There are numerous pieces of literature that tell the story of one's journey in

the afterlife for many Dante's Inferno may be the first of these classical
pieces that comes to mind even if it'snot something you've read the name
may still be familiar but this is just one piece of a three-part work written by
Dante allegieri known as divinia Comedia
The Divine Comedy a narrative poem that follows the journey one must take
after
death as thought of by many during the Middle Ages so join me today as we
follow Dante in his journey through hell purgatory and Paradise
the story is set in the year 1300.

START
Dante wakes up on the evening of Good Friday in a dark wood with no
recollection of how he got there, in the distance he can see a Foothill, a
mountain where the sun shines bright. He decides it must be safer than the
dark forest and so he starts his journey, but as he climbs, he encounters a
leopard and then a lion and then a she-wolf overwhelmed by these animals,
he has no choice but to turn back to the forest. Here he comes across a spirit
known as Virgil, a once famous poet or bard he tells Dante that he can guide
him to Paradise. But first they must Journey Through Hell. Dante himself also
a Storyteller
immediately feels this connection to Virgil and so he trusts him as a guide.
Together they pass through the gates of hell and begin their journey. As one
would imagine this is not a pleasant place. A place where all hope is
abandoned, a city of Eternal woe and pain. The sky was pitch black but not a
single star could be seen. The air was thick with the moans of grief and
sorrow. Dante recount seeing a flag whirling through the air being followed
by a train of naked spirits these Unfortunate Souls were cursed to chase this
unattainable flag while being stung by wasps and hornets. The tears they
wