s leve al m¨¢s grave, aqu¨ª es lo contrario. Adem¨¢s de que en el Infierno vas en descenso por todo ese ambiente retorcido y ac¨¢ vas en ascenso por los distintos pisos con un ambiente m¨¢s "esperanzador" que no es que sea mucho tampoco. Y si bien los castigos para purificar el alma son duros me ha gustado el detalle de que sean ejemplificados por una virtud totalmente contraria y que su sanci¨®n sea por la ley de contrapaso. Ah, y como olvidar que los siete pisos son los famosos siete pecados capitales. Cosa de la que no se salva el mismo protagonista de expiar en cada instancia.
Esta vez me ha costado un poco m¨¢s terminarlo pero sigo disfrutando mucho de esta aventura. Primero con el descenso por los c¨ªrculos del infierno y ahora con el ascenso por los pisos del Purgatorio. Ya solo falta ver qu¨¦ me espera en el Para¨ªso. Sigue habiendo muchas referencia literarias, b¨ªblicas, hist¨®ricas, demasiada alegor¨ªa y simbolismos en un viaje que obviamente tiene una funci¨®n moral y religiosa, caracter¨ªstica de su tiempo.
3.5 en realidad
Si bien esta vez pasamos al Purgatorio; centro de limpieza, reflexi¨®n, arrepentimiento y penitencia para las almas que han pecado; la historia sigue teniendo los mismos temas, centrados en el amor, la esperanza, la fe y adoraci¨®n con mucha pol¨ªtica, filosof¨ªa y teolog¨ªa incluida que se advierte en el pensamiento de Dante, y tambi¨¦n mucha cr¨ªtica hacia comportamientos de su tiempo.
Es curioso pero sustancial que si el Infierno era un abismo, este sea una monta?a. Y que si antes los pecados estaban del m¨¢s leve al m¨¢s grave, aqu¨ª es lo contrario. Adem¨¢s de que en el Infierno vas en descenso por todo ese ambiente retorcido y ac¨¢ vas en ascenso por los distintos pisos con un ambiente m¨¢s "esperanzador" que no es que sea mucho tampoco. Y si bien los castigos para purificar el alma son duros me ha gustado el detalle de que sean ejemplificados por una virtud totalmente contraria y que su sanci¨®n sea por la ley de contrapaso. Ah, y como olvidar que los siete pisos son los famosos siete pecados capitales. Cosa de la que no se salva el mismo protagonista de expiar en cada instancia.
Esta vez me ha costado un poco m¨¢s terminarlo pero sigo disfrutando mucho de esta aventura. Primero con el descenso por los c¨ªrculos del infierno y ahora con el ascenso por los pisos del Purgatorio. Ya solo falta ver qu¨¦ me espera en el Para¨ªso. Sigue habiendo muchas referencia literarias, b¨ªblicas, hist¨®ricas, demasiada alegor¨ªa y simbolismos en un viaje que obviamente tiene una funci¨®n moral y religiosa, caracter¨ªstica de su tiempo.
July 29, 2020
"Observa el Purgatorio: el cerco duro
que le circunda, mira: ve la entrada
que all¨ª parece que interrumpe el muro."
?Qui¨¦n dijo que El Infierno es la ¨²nica parte interesante de La Divina Commedia? El Purgatorio es tan adictivo como el primero y ofrece una serie de atractivos tan variados como los que experimentan Dante y Virgilio en las profundidades del Averno.
Otra atracci¨®n que no da respiro es la manera en que los las almas purgan sus pecados capitales seg¨²n las siete etapas que forman el monte del Purgatorio. ?Es casi id¨¦ntico el sufrimiento al de las culpas castigadas en el Infierno!
El Purgatorio de la Divina Commedia es un libro que yo recomiendo con la misma intensidad que el Infierno. Como se sabe, la mayor¨ªa de los lectores no disfrutan tanto de la ¨²ltima parte, el Para¨ªso, pero es fundamental leerlo para poder cerrar esta historia surgida de la mente un verdadero padre de la literatura que se llam¨® Dante Alighieri.
que le circunda, mira: ve la entrada
que all¨ª parece que interrumpe el muro."
?Qui¨¦n dijo que El Infierno es la ¨²nica parte interesante de La Divina Commedia? El Purgatorio es tan adictivo como el primero y ofrece una serie de atractivos tan variados como los que experimentan Dante y Virgilio en las profundidades del Averno.
Otra atracci¨®n que no da respiro es la manera en que los las almas purgan sus pecados capitales seg¨²n las siete etapas que forman el monte del Purgatorio. ?Es casi id¨¦ntico el sufrimiento al de las culpas castigadas en el Infierno!
El Purgatorio de la Divina Commedia es un libro que yo recomiendo con la misma intensidad que el Infierno. Como se sabe, la mayor¨ªa de los lectores no disfrutan tanto de la ¨²ltima parte, el Para¨ªso, pero es fundamental leerlo para poder cerrar esta historia surgida de la mente un verdadero padre de la literatura que se llam¨® Dante Alighieri.
June 18, 2021
64th book of 2021. Artist for this review is, again, French artist Gustave Dor¨¦.
Most people never read past Inferno and I often guessed at why: in Hell we have mythical beasts, fire, punishment, demons, etc., and surely that is far more enjoyable to read about then Dante walking about a lovely garden in Paradise, thinking overtly about God and his enlightenment. In her introduction, Sayers (for why I settled on Sayers as the translation, read my review of Hell, which is linked at the bottom of this review) says that Purgatory is the "most beloved" of The Divine Comedy parts. I was sceptical.
Purgatory begins exactly where we left off: with Dante and Virgil climbing out of Hell and standing before the mountain. It begins a little more abstract, a little less interesting, and I was wondering if Sayers had got it wrong. Soon enough though, it found its pace (or I did) and it became as enjoyable as the last book; but for different reasons. Virgil stays as Dante's helpful guide, and they begin their climb of Mount Purgatory.
For one thing, Dante and Virgil's relationship is now better. Virgil is less sharp with Dante, and now Dante can offer suggestions on their journey, which Virgil sometimes heeds. Sayers makes note of how their (friendship is the wrong word, but it's oh so tempting) relationship grows throughout. And even Virgil, at times, in Purgatory, is as surprised or confused by things as Dante is, for he is now out of his realm of expertise and must soon leave Dante, as Beatrice becomes his guide in Paradise. And as Virgil remains Dante guide, Sayers remained mine, and I needed her greatly through this. The main problem with Purgatory is the rise in name-dropping by Dante, and need, for the modern reader, for context. Sayers does a fantastic job yet again at giving brief and concise notes after each and every Canto, discussing both the allusions and interpretations, and even alternative translations (at several points she concedes to a word being changed slightly to fit the meter of the terza rima, but ensures to give the better word in the notes, so nothing is really lost). With Sayers' help with the harder parts, I could enjoy the rest. And where we saw people being punished in various ways in Inferno, we get more of it here in Purgatory.
Above are the Proud, for example, who are made to walk with the burden of great stones. Dante kindly stoops over himself to speak to them, despite having no stone to carry himself.
I won't go through all the different punishments, there's no fun in that. The main interest for me was the meeting of Beatrice and the passing over of guides. (And, as if mirroring the story, my guide is passed over in Paradise as Dorothy Sayers died with 13 Cantos left unfinished and so her friend Barbara Reynolds had to finish them for her/us). I don't consider this a spoiler as many blurbs suggest the eventual meeting of Beatrice and the guides for each Book, but if you don't want to hear about the meeting and Virgil's exit from the story, then don't read ahead.
Dante finally meets Beatrice and when he turns to tell Virgil this, he finds Virgil has already gone, his "duty" finished. I'd like to quote that particular scene, as I found it oddly poignant and sad.
And I must say, strangely, that I too will miss having Virgil as the guide. Though I'm intrigued to see what Beatrice is like instead, and what she speaks of. There is great debate about Beatrice but it's generally accepted that she was married to a banker and died at the age of 24. Dante had met her only twice in his whole life, once as a boy, and then again 9 years later, and there was never anything romantic between them, only Dante infatuation(?), unrequited love(?). She serves several purposes in his work though, which Sayers, of course, also outlines in her notes.
So after a short break, on to Paradise. I may add more in this review shortly, but this is all I can immediately say. On finishing Dante's work I always have so much to say that I can't say anything at all. A real jumble of thoughts, feelings, historical and metaphorical wonderings... They are magnificent pieces of literature.
Hell/Inferno Review.
Most people never read past Inferno and I often guessed at why: in Hell we have mythical beasts, fire, punishment, demons, etc., and surely that is far more enjoyable to read about then Dante walking about a lovely garden in Paradise, thinking overtly about God and his enlightenment. In her introduction, Sayers (for why I settled on Sayers as the translation, read my review of Hell, which is linked at the bottom of this review) says that Purgatory is the "most beloved" of The Divine Comedy parts. I was sceptical.
Purgatory begins exactly where we left off: with Dante and Virgil climbing out of Hell and standing before the mountain. It begins a little more abstract, a little less interesting, and I was wondering if Sayers had got it wrong. Soon enough though, it found its pace (or I did) and it became as enjoyable as the last book; but for different reasons. Virgil stays as Dante's helpful guide, and they begin their climb of Mount Purgatory.
For one thing, Dante and Virgil's relationship is now better. Virgil is less sharp with Dante, and now Dante can offer suggestions on their journey, which Virgil sometimes heeds. Sayers makes note of how their (friendship is the wrong word, but it's oh so tempting) relationship grows throughout. And even Virgil, at times, in Purgatory, is as surprised or confused by things as Dante is, for he is now out of his realm of expertise and must soon leave Dante, as Beatrice becomes his guide in Paradise. And as Virgil remains Dante guide, Sayers remained mine, and I needed her greatly through this. The main problem with Purgatory is the rise in name-dropping by Dante, and need, for the modern reader, for context. Sayers does a fantastic job yet again at giving brief and concise notes after each and every Canto, discussing both the allusions and interpretations, and even alternative translations (at several points she concedes to a word being changed slightly to fit the meter of the terza rima, but ensures to give the better word in the notes, so nothing is really lost). With Sayers' help with the harder parts, I could enjoy the rest. And where we saw people being punished in various ways in Inferno, we get more of it here in Purgatory.
Above are the Proud, for example, who are made to walk with the burden of great stones. Dante kindly stoops over himself to speak to them, despite having no stone to carry himself.
I won't go through all the different punishments, there's no fun in that. The main interest for me was the meeting of Beatrice and the passing over of guides. (And, as if mirroring the story, my guide is passed over in Paradise as Dorothy Sayers died with 13 Cantos left unfinished and so her friend Barbara Reynolds had to finish them for her/us). I don't consider this a spoiler as many blurbs suggest the eventual meeting of Beatrice and the guides for each Book, but if you don't want to hear about the meeting and Virgil's exit from the story, then don't read ahead.
Dante finally meets Beatrice and when he turns to tell Virgil this, he finds Virgil has already gone, his "duty" finished. I'd like to quote that particular scene, as I found it oddly poignant and sad.
There came to me, needing no further sight,
Just by that strange, outflowing power of hers,
The old, old love in all its mastering might.
And, smitten through the eyesight unawares
By that high power which pierced me, heart and reins,
Long since, when I was but a child in years,
I turned to leftward¡ªfull of confidence
As any little boy who ever came
Running to mother with his fears and pains¡ª
To say to Virgil: "There is scarce a dram
That does not hammer and throb in all my blood;
I know the embers of the ancient flame."
But Virgil¡ªO he had left us, and we stood
Orphaned of him; Virgil, dear father, most
Kind Virgil I gave me to for my soul's good;
And not for all that our first mother lost
Could I forbid the smutching tears to steep
My cheeks, once washed with dew from all their dust.
And I must say, strangely, that I too will miss having Virgil as the guide. Though I'm intrigued to see what Beatrice is like instead, and what she speaks of. There is great debate about Beatrice but it's generally accepted that she was married to a banker and died at the age of 24. Dante had met her only twice in his whole life, once as a boy, and then again 9 years later, and there was never anything romantic between them, only Dante infatuation(?), unrequited love(?). She serves several purposes in his work though, which Sayers, of course, also outlines in her notes.
So after a short break, on to Paradise. I may add more in this review shortly, but this is all I can immediately say. On finishing Dante's work I always have so much to say that I can't say anything at all. A real jumble of thoughts, feelings, historical and metaphorical wonderings... They are magnificent pieces of literature.
Hell/Inferno Review.
August 18, 2016
In The Inferno, Dante used his many skills of philosophical and theological argument, poetry, knowledge of the classics and the Christian Church to both show his readers the punishments that await them if they do not change their ways, but, also, to carry forth his own political and personal polemics.
Here, in Purgatorio, he shows himself to be of even greater genius. I was expecting to encounter those who, despite their good intentions, have found themselves suffering great penance for their sins. They do so willingly in the knowledge that the time will come when they will be granted absolution and be welcomed into Paradise.
Again, Dante reveals his genius in intermingling Classical and Christian myth to create forceful stories of sin and redemption. One need not be a Christian to feel the force of the arguments.
The true genius of the work only becomes clear in Canto XXXI and beyond when Dante finally encounters Beatrice. Not just another pretty face, Beatrice in all her purity is both Dante's protector and his judge. Her initial scorn for him makes the reader wonder why she has gone to so much trouble to bring him to the edge of Paradise. He is such a lowly worm.
Dante's extensive knowledge, his poetic genius, his commitment to his message and his ability to combine and invent all bring too me a certain humbleness that most writers can never bring to the fore. It seems that Dante has gone beyond the merely human in order to put it all together.
Now on to Paradiso.
Here, in Purgatorio, he shows himself to be of even greater genius. I was expecting to encounter those who, despite their good intentions, have found themselves suffering great penance for their sins. They do so willingly in the knowledge that the time will come when they will be granted absolution and be welcomed into Paradise.
Again, Dante reveals his genius in intermingling Classical and Christian myth to create forceful stories of sin and redemption. One need not be a Christian to feel the force of the arguments.
The true genius of the work only becomes clear in Canto XXXI and beyond when Dante finally encounters Beatrice. Not just another pretty face, Beatrice in all her purity is both Dante's protector and his judge. Her initial scorn for him makes the reader wonder why she has gone to so much trouble to bring him to the edge of Paradise. He is such a lowly worm.
Dante's extensive knowledge, his poetic genius, his commitment to his message and his ability to combine and invent all bring too me a certain humbleness that most writers can never bring to the fore. It seems that Dante has gone beyond the merely human in order to put it all together.
Now on to Paradiso.
October 27, 2021
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?? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ? ???????? ????.
July 12, 2022
Lighter scenes than Inferno but sure doesn't disappoint! Although some scenes were grim, Dante's Purgatorio proves to be one hopeful and uplifting installment.
October 15, 2011
For , Les Trois Mousquetaires (31) versus The Divine Comedy (26)
- Welcome to Purgatory. Name, please?
- Ah, D'Artagnan. I think there might have been some kind of...
- We'll deal with that in a moment. Could we just start by taking care of the Deadly Sins paperwork?
- Um...
- Thank you. Number one, Pride. Any offences?
- Look, obviously I'm pretty damn cool, but, you know...
- Pride, tick. Please pick up a stone on your way out, I think you'll want an L. Number two, Envy...
- Can we speed this up a bit? I've got about two hundred and eighteen counts of Wrath but a clean slate on Envy, Sloth, Covetousness and Gluttony.
- Wait a minute... cross, tick, cross, cross, cross. I must say, I wish everyone would be this cooperative. Oops! One left. How are you on Lust?
- Um, let me see, I suppose I shouldn't really have raped Ketty. But, well...
- She said no but she meant yes?
- What I was going to say was that I only did it to get close to Milady. She's the one I was actually after.
- Let me check the records. You raped Milady's maid so you could impersonate her lover and get into her bed? I'm afraid...
- But look! It's not as bad as it sounds. I was only doing that to save Constance, there was no other way. She'd been kidnapped and I was afraid she'd be killed...
- Constance was your wife?
- Ah, in fact she was married to someone else. But I really loved her, so...
- Anyway, the important thing was that you saved her life?
- Look, I did my best, right? But that psycho bitch Milady went and poisoned her. It wasn't my fault...
- Excuse me. Monsieur D'Artagnan, I must ask you to consider carefully. This place is all about sincere repentance. Are you completely sure you'd be happy here in Purgatory?
- What do you mean? Of course I want to do it. My heart is pure.
- Let me check again. Well, the thing I like about this job is that you never get a dull day. You're right.
- So I can come in?
- Sure. But make that stone an XL. No, an XXL.
- Deal! Thank you.
- You're welcome. Next please?
- Ah, my name's Richelieu. Listen, I can explain everything...
Match point: Les Trois Mousquetaires
- Welcome to Purgatory. Name, please?
- Ah, D'Artagnan. I think there might have been some kind of...
- We'll deal with that in a moment. Could we just start by taking care of the Deadly Sins paperwork?
- Um...
- Thank you. Number one, Pride. Any offences?
- Look, obviously I'm pretty damn cool, but, you know...
- Pride, tick. Please pick up a stone on your way out, I think you'll want an L. Number two, Envy...
- Can we speed this up a bit? I've got about two hundred and eighteen counts of Wrath but a clean slate on Envy, Sloth, Covetousness and Gluttony.
- Wait a minute... cross, tick, cross, cross, cross. I must say, I wish everyone would be this cooperative. Oops! One left. How are you on Lust?
- Um, let me see, I suppose I shouldn't really have raped Ketty. But, well...
- She said no but she meant yes?
- What I was going to say was that I only did it to get close to Milady. She's the one I was actually after.
- Let me check the records. You raped Milady's maid so you could impersonate her lover and get into her bed? I'm afraid...
- But look! It's not as bad as it sounds. I was only doing that to save Constance, there was no other way. She'd been kidnapped and I was afraid she'd be killed...
- Constance was your wife?
- Ah, in fact she was married to someone else. But I really loved her, so...
- Anyway, the important thing was that you saved her life?
- Look, I did my best, right? But that psycho bitch Milady went and poisoned her. It wasn't my fault...
- Excuse me. Monsieur D'Artagnan, I must ask you to consider carefully. This place is all about sincere repentance. Are you completely sure you'd be happy here in Purgatory?
- What do you mean? Of course I want to do it. My heart is pure.
- Let me check again. Well, the thing I like about this job is that you never get a dull day. You're right.
- So I can come in?
- Sure. But make that stone an XL. No, an XXL.
- Deal! Thank you.
- You're welcome. Next please?
- Ah, my name's Richelieu. Listen, I can explain everything...
Match point: Les Trois Mousquetaires
May 24, 2014
For better waters now the little bark
of my indwelling powers raises her sails,
and leaves behind that sea so cruel and dark.
Now shall I sing that second kingdom given
the soul of man wherein to purge its guilt
and so grow worthy to ascend to Heaven.
If the arhitecture of Inferno was a giant funnel with ever receding terraces hosting the souls of the eternally damned in a carefully orchestrated arrangement of crime and its alloted punishment, Purgatory turns out to be its mirror image above ground: starting from sea level, Dante and his guide will have to climb a giant mountain constructed of succesive corniches where the souls seeking absolution for their sins endure the just sentences handed down from the higher authority of Heaven. The grand vision of the Renascentist poet that was only hinted at in the first book, is easier to follow now, as the allegoric parade of saints and sinners mirrors the movements of the demons and the damned below for almost every Canto. The personal quest of Dante to regain the path he lost at the beginning of the poem in the dark wood is again set against the background of the internecine wars between the city states of the Italian Peninsula, reiterating the major themes expressed down in Inferno: the separation of the spiritual from the secular power, the link between the classical world of Greco-Roman culture and Christianity, free will and predestination, the limits of Reason in providing answers to the spiritual needs of the soul.
He is insane who dreams that he may learn
by mortal reasoning the boundless orbit
Three Persons in One Substance fill and turn.
The Cantos, and the Corniches of the Purgatory mountain, are organized by putting in balance seven sins with seven virtues. So, the first major difference between Inferno and Purgatory is that the lessons to be learned here are no longer about sinners being punished, but about how those acknowledging and willing to atone for past mistakes are shown the way to redeem their souls. The virtues reflect what I said earlier about the roots of the poem in both the Classical and the Christian etics, being grouped as three Sacred Virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity) and four Cardinal Virtues (Justice, Prudence, Temperance and Fortitude). What is particular about Dante¡¯s interpretation of Sin, is the gradation of severity and the judgement of vice as a manifestation of love.
Natural love may never fall to error.
The other may, by striving to bad ends,
or by too little, or by too much fervor.
Natural love being considered here the final aspiration and road to salvation for every human being, received as a gift from God at birth by everyone and misplaced along the way by:
- the proud, the envious, the wrathful as examples of bad love;
- the slothful as examples of too little love;
- the avaricious, the gluttons, the lustful as examples of immoderate love.
Ah, what a difference between these trails
and those of Hell: here every entrance fills
with joyous song, and there with savage wails!
If Dante is guided and encouraged along the way by the power of Reason illustrated by the spirit of Virgil assisted now by another classical poet named Statius, my support in decoding the text came from the commentaries of John Ciardi and the erudite posts and illustrations by fellow Goodreaders in the Commedia group. In all honesty, without this help the second part of the poem would have been a lot more difficult to enjoy than the first. In the example of the quote above, every step up the mountain is celebrated by a different hymn. I am unfamiliar with the traditions of the Catholic service, but professor MacAllister has this to say about how Dante plans carefully every line of his major opus and leaves nothing to chance:
The whole Purgatorio is built upon the structure of a Mass. The Mass moreover is happening not on the mountain but in church with Dante devoutly following its well known steps.
The allegory is operating on multiple levels, from one Canto to another. One of these levels is the battle between darkness and light, with the Inferno all darkness and the Paradiso all light, making the Purgatory a mixture of the two in its alteration of day and night. As Dante struggles up the mountain another level of allegory comes into play, dealing with gravity as the human soul is burdened at the beginning of the journey with the weight of its sins and worldy preoccupations, shedding them one by one as he witnesses the various examples of the punishment for vice and the rewards of virtues, to arrive at the gates of the Earthly Paradise almost weightless, carried away by its spiritual fervor. As Ciardi remarks :
There is suffering in Purgatory but no torment. The torment of the damned is endless, produces no change in the soul that endures it, and is imposed from without. The suffering of the souls in Purgatory, on the other hand, is temporary, is a means of purification, and is eagerly embraced as an act of the soul¡¯s own will.
The text of Purgatory was for me more convoluted and more ambitious than the one in Inferno, requiring more attention to detail and more frequent referrals to commentaries to decypher the frankly obscure passages where Dante shows off his geography and astronomy interests, transforming some of the stanzas into veritable puzzles ¨C instead of saying ¡®the Sun has just risen¡¯, or ¡®this guy comes from Padua¡¯ he embarks on long , intricate allusions to past events, myths and legends or local rivers, mountains and villages that are completely unfamiliar to the modern reader. Other passages are brilliant in their analysis and exposition, with my favorite probably being the lengthy debate about free will between Dante, Virgil and Statius. I can truly understand how not only historians and poets, but also philosophers and sociologists can choose to study the Commedia in depth over long years. In the context of the period when it was written, I find it amazingly relevant still to the search for meaning and purpose of the individual in the modern world, in the study of the relation between the secular and the spiritual authority, in the passion for knowledge and for preserving the treasures of ancient wisdom:
Mankind sees in the heavens alone the source
of all things, good and evil; as if by Law
they shaped all mortal actions in their course.
If that were truly so, then all Free Will
would be destroyed, and there would be no justice
in giving bliss for virtue, pain for evil.
also : With reason as the principle of conduct, the soul is then responsible for its actions.
I must admit than not all the arguments presented by Dante found resonance with my more atheistic world view. In the case of free will, Dante ultimately argues for abandoning the gift of Reason in favor of attaining Epiphany through unquestioning Faith. At the end of the ascent, Virgil congratulates Dante on conquering all doubts and logically choosing the correct path to salvation, but Virgil as a guide stops at the gates of the Terrestrial Paradise and passes the poet into the hands of Beatrice, as the incarnation of Divine Love.
Here your will is upright, free, and whole,
whatever your own impulse prompts you to:
lord of yourself I crown and mitre you.
The finale of Purgatorio is as beautiful and spectacular as it is confusing, with a magnificent pageant of angels, saints, mythological beasts and allegorical processions, all preparing the way for the next and last part of the trilogy, for leaving the Earth behind and travelling to the nine celestial spheres of the Paradiso, guided this time by Beatrice.
I had a few more quotes I wanted to use in my review, but it¡¯s already early in the morning, and I have to leave for work at 6. I¡¯ll just leave them here, as another example of the numerous avenues of debate and of the rare gems to be found in the text:
On the wars between brothers in the peninsula, with reference to the two families made famous later by Shakespeare (Montagues and Capulets):
O wretched land, search all your coasts, your seas,
the bosom of your hills ¨C where will you find a single part
that knows the joy of peace?
On the nascent Renaissance spirit of curiosity and faith in the power of Reason:
My eyes, always intent to look ahead
to some new thing, finding delight in learning,
lost little time in doing as he said.
On the degradation of Papal authority:
... since the Church has thought to be
two governments at once, she sinks in muck,
befouling both her power and her ministry.
On the inspiration Dante found in the works of the great poets of antiquity:
The sparks that were my seeds of passion came
from the celestial fire which has enkindled
more than a thousand poets; I mean the flame
of the Aeneid, the mother that brought forth,
the nurse that gave suck to my song. Without it
I could not have weighed half a penny¡¯s worth.
On the thirst for knowledge and for spiritual salvation:
This is the day your hungry soul shall be
fed on the golden apples men have sought
on many different boughs so ardently.
On the artist need and passion to express his feelings:
When Love inspires me with delight,
or pain, or longing, I take careful note,
and as he dictates in my soul, I write.
and, finally, a stanza that I find expresses my gratitude and respect for the achievement of this literary titan:
... in my heart a grateful place to feast his name was laid.
Beam me up, Beatrice!
I¡¯m ready for the next stage of the journey!
November 13, 2024
[Following Alan¡¯s previous adventures with Anthony Kiedis in Inferno, found here]
I opened my eyes. I wiped off my face, wet from tears that I may have shed when I dozed. Anthony Keidis prodded me. Little one, he said, it¡¯s time. Purgatory awaits.
Anthony used his silver tongue charm to convince Cato of Utica, the guardian of the shores of Purgatory, to allow us to pass through. He fixed a stern gaze on Cato. It¡¯s His bidding, he said. Alan needs to pass through to meet Him. Are you really going to go against those holiest of wishes? Cato stepped aside. I wiped the tears off of my face. We went forward.
Plunging forward, I saw a sight that confused me beyond explanation. Is that¡ DJ Khaled? On a jet ski?
Anthony nodded. That is The Angel Boatman who ferries souls to the base of the cliff. Soon we will start our journey proper. Humility is required, butterfly. We held fast to Khaled, who whistled and howled as he sped us forward.
We reached the base and began our climb up this region known as the Ante-Purgatory: it contained all manner of souls, all Late Repentants. We came across the Contumacious, who surrendered their souls to God in their final moments. We saw the Indolent, who were late to begin their journey of being saved. Through this climb, souls approached us aplenty. They mentioned that only prayer could save their souls, allowing them to make the climb up with ease. I was frightened. I asked Anthony for reassurance, wanting to clarify the mechanism through which Prayer would save these souls.
Prayer is prayer, sugar, and that is all that matters, he said. Righteous and the wicked of the war and peace, The killing fist of the human beast, P.O.P, Prodigies of Peace P.O.P, Hear me when I'm callin' you from my knees, Praying for a better day anyway.
I bowed my head.
Eventually, we pushed on, coming to the Gate of Purgatory itself. Here stood a fantastic sight. An Angel Guardian. I thought I had seen his beatific face before in such motion picture classics as Elf and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. I was wrong. It was not him. It was one even better.
He walked up to me. I fell at his feet. My lips were dry and I was unable to speak. He leaned forward, propped up my face, and carved seven symbols into my forehead.
He looked at Anthony and smiled while wagging his tongue, allowing us to pass through. I cried.
We entered the First Cornice, a place for the Proud. Looking around, I saw Ayn Rand. I was not interested in a 3-day lecture about the benefits of looking out for yourself. As we walked past, I thought I saw a familiar face carved into stone. Anthony, I asked. Is that Cyrus the Great? It is, pumpkin, he answered. Motherfucker, I thought. Where is management? Who do I speak to about this? Before I could do anything about my dashed pride, I was led on by the man who had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Climbing to the Second Cornice, I looked around. The Envious. It must be. Their eyes were sewn shut by way of punishment, seeing as they had envied all others in their lifetime by using their eyes most of all. I saw a figure in a wheelchair and looked at Anthony excitedly. He allowed me the freedom of movement, so I ran forward. It was Antonio Salieri. I did not speak Italian, but I knew his face. So distinct. So Salieri. Or was it indeed F. Murray Abraham? I was sure it could not be the latter. Regardless, I shed tears and jogged back. We had quite a way to go.
Cinnamon, Anthony said to me, your forehead! I felt it immediately, filled with terror. What was wrong?? Calm, calm! He said. The asterisks on your forehead¡ there are no longer 7! Only 5 remain. I surmised that an asterisk was wiped for each Cornice.
We came to the Third Cornice, where the Wrathful resided. Reader, I cannot possibly explain how many rivers I shed when I saw Zack de la Rocha.
Was it possible that the Divine Powers had made a mistake? I mean, he was not really that angry in reality, was he? I had to show faith. We pushed on.
At this point, I knew the drill. We were headed for the Fourth Cornice, where the Slothful rested. I began to feel the dull agony of being still. Precious, said Anthony, we have to keep going. We go. We move. Keep going. I had no choice, so I wiped my tears off. From the corner of my eyes, I spied Marlon Brando.
I had thought him prolific, but maybe those above disagreed. Passing the Cornice, we rested. Anthony took out a guitar, which was confusing. I allowed him to be as I passed out for a nap. The dream that I had! Almost too surreal to depict, but I shall try. I dreamt of being suspended in a vat filled with molasses-like warmth. I did not want to do anything but remain there for eternity. Even the thought of exerting effort for food and water was too much. A voice thundered from beyond the warmth. Life shouldn¡¯t be a struggle, it said. Life should be a flowing smooth thing. I woke up. Cold sweat.
Push on we must, and push on we did. I decided to stop looking at the faces of the souls in the Cornices. Grant them respect. Save myself the torture and confusion. Passing through the Fifth Cornice (for the Avaricious), I felt the very ground below me shake to its core. What was that?! I asked Anthony. Cookie, he replied, you will soon see. A soul is ascending.
Right he was. Just ahead, I saw a face that gave me the shock of my life.
John Mayer?!?!?! I yelled. He turned around. Oh, hi folks, he replied. John, Johnny, Johnnoooo. Yes. That¡¯s me. A recovered ego addict. Your name? He asked. I am a nobody to you, sir, I replied. We are all brother, he said. I agree with you. He gave Anthony a knowing smile, shaking his hand, but not asking for his name. Acquaintances, I suppose. Mind if I tag along with you folks? He asked. If we are headed where I think we are headed, I am also headed there. Shall we head?
The rest of the journey was a fever dream. We passed the Sixth Cornice (the Gluttons) and the Seventh Cornice (The Lustful). I followed behind Anthony and John, hoping to overhear some of their conversation. They spoke of shows past, relationships squandered, respect gained. John seemed to be going on about a song he had written previously. You know, he said, the thing with the song is¡ the story of the song is¡ it¡¯s not saying I am out of here, you know? It¡¯s actually saying I am just gonna stay here until it gets good. Which is very sweet. There is so much hope in saying I am gonna stay right here. I don¡¯t always put out albums that the world wants to hear. But over time, they become important pieces of a catalogue. At some point, you look back and go, thank God I have those songs! Sometimes they don¡¯t do very well, but who cares about that! If you have works, you should put them out. I realized I wasn¡¯t crazy for wanting to write these songs. This song was not a commercial race horse, but an ongoing document of how I feel and how I felt. You know? Anthony was nodding. I was confused.
Before long, we came to the top of the Mountain of Purgatory. The first thing I saw was a roaring Wall of Fire, taller than any free standing structure I had seen in my life. As we approached this monstrosity, I found myself thinking, there is no fucking way. The script writer for this moment is taking too many artistic liberties. Is that Gala Rizzatto, the singer/songwriter who put out the smash hit and enlightenment anthem Freed From Desire? It was. She was the Angel of Chastity, telling me to step through the fire, in order to be freed from desire. I looked back. Anthony and John were smiling. I walked through, knowing that doing so would purify my mind and senses.
I came out on the other side to an Earthly Paradise, a vast green space with a beautiful castle in the background.
In front of me stood a final Angel Guardian, ready to remove the last asterisk from my forehead.
With this task done, I turned back to look at my guide and my newfound friend. Anthony smiled and nodded. Don¡¯t Forget Me, he said. You are the master of your own impulses now, Buttercup.
I turned around and walked up to the steps of the castle. Here it was that I heard a deafening noise, the unrestrained feedback of an amp. A Heavenly Pageant was approaching. It was led by 7 golden candelabra. Behind them came 24 elders, each holding a jar of sand. Behind them followed 4 beasts, guarding a triumphal chariot. This chariot was being drawn by an immense beagle. At the right wheel of the chariot walked three middle-aged men with dyed black hair and a punk-rock look to them, while to the left of the chariot walked two men, though both were sporting alien-esque, technology/space-age masks that hid their faces. Behind them walked a single individual. Tall enough, scrawny, almost sleepy. A short but yet still ragged beard. He approached me slowly, asking me the most undecipherable question. Do you know Killer Mike and El-P? He whispered. I nodded slowly. The procession stopped in front of me.
Overwhelmed by awe, I turned to share the moment with Anthony. He was gone. I fell to the floor, weeping. Before I could get too carried away, sweeping guitar notes rang out from the sky. A white glow blinded me. I shaded my eyes, and upon their acclimation to the source, slowly peeked at the sight from between my fingers. This is what I saw.
This magnificent figure descended, landing in front of me. I was speechless.
He said one thing and one thing only: I feel that when you talk about something, you know, you just ruin what you¡¯re talking about. He grabbed my hand and walked me over to an electric guitar set up. There stood a 1962 Fender Stratocaster. He motioned for me to sit down. I was unable to keep track of my movement, but found myself staring up at him. He .
Tears.
I rose, ¡°perfect, pure, and ready for the stars¡±. Time to enter Paradiso.
I opened my eyes. I wiped off my face, wet from tears that I may have shed when I dozed. Anthony Keidis prodded me. Little one, he said, it¡¯s time. Purgatory awaits.
Anthony used his silver tongue charm to convince Cato of Utica, the guardian of the shores of Purgatory, to allow us to pass through. He fixed a stern gaze on Cato. It¡¯s His bidding, he said. Alan needs to pass through to meet Him. Are you really going to go against those holiest of wishes? Cato stepped aside. I wiped the tears off of my face. We went forward.
Plunging forward, I saw a sight that confused me beyond explanation. Is that¡ DJ Khaled? On a jet ski?
Anthony nodded. That is The Angel Boatman who ferries souls to the base of the cliff. Soon we will start our journey proper. Humility is required, butterfly. We held fast to Khaled, who whistled and howled as he sped us forward.
We reached the base and began our climb up this region known as the Ante-Purgatory: it contained all manner of souls, all Late Repentants. We came across the Contumacious, who surrendered their souls to God in their final moments. We saw the Indolent, who were late to begin their journey of being saved. Through this climb, souls approached us aplenty. They mentioned that only prayer could save their souls, allowing them to make the climb up with ease. I was frightened. I asked Anthony for reassurance, wanting to clarify the mechanism through which Prayer would save these souls.
Prayer is prayer, sugar, and that is all that matters, he said. Righteous and the wicked of the war and peace, The killing fist of the human beast, P.O.P, Prodigies of Peace P.O.P, Hear me when I'm callin' you from my knees, Praying for a better day anyway.
I bowed my head.
Eventually, we pushed on, coming to the Gate of Purgatory itself. Here stood a fantastic sight. An Angel Guardian. I thought I had seen his beatific face before in such motion picture classics as Elf and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. I was wrong. It was not him. It was one even better.
He walked up to me. I fell at his feet. My lips were dry and I was unable to speak. He leaned forward, propped up my face, and carved seven symbols into my forehead.
He looked at Anthony and smiled while wagging his tongue, allowing us to pass through. I cried.
We entered the First Cornice, a place for the Proud. Looking around, I saw Ayn Rand. I was not interested in a 3-day lecture about the benefits of looking out for yourself. As we walked past, I thought I saw a familiar face carved into stone. Anthony, I asked. Is that Cyrus the Great? It is, pumpkin, he answered. Motherfucker, I thought. Where is management? Who do I speak to about this? Before I could do anything about my dashed pride, I was led on by the man who had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Climbing to the Second Cornice, I looked around. The Envious. It must be. Their eyes were sewn shut by way of punishment, seeing as they had envied all others in their lifetime by using their eyes most of all. I saw a figure in a wheelchair and looked at Anthony excitedly. He allowed me the freedom of movement, so I ran forward. It was Antonio Salieri. I did not speak Italian, but I knew his face. So distinct. So Salieri. Or was it indeed F. Murray Abraham? I was sure it could not be the latter. Regardless, I shed tears and jogged back. We had quite a way to go.
Cinnamon, Anthony said to me, your forehead! I felt it immediately, filled with terror. What was wrong?? Calm, calm! He said. The asterisks on your forehead¡ there are no longer 7! Only 5 remain. I surmised that an asterisk was wiped for each Cornice.
We came to the Third Cornice, where the Wrathful resided. Reader, I cannot possibly explain how many rivers I shed when I saw Zack de la Rocha.
Was it possible that the Divine Powers had made a mistake? I mean, he was not really that angry in reality, was he? I had to show faith. We pushed on.
At this point, I knew the drill. We were headed for the Fourth Cornice, where the Slothful rested. I began to feel the dull agony of being still. Precious, said Anthony, we have to keep going. We go. We move. Keep going. I had no choice, so I wiped my tears off. From the corner of my eyes, I spied Marlon Brando.
I had thought him prolific, but maybe those above disagreed. Passing the Cornice, we rested. Anthony took out a guitar, which was confusing. I allowed him to be as I passed out for a nap. The dream that I had! Almost too surreal to depict, but I shall try. I dreamt of being suspended in a vat filled with molasses-like warmth. I did not want to do anything but remain there for eternity. Even the thought of exerting effort for food and water was too much. A voice thundered from beyond the warmth. Life shouldn¡¯t be a struggle, it said. Life should be a flowing smooth thing. I woke up. Cold sweat.
Push on we must, and push on we did. I decided to stop looking at the faces of the souls in the Cornices. Grant them respect. Save myself the torture and confusion. Passing through the Fifth Cornice (for the Avaricious), I felt the very ground below me shake to its core. What was that?! I asked Anthony. Cookie, he replied, you will soon see. A soul is ascending.
Right he was. Just ahead, I saw a face that gave me the shock of my life.
John Mayer?!?!?! I yelled. He turned around. Oh, hi folks, he replied. John, Johnny, Johnnoooo. Yes. That¡¯s me. A recovered ego addict. Your name? He asked. I am a nobody to you, sir, I replied. We are all brother, he said. I agree with you. He gave Anthony a knowing smile, shaking his hand, but not asking for his name. Acquaintances, I suppose. Mind if I tag along with you folks? He asked. If we are headed where I think we are headed, I am also headed there. Shall we head?
The rest of the journey was a fever dream. We passed the Sixth Cornice (the Gluttons) and the Seventh Cornice (The Lustful). I followed behind Anthony and John, hoping to overhear some of their conversation. They spoke of shows past, relationships squandered, respect gained. John seemed to be going on about a song he had written previously. You know, he said, the thing with the song is¡ the story of the song is¡ it¡¯s not saying I am out of here, you know? It¡¯s actually saying I am just gonna stay here until it gets good. Which is very sweet. There is so much hope in saying I am gonna stay right here. I don¡¯t always put out albums that the world wants to hear. But over time, they become important pieces of a catalogue. At some point, you look back and go, thank God I have those songs! Sometimes they don¡¯t do very well, but who cares about that! If you have works, you should put them out. I realized I wasn¡¯t crazy for wanting to write these songs. This song was not a commercial race horse, but an ongoing document of how I feel and how I felt. You know? Anthony was nodding. I was confused.
Before long, we came to the top of the Mountain of Purgatory. The first thing I saw was a roaring Wall of Fire, taller than any free standing structure I had seen in my life. As we approached this monstrosity, I found myself thinking, there is no fucking way. The script writer for this moment is taking too many artistic liberties. Is that Gala Rizzatto, the singer/songwriter who put out the smash hit and enlightenment anthem Freed From Desire? It was. She was the Angel of Chastity, telling me to step through the fire, in order to be freed from desire. I looked back. Anthony and John were smiling. I walked through, knowing that doing so would purify my mind and senses.
I came out on the other side to an Earthly Paradise, a vast green space with a beautiful castle in the background.
In front of me stood a final Angel Guardian, ready to remove the last asterisk from my forehead.
With this task done, I turned back to look at my guide and my newfound friend. Anthony smiled and nodded. Don¡¯t Forget Me, he said. You are the master of your own impulses now, Buttercup.
I turned around and walked up to the steps of the castle. Here it was that I heard a deafening noise, the unrestrained feedback of an amp. A Heavenly Pageant was approaching. It was led by 7 golden candelabra. Behind them came 24 elders, each holding a jar of sand. Behind them followed 4 beasts, guarding a triumphal chariot. This chariot was being drawn by an immense beagle. At the right wheel of the chariot walked three middle-aged men with dyed black hair and a punk-rock look to them, while to the left of the chariot walked two men, though both were sporting alien-esque, technology/space-age masks that hid their faces. Behind them walked a single individual. Tall enough, scrawny, almost sleepy. A short but yet still ragged beard. He approached me slowly, asking me the most undecipherable question. Do you know Killer Mike and El-P? He whispered. I nodded slowly. The procession stopped in front of me.
Overwhelmed by awe, I turned to share the moment with Anthony. He was gone. I fell to the floor, weeping. Before I could get too carried away, sweeping guitar notes rang out from the sky. A white glow blinded me. I shaded my eyes, and upon their acclimation to the source, slowly peeked at the sight from between my fingers. This is what I saw.
This magnificent figure descended, landing in front of me. I was speechless.
He said one thing and one thing only: I feel that when you talk about something, you know, you just ruin what you¡¯re talking about. He grabbed my hand and walked me over to an electric guitar set up. There stood a 1962 Fender Stratocaster. He motioned for me to sit down. I was unable to keep track of my movement, but found myself staring up at him. He .
Tears.
I rose, ¡°perfect, pure, and ready for the stars¡±. Time to enter Paradiso.
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October 26, 2024Planinarenje - moj prvi uspon jer u paklu je ekipa - uz ?istili?ni breg Danteu kao metafizi?kom putniku omogu?ava da se rastereti neposredno do?ivljenog i da sa sebe u vertikalnom vinu?u ispere breme smrtnih grehova. U ontolo?kom kompozicionom ceremonijalu, svaka etapa obele?ena je brisanjem po jednog od grehovnih ?igova utisnutih na pesnikovo ?elo ne bi li se naposletku zacaklio spr?t suzama i kojim "kubikom" Letine teku?ine...
Purgatorijum je u izvesnom smislu simetri?no izokrenuta predstava i reljef pakla, pa se tako odre?eni motivi i analogoni prepoznaju u svom (razli?itom) ponavljanju od an?eoskog prevoznika du?a (Angelos trans namesto Haron tursa), Petrovih dveri namesto beznadnih vratnica pakla, Lete namesto Aheronta, tipologije zveradi do motiva senke koju ?iv stvor za sobom ostavlja... Gre?nici, mada je bolje izna?ena re? pokajnici, i ovde se mu?e, ali je patnja svojevoljna i presudno obele?ena nadom kao budu?nosnim boljitkom, koji s katabazom izostaje. Pati se bez pretnji, sa ?vrstim pouzdanjem u nebesku planimetriju. Okretanja unazad nema (jo? jedan zna?ajan ikonografski element). Du?e su pro?itane licem u lice.* Udeo slobodne volje i vlastita preduzimljivost vosak su za svetlost. Stoga umesto krika, uzdaha, jecanja, pla?a i srditih povika nastupa miloglasno pojanje (korelativ proiznikao iz mise), a gustinu paklenih slika smenjuju prozra?nije, apstraktnije, smirenije i pastoralnije predstave (locus amoenus), oslobo?ene ovozemaljskog koje je povesno, politi?ko i mra?nije. I dok su gre?nici okupirani zemaljskim doga?ajima jer je to ono iznad njih (Pakao), pokajnike interesuje ono nebesko u ?ta dogledaju (?istili?te). I Danteov pogled uperen je navi?e, ka sazve??ima i zvezdama, naro?ito jer se no?u kroz ?istili?te ne putuje, a kulminacija je ponajpre u Onoj koja ?e skinuti veo i nama, uprkos tome, ostati nesaznana...
*U vezi sa ovim, ?tioci bi mogli svratiti pa?nju na pravoslavno-jereti?ki koncept mitarstva kao ne?ega ?to bi bilo najpribli?nije ideji ?istili?ta.
Purgatorijum je u izvesnom smislu simetri?no izokrenuta predstava i reljef pakla, pa se tako odre?eni motivi i analogoni prepoznaju u svom (razli?itom) ponavljanju od an?eoskog prevoznika du?a (Angelos trans namesto Haron tursa), Petrovih dveri namesto beznadnih vratnica pakla, Lete namesto Aheronta, tipologije zveradi do motiva senke koju ?iv stvor za sobom ostavlja... Gre?nici, mada je bolje izna?ena re? pokajnici, i ovde se mu?e, ali je patnja svojevoljna i presudno obele?ena nadom kao budu?nosnim boljitkom, koji s katabazom izostaje. Pati se bez pretnji, sa ?vrstim pouzdanjem u nebesku planimetriju. Okretanja unazad nema (jo? jedan zna?ajan ikonografski element). Du?e su pro?itane licem u lice.* Udeo slobodne volje i vlastita preduzimljivost vosak su za svetlost. Stoga umesto krika, uzdaha, jecanja, pla?a i srditih povika nastupa miloglasno pojanje (korelativ proiznikao iz mise), a gustinu paklenih slika smenjuju prozra?nije, apstraktnije, smirenije i pastoralnije predstave (locus amoenus), oslobo?ene ovozemaljskog koje je povesno, politi?ko i mra?nije. I dok su gre?nici okupirani zemaljskim doga?ajima jer je to ono iznad njih (Pakao), pokajnike interesuje ono nebesko u ?ta dogledaju (?istili?te). I Danteov pogled uperen je navi?e, ka sazve??ima i zvezdama, naro?ito jer se no?u kroz ?istili?te ne putuje, a kulminacija je ponajpre u Onoj koja ?e skinuti veo i nama, uprkos tome, ostati nesaznana...
*U vezi sa ovim, ?tioci bi mogli svratiti pa?nju na pravoslavno-jereti?ki koncept mitarstva kao ne?ega ?to bi bilo najpribli?nije ideji ?istili?ta.
November 2, 2022
Purgatory is not directly mentioned in most versions of the Bible; but in the Catholic faith, the idea of Purgatory holds considerable importance. It is an ¡°in-between¡± afterlife realm ¨C a place where less-than-perfect people who are not ready for heaven, but who nonetheless do not deserve damnation, are purified of their sins. And because Purgatory was such an important concept to the people of Dante Alighieri¡¯s time, it should be no surprise that when Dante composed his Divine Comedy (c. 1308-20) ¨C with its first third being the Inferno, about Hell, and its last third being the Paradiso, about Heaven ¨C the middle installment is titled Purgatorio, and deals with Dante¡¯s passage through Purgatory.
Exiled from his beloved Florence because of his loyalty to the losing side in a Florentine civil conflict, Dante created a world of his own, in what remains perhaps the single greatest feat of the human literary imagination. In the Inferno, Dante the Poet creates a protagonist who is a version of himself ¨C and Dante the Pilgrim, as protagonist, journeys through the concentric and ever-descending Circles of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil and observing how the punishment of forever-damned sinners always somehow matches their crimes.
Making his way to the very bottom of Hell, Dante the Pilgrim then finds, at the beginning of the Purgatorio, that he and Virgil are suddenly ascending. As Hell is a pit of suffering and hopelessness, where things gets worse the farther one descends, so Purgatory is a mountain, where things become more hopeful each time a sinner who is expiating his or her sins moves up a level. And throughout the Purgatorio, Dante the Pilgrim learns more and more about the process by which flawed, imperfect human beings seek redemption for the sins for which they have learned to be genuinely sorry.
Readers who know the Inferno, and who are familiar with the complex array of circles and bolgias into which Dante the Poet organizes his Hell, will not be surprised to learn that the geography of the Purgatorio is comparably intricate. First, at the very bottom of the Mountain of Purgatory that takes up almost all of Purgatory Island ¨C before one can even get into Purgatory proper ¨C there is the Antepurgatory, where those who repented late in life must wait for admission to Purgatory.
It is striking to note that the administrator of the Antepurgatory, who sorts out the arriving souls and tells them where they must go, is no less a Roman personage than Cato the Younger (95-46 B.C.) ¨C the senator who, in defence of the Roman Republic, sided with Pompey against Julius Caesar in the Roman Civil War, and later took his own life rather than surrender to the victorious Caesar at war¡¯s end.
The alert reader may already be thinking that Cato, by the rules of Dante the Poet¡¯s moral universe, should be ineligible to administer the Antepurgatory for two important reasons. First, he lived and died before the time of Jesus of Nazareth, and was not associated with the prophets and kings of the Old Testament; therefore, he should not be able to live anywhere higher than the abode of the Virtuous Pagans in Limbo, the First Circle of Hell. Second, as Cato took his own life ¨C even if his action comported with the tenets of the Stoic philosophy in which he believed ¨C he committed a mortal sin according to Catholc doctrine, and should theoretically be consigned to the Wood of the Suicides in the Inferno¡¯s Seventh Circle, there to be transformed into a brittle and twisted tree that is forever torn by Harpies.
To all of which Dante the Poet might say, ¡°Che importa?¡± (¡°Who cares?¡±) Like any good storyteller, he knows that part of telling a good story is setting up a fictive universe with internally consistent rules ¨C and being willing to violate those rules, when following those rules too closely would get in the way of the story. For Dante the Poet, Cato the Younger embodies the best of the classical Roman virtues that, for centuries, preserved a united Italian republic ¨C a republic that was lost in the chaos that followed the assassination of Julius Caesar, and that was still lost 13 centuries later, in the divided and fractious Italian states of Dante¡¯s time. Therefore, Dante eases up on the rules, and Cato ¨C stern and duty-bound, and yet not without compassion ¨C emerges as one of the most memorable characters of the Purgatorio.
Eventually, Dante the Pilgrim and his guide Virgil arrive at the gates of Purgatory itself. A bright and shining guardian angel accedes to Dante¡¯s humble request to be admitted to Purgatory ¨C but before the Pilgrim can enter, there is a preparatory ritual that the angel must perform:
[W]ith his sword he traced upon my brow
The scars of seven P¡¯s. ¡°Once entered here,
Be sure you cleanse away these wounds,¡± he said. (p. 99)
As translator Mark Musa of Indiana University explains in a characteristically helpful footnote, ¡°The letter P stands for the Latin peccatum, ¡®sin¡¯¡±, and ¡°The seven P¡¯s carved on the Pilgrim¡¯s forehead represent the stains of the seven Capital Sins that the Penitents must purge by their suffering on the mountain of Purgatory before their souls are ready to enter the Kingdom of Heaven¡± (p. 106). Part of the pleasure of reading this set of Penguin Classics translations of the Divine Comedy is benefitting from Musa¡¯s encyclopedic knowledge of the world and world-view of Dante the Poet.
Readers of the Inferno will recall that Dante the Poet is amazingly conscientious about categorizing sins and their punishments. His fictive Hell has areas designated for a wide variety of sinners including the Indecisive, the Lustful, the Gluttonous, the Wrathful, and the Violent, as well as Hoarders, Spendthrifts, Suicides, Heretics, Panders, Seducers, Flatterers, Simonists, Barrators, Hypocrites, Thieves, and various kinds of Traitors. Dante the Poet was nothing if not thorough.
The classifications in the Purgatorio, by contrast, are not quite so exhaustive. In Purgatory, there are just seven ascending terraces, corresponding with the Seven Deadly Sins. And on those terraces, sinners expiate their offenses against God in a punishment-fits-the-crime manner somewhat similar to what one sees in the Inferno:
1. The Proud, who sought to exalt themselves above others in life, are bowed down by the heavy stones that they carry on the First Terrace.
2. The Envious, who looked with selfish jealousy upon the good things enjoyed by others, must wander blindly along the Second Terrace, with their eyes sewn shut.
3. The Wrathful, whose anger in life prevented them from seeing clearly, walk amidst heavy smoke that obscures their view of the Third Terrace.
4. The Slothful, who could not be bothered to exert themselves on behalf of anything good or virtuous, run perpetually along the Fourth Terrace.
5. The Avaricious, who thought in life that the possession of money would give them power, are prostrated on the Fifth Terrace, and are thus reminded that only spiritual wealth matters.
6. The Gluttonous, who once sated in an excessive manner, their hunger for food, must starve on the Sixth Terrace while they learn the lessons of temperance.
7. The Lustful, who burned with sexual passion in life, must do penance in the fires of the Seventh Terrace, while they wait to pass beyond the bounds of the penitential terraces of Purgatory.
The process through which a soul ascends through the various levels of Purgatory before achieving purgation for earthly sins and becoming ready for Paradise is illustrated not only through Dante the Pilgrim¡¯s own ascent (each time he goes up another level, an angel wipes one of those P¡¯s for peccatum or sin off his forehead), but also through another real-life historical personage with whom Dante the Poet takes certain historical liberties ¨C the poet Statius (c. 45-96 A.D.).
As Dante the Poet tells it, Statius overtakes Dante the Pilgrim and his guide Virgil on the Terrace of the Avaricious, and explains that ¡°My name is Statius, still well known on Earth./I sang of Thebes, then of Achilles¡¯ might¡± (p. 231) ¨C all true enough, as the Thebaid and the unfinished Achilleid are his best-known works. He later adds some further details that are not supported by the historical record:
I was baptized,
But was a secret Christian out of fear,
Pretending to be pagan many years;
And for this lack of zeal I had to run
400 years on the Fourth Circle. (p. 239)
Please note that there is not a shred of evidence that Statius ever became a Christian; but he lived in a time when a Roman could theoretically become a Christian, and that is enough for the thematic purposes of Dante the Poet.
Statius¡¯ time in Purgatory is ending by the time he meets Virgil and Dante the Pilgrim, and he can continue upward towards Paradise. His fate in this regard is happier than that of Virgil ¨C who, as a virtuous pagan who lived and died before the time of Christ, must spend eternity in Limbo, the First Circle of Hell. Virgil leaves Dante the Pilgrim at the top of the staircase that leads from the Seventh Terrace into the Earthly Paradise, telling the Pilgrim, ¡°Expect no longer words or signs from me,/Now is your will upright, wholesome, and free¡I crown and miter you lord of yourself!¡± (p. 294)
On that note, Dante the Pilgrim proceeds into the Earthly Paradise ¨C the Garden of Eden, closed to human beings on Earth ever since the sin of Adam and Eve as described in Chapter 3 of Genesis. There is a moving moment when the Pilgrim turns to his left, excited to share his impressions with his long-time guide, and then notes with sadness, ¡°But Virgil was not there. We found ourselves without Virgil¡± (p. 322). Thus ends one of the most memorable friendships in all of literature.
And then, in a moment that is always much anticipated by readers of the Divine Comedy, Dante the Pilgrim meets Beatrice. The historical Beatrice Portinari (1266-90) seems to have been the great love of Dante the Poet¡¯s life; they met as children (he was 9, she was 8), and he seems to have fallen in love with her at first sight. She married another man, before dying young at age 25, and Dante the Poet married another woman; but Beatrice seems always to have been Dante¡¯s poetic muse and his inspiration.
Considering the depths of emotion that the real-life Beatrice inspired within Dante the Poet, some readers of the Divine Comedy may be somewhat disappointed that, when Dante the Pilgrim finally gets to meet his long-loved and long-lost Beatrice, the meeting is a rather cold one. The Pilgrim notes the sharpness of Beatrice¡¯s words and ¡°the regal sternness of her face¡±, as she says to him,
¡°Yes, look at me! Yes, I am Beatrice!
So, you at last have deigned to climb the mount?
You learned at last that here lies human bliss?¡± (p. 323)
It is, to say the least, not the kind of lovers¡¯ reunion that one would expect to see in a Hollywood blockbuster. But Beatrice, purified of all earthly imperfections, is intent upon providing Dante the Pilgrim with the guidance that he needs before he can be ready to enter Paradise, so that Dante the Poet can bring The Divine Comedy to its conclusion.
As Judith Thurman points out in a recent New Yorker article, ¡°Many readers don¡¯t get farther with Dante than Inferno, for obvious reasons: depravity is a more compelling subject than virtue¡±. Yet the Purgatorio captures an important aspect of the medieval Catholic mindset of Dante¡¯s time.
And that idea of Purgatory, while arguably not Biblical, certainly has parallels in other faith traditions ¨C what Shakespeare scholars Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine describe as ¡°the human need to believe in a just and merciful cosmos ¨C one in which ordinary people, neither hardened sinners nor perfect saints, may undergo correction, balance life¡¯s accounts, satisfy old debts, cleanse accumulated defilements, and heal troubled memories.¡± As long as there is that human need to find balance, order, and justice in the universe, the Purgatorio will speak to readers just as powerfully as the other books of the Divine Comedy.
Exiled from his beloved Florence because of his loyalty to the losing side in a Florentine civil conflict, Dante created a world of his own, in what remains perhaps the single greatest feat of the human literary imagination. In the Inferno, Dante the Poet creates a protagonist who is a version of himself ¨C and Dante the Pilgrim, as protagonist, journeys through the concentric and ever-descending Circles of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil and observing how the punishment of forever-damned sinners always somehow matches their crimes.
Making his way to the very bottom of Hell, Dante the Pilgrim then finds, at the beginning of the Purgatorio, that he and Virgil are suddenly ascending. As Hell is a pit of suffering and hopelessness, where things gets worse the farther one descends, so Purgatory is a mountain, where things become more hopeful each time a sinner who is expiating his or her sins moves up a level. And throughout the Purgatorio, Dante the Pilgrim learns more and more about the process by which flawed, imperfect human beings seek redemption for the sins for which they have learned to be genuinely sorry.
Readers who know the Inferno, and who are familiar with the complex array of circles and bolgias into which Dante the Poet organizes his Hell, will not be surprised to learn that the geography of the Purgatorio is comparably intricate. First, at the very bottom of the Mountain of Purgatory that takes up almost all of Purgatory Island ¨C before one can even get into Purgatory proper ¨C there is the Antepurgatory, where those who repented late in life must wait for admission to Purgatory.
It is striking to note that the administrator of the Antepurgatory, who sorts out the arriving souls and tells them where they must go, is no less a Roman personage than Cato the Younger (95-46 B.C.) ¨C the senator who, in defence of the Roman Republic, sided with Pompey against Julius Caesar in the Roman Civil War, and later took his own life rather than surrender to the victorious Caesar at war¡¯s end.
The alert reader may already be thinking that Cato, by the rules of Dante the Poet¡¯s moral universe, should be ineligible to administer the Antepurgatory for two important reasons. First, he lived and died before the time of Jesus of Nazareth, and was not associated with the prophets and kings of the Old Testament; therefore, he should not be able to live anywhere higher than the abode of the Virtuous Pagans in Limbo, the First Circle of Hell. Second, as Cato took his own life ¨C even if his action comported with the tenets of the Stoic philosophy in which he believed ¨C he committed a mortal sin according to Catholc doctrine, and should theoretically be consigned to the Wood of the Suicides in the Inferno¡¯s Seventh Circle, there to be transformed into a brittle and twisted tree that is forever torn by Harpies.
To all of which Dante the Poet might say, ¡°Che importa?¡± (¡°Who cares?¡±) Like any good storyteller, he knows that part of telling a good story is setting up a fictive universe with internally consistent rules ¨C and being willing to violate those rules, when following those rules too closely would get in the way of the story. For Dante the Poet, Cato the Younger embodies the best of the classical Roman virtues that, for centuries, preserved a united Italian republic ¨C a republic that was lost in the chaos that followed the assassination of Julius Caesar, and that was still lost 13 centuries later, in the divided and fractious Italian states of Dante¡¯s time. Therefore, Dante eases up on the rules, and Cato ¨C stern and duty-bound, and yet not without compassion ¨C emerges as one of the most memorable characters of the Purgatorio.
Eventually, Dante the Pilgrim and his guide Virgil arrive at the gates of Purgatory itself. A bright and shining guardian angel accedes to Dante¡¯s humble request to be admitted to Purgatory ¨C but before the Pilgrim can enter, there is a preparatory ritual that the angel must perform:
[W]ith his sword he traced upon my brow
The scars of seven P¡¯s. ¡°Once entered here,
Be sure you cleanse away these wounds,¡± he said. (p. 99)
As translator Mark Musa of Indiana University explains in a characteristically helpful footnote, ¡°The letter P stands for the Latin peccatum, ¡®sin¡¯¡±, and ¡°The seven P¡¯s carved on the Pilgrim¡¯s forehead represent the stains of the seven Capital Sins that the Penitents must purge by their suffering on the mountain of Purgatory before their souls are ready to enter the Kingdom of Heaven¡± (p. 106). Part of the pleasure of reading this set of Penguin Classics translations of the Divine Comedy is benefitting from Musa¡¯s encyclopedic knowledge of the world and world-view of Dante the Poet.
Readers of the Inferno will recall that Dante the Poet is amazingly conscientious about categorizing sins and their punishments. His fictive Hell has areas designated for a wide variety of sinners including the Indecisive, the Lustful, the Gluttonous, the Wrathful, and the Violent, as well as Hoarders, Spendthrifts, Suicides, Heretics, Panders, Seducers, Flatterers, Simonists, Barrators, Hypocrites, Thieves, and various kinds of Traitors. Dante the Poet was nothing if not thorough.
The classifications in the Purgatorio, by contrast, are not quite so exhaustive. In Purgatory, there are just seven ascending terraces, corresponding with the Seven Deadly Sins. And on those terraces, sinners expiate their offenses against God in a punishment-fits-the-crime manner somewhat similar to what one sees in the Inferno:
1. The Proud, who sought to exalt themselves above others in life, are bowed down by the heavy stones that they carry on the First Terrace.
2. The Envious, who looked with selfish jealousy upon the good things enjoyed by others, must wander blindly along the Second Terrace, with their eyes sewn shut.
3. The Wrathful, whose anger in life prevented them from seeing clearly, walk amidst heavy smoke that obscures their view of the Third Terrace.
4. The Slothful, who could not be bothered to exert themselves on behalf of anything good or virtuous, run perpetually along the Fourth Terrace.
5. The Avaricious, who thought in life that the possession of money would give them power, are prostrated on the Fifth Terrace, and are thus reminded that only spiritual wealth matters.
6. The Gluttonous, who once sated in an excessive manner, their hunger for food, must starve on the Sixth Terrace while they learn the lessons of temperance.
7. The Lustful, who burned with sexual passion in life, must do penance in the fires of the Seventh Terrace, while they wait to pass beyond the bounds of the penitential terraces of Purgatory.
The process through which a soul ascends through the various levels of Purgatory before achieving purgation for earthly sins and becoming ready for Paradise is illustrated not only through Dante the Pilgrim¡¯s own ascent (each time he goes up another level, an angel wipes one of those P¡¯s for peccatum or sin off his forehead), but also through another real-life historical personage with whom Dante the Poet takes certain historical liberties ¨C the poet Statius (c. 45-96 A.D.).
As Dante the Poet tells it, Statius overtakes Dante the Pilgrim and his guide Virgil on the Terrace of the Avaricious, and explains that ¡°My name is Statius, still well known on Earth./I sang of Thebes, then of Achilles¡¯ might¡± (p. 231) ¨C all true enough, as the Thebaid and the unfinished Achilleid are his best-known works. He later adds some further details that are not supported by the historical record:
I was baptized,
But was a secret Christian out of fear,
Pretending to be pagan many years;
And for this lack of zeal I had to run
400 years on the Fourth Circle. (p. 239)
Please note that there is not a shred of evidence that Statius ever became a Christian; but he lived in a time when a Roman could theoretically become a Christian, and that is enough for the thematic purposes of Dante the Poet.
Statius¡¯ time in Purgatory is ending by the time he meets Virgil and Dante the Pilgrim, and he can continue upward towards Paradise. His fate in this regard is happier than that of Virgil ¨C who, as a virtuous pagan who lived and died before the time of Christ, must spend eternity in Limbo, the First Circle of Hell. Virgil leaves Dante the Pilgrim at the top of the staircase that leads from the Seventh Terrace into the Earthly Paradise, telling the Pilgrim, ¡°Expect no longer words or signs from me,/Now is your will upright, wholesome, and free¡I crown and miter you lord of yourself!¡± (p. 294)
On that note, Dante the Pilgrim proceeds into the Earthly Paradise ¨C the Garden of Eden, closed to human beings on Earth ever since the sin of Adam and Eve as described in Chapter 3 of Genesis. There is a moving moment when the Pilgrim turns to his left, excited to share his impressions with his long-time guide, and then notes with sadness, ¡°But Virgil was not there. We found ourselves without Virgil¡± (p. 322). Thus ends one of the most memorable friendships in all of literature.
And then, in a moment that is always much anticipated by readers of the Divine Comedy, Dante the Pilgrim meets Beatrice. The historical Beatrice Portinari (1266-90) seems to have been the great love of Dante the Poet¡¯s life; they met as children (he was 9, she was 8), and he seems to have fallen in love with her at first sight. She married another man, before dying young at age 25, and Dante the Poet married another woman; but Beatrice seems always to have been Dante¡¯s poetic muse and his inspiration.
Considering the depths of emotion that the real-life Beatrice inspired within Dante the Poet, some readers of the Divine Comedy may be somewhat disappointed that, when Dante the Pilgrim finally gets to meet his long-loved and long-lost Beatrice, the meeting is a rather cold one. The Pilgrim notes the sharpness of Beatrice¡¯s words and ¡°the regal sternness of her face¡±, as she says to him,
¡°Yes, look at me! Yes, I am Beatrice!
So, you at last have deigned to climb the mount?
You learned at last that here lies human bliss?¡± (p. 323)
It is, to say the least, not the kind of lovers¡¯ reunion that one would expect to see in a Hollywood blockbuster. But Beatrice, purified of all earthly imperfections, is intent upon providing Dante the Pilgrim with the guidance that he needs before he can be ready to enter Paradise, so that Dante the Poet can bring The Divine Comedy to its conclusion.
As Judith Thurman points out in a recent New Yorker article, ¡°Many readers don¡¯t get farther with Dante than Inferno, for obvious reasons: depravity is a more compelling subject than virtue¡±. Yet the Purgatorio captures an important aspect of the medieval Catholic mindset of Dante¡¯s time.
And that idea of Purgatory, while arguably not Biblical, certainly has parallels in other faith traditions ¨C what Shakespeare scholars Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine describe as ¡°the human need to believe in a just and merciful cosmos ¨C one in which ordinary people, neither hardened sinners nor perfect saints, may undergo correction, balance life¡¯s accounts, satisfy old debts, cleanse accumulated defilements, and heal troubled memories.¡± As long as there is that human need to find balance, order, and justice in the universe, the Purgatorio will speak to readers just as powerfully as the other books of the Divine Comedy.
March 8, 2017
I wrote down brilliant and original ideas about this classic but left it near candy by my bedside. When I woke up all of it was gone and the dog was wagging her tail(and tale), and looking angelic.
January 4, 2018
George Saunders'?n Arafta kitab?na ba?lamadan ?nce bir kez daha Dante' ye d?nd¨¹m, yazar?n da Arafta ge?en bir kitap yazmadan ?nce ?lahi komedyaya d?nd¨¹?¨¹n¨¹ varsayarak. D?nm¨¹? m¨¹d¨¹r muhtemelen, ancak etkilenme ya da o metne g?ndermeleri yakalayamad?m.
Zaman de?i?iyor, edebiyat de?i?iyor, ?l¨¹ler durur mu onlar da de?i?iyor. Ancak Dante'nin yetkinli?i y¨¹zy?llard?r hi? de?i?miyor. Sadece Araf k?sm?n? de?il ?lahi Komedya'n?n her sat?r?n? o g¨¹zel ?evirisiyle t¨¹m okurlara ?neririm. Bir de Dali'nin bu metne dair ?izimleri e?li?inde okursan?z m¨¹kemmel olur.
Zaman de?i?iyor, edebiyat de?i?iyor, ?l¨¹ler durur mu onlar da de?i?iyor. Ancak Dante'nin yetkinli?i y¨¹zy?llard?r hi? de?i?miyor. Sadece Araf k?sm?n? de?il ?lahi Komedya'n?n her sat?r?n? o g¨¹zel ?evirisiyle t¨¹m okurlara ?neririm. Bir de Dali'nin bu metne dair ?izimleri e?li?inde okursan?z m¨¹kemmel olur.
September 2, 2016
"Kitab? Mukaddes" g?ndermelerinin iyice a??rla?t??? "?lahi Komedya"n?n ikinci b?l¨¹m¨¹ "Purgatori / Araf", "Cehennem"in bir t?k alt?nda da olsa Dante'nin ilk b?l¨¹mdeki ?ovuna devam etti?i bir eser olarak g?ze ?arp?yor. Yazar?n ayn? "Cehennem"de oldu?u gibi "Araf"?n da seviyelerini dola?t??? eserde bu sefer yedi ?l¨¹mc¨¹l g¨¹nahtan (Kibir, A?g?zl¨¹l¨¹k, ?ehvet d¨¹?k¨¹nl¨¹?¨¹, K?skan?l?k, Oburluk, ?fke ve Tembellik) ar?nma s¨¹recindekilerin ?ektiklerini okuma ?ans? buluyoruz. Bunu yaparken ba?ta Floransa olmak ¨¹zere t¨¹m Avrupa'y? ac?mas?zca ele?tiren Dante'nin ana hedefinde ise yozla?an kilise bulunuyor. Platon, Homeros ve Julius Caesar gibi ¨¹nl¨¹ tarihi ki?ilikleri bar?nd?ran "Cehennem"e k?yasla daha az ¨¹nl¨¹ isim bar?nd?ran "Araf"ta daha ?ok zaman?n?n Avrupa tarihini ilgilendiren ki?ilerine g?ndermeler yap?l?yor. Bu y¨¹zden, ikinci b?l¨¹m¨¹ okurken ilk b?l¨¹mdeki keyfi yer yer alam?yorsunuz. Buna ra?men, ?zellikle m¨¹kemmel ?tesi betimlemeleri ve harika metaforlar?yla kendine bir kere daha hayran b?rakan Dante, uzun hissedilen "Araf"?n ard?ndan ayn? kendi gibi sizin de "Cennet"i d?rt g?zle beklemenize neden oluyor.
01.09.2016
?stanbul, T¨¹rkiye
Alp Turgut
01.09.2016
?stanbul, T¨¹rkiye
Alp Turgut
March 1, 2020
"?nlerinde F?rat'la Dicle vard? sanki,
ayn? kaynaktan ??k?yor, sonra ayr?l?yorlard?,
istemeye istemeye ayr?lan dostlar gibi"
Cennet kap?s?nda bekleyenleri izliyoruz, kilise ele?tiriyoruz. Usta'm?z?n s?z¨¹nden ??km?yoruz.
?
ayn? kaynaktan ??k?yor, sonra ayr?l?yorlard?,
istemeye istemeye ayr?lan dostlar gibi"
Cennet kap?s?nda bekleyenleri izliyoruz, kilise ele?tiriyoruz. Usta'm?z?n s?z¨¹nden ??km?yoruz.
?
December 24, 2024
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March 2, 2021
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___________
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___________
????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ???:
"???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ? ??? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ????."
"???? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??? ?? ????
...
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????? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ??? ????.
February 12, 2025
???? ??? ? ????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ? ????? ?? ???? ???
???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ? ?????? ???????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ? ??????? ? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???
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January 10, 2016
?????? ?? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ???? ?????
????? ???? ????? ????? , ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? , ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ????, ???? ????? ????? .
??? ????? ??????? , ??????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ??????? ??????? , ?????????? , ??????? ???????? ?? ???????? , ??????? ????????? , ??????? , ????????? ??? ????? ????? ,
??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??????
???? ???? ????? , ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???????? ????? .
???? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? : " ??? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???????? ???? ? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? " .. ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????
???????? ??? ???? ????? , ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ,
????? ????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? . ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? .
????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? , ??? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? , ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ???? ??? .
????? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????????? ??????? ? "?????? ???????" ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???????? ? ????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ?? .
????? ???? ????? ????? , ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? , ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ????, ???? ????? ????? .
??? ????? ??????? , ??????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ??????? ??????? , ?????????? , ??????? ???????? ?? ???????? , ??????? ????????? , ??????? , ????????? ??? ????? ????? ,
??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??????
???? ???? ????? , ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???????? ????? .
???? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? : " ??? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???????? ???? ? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? " .. ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????
???????? ??? ???? ????? , ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ,
????? ????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? . ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? .
????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? , ??? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? , ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ???? ??? .
????? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????????? ??????? ? "?????? ???????" ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???????? ? ????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ?? .
December 5, 2019
Mai bun dec?t Infernul.
"De aceea zic, iubirea se cuvine
s? fie-n voi s?m?n?? de virtute,
c?t ?i de fapte care-aduc ru?ine."
"De creator nu-i fiin?? desp?r?it?,
s-o po?i concepe st?t?toare-n sine
?i ca atare de-a-l ur?-i ferit?."
"R?vnit e r?ul, dac? judec bine,
ce-i altora, prin voi, p?gubitor
?i-n triplu chip se na?te-n fiecine."
"Tot omul cat? c?tre-o ?int?-nalt?,
c? r?vna lui s?-?i afle-ntr-?nsa pace
?i c?tre ea nedeslu?it se salt?."
"De aceea zic, iubirea se cuvine
s? fie-n voi s?m?n?? de virtute,
c?t ?i de fapte care-aduc ru?ine."
"De creator nu-i fiin?? desp?r?it?,
s-o po?i concepe st?t?toare-n sine
?i ca atare de-a-l ur?-i ferit?."
"R?vnit e r?ul, dac? judec bine,
ce-i altora, prin voi, p?gubitor
?i-n triplu chip se na?te-n fiecine."
"Tot omul cat? c?tre-o ?int?-nalt?,
c? r?vna lui s?-?i afle-ntr-?nsa pace
?i c?tre ea nedeslu?it se salt?."
February 8, 2013
"¡like people going to visit a great city like Paris and only spending a few days in the sewers¡" ...Dorothy Sayers on only reading Inferno and stopping there
Purgatorio is my favorite book of the Divine Comedy. While Inferno is the most popular and arguably the most accessible to the new reader of Dante, it ultimately is a book of despair and hopelessness. I spent a couple of years immersed in Inferno while writing a book on the poem and discovered it was beginning to have a subtle depressing effect on me. Certainly the ghoulies, gore and creative punishments are brilliant literary elements, but it's still a world of sadness, terror, and grief. In additon, it's important to keep in mind that Inferno is only one third (plus one additional canto) of Dante's poem.
Without mentioning any spoilers, the poem begins with Dante washing off the filth of Hell. I felt a similar cleansing as a reader. Unlike Inferno, this is a book of hope and redemption (all souls in Purgatory are destined for Heaven). Although not quite as accessible as Inferno, Purgatory is still very readable and understandable. As in all of the Commedia, the poem operates on multiple levels and demands a lifetime of readings.
Mark Musa is a wonderful translator. Since the Commedia is written in Italian with a complex rhyme scheme, translating to English is more art than science. Rather than try to match the rhyme scheme in vowel-poor English, or stick with straight prose, Musa strikes a nice balance using blank verse (unrhymed Iambic Pentameter). It still has the feel of the poem without sounding forced and preserves the meaning nicely. His notes are great for newbies to Dante, not too deep but enough to get you started.
If you've made it through Inferno, you must read Purgatorio. Get out of the sewers!
Purgatorio is my favorite book of the Divine Comedy. While Inferno is the most popular and arguably the most accessible to the new reader of Dante, it ultimately is a book of despair and hopelessness. I spent a couple of years immersed in Inferno while writing a book on the poem and discovered it was beginning to have a subtle depressing effect on me. Certainly the ghoulies, gore and creative punishments are brilliant literary elements, but it's still a world of sadness, terror, and grief. In additon, it's important to keep in mind that Inferno is only one third (plus one additional canto) of Dante's poem.
Without mentioning any spoilers, the poem begins with Dante washing off the filth of Hell. I felt a similar cleansing as a reader. Unlike Inferno, this is a book of hope and redemption (all souls in Purgatory are destined for Heaven). Although not quite as accessible as Inferno, Purgatory is still very readable and understandable. As in all of the Commedia, the poem operates on multiple levels and demands a lifetime of readings.
Mark Musa is a wonderful translator. Since the Commedia is written in Italian with a complex rhyme scheme, translating to English is more art than science. Rather than try to match the rhyme scheme in vowel-poor English, or stick with straight prose, Musa strikes a nice balance using blank verse (unrhymed Iambic Pentameter). It still has the feel of the poem without sounding forced and preserves the meaning nicely. His notes are great for newbies to Dante, not too deep but enough to get you started.
If you've made it through Inferno, you must read Purgatorio. Get out of the sewers!
September 19, 2016
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March 16, 2020
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May 17, 2019Interesting interpretation of Purgatory. It was certainly a relief after the . I want to read it again before writing a review. On to .
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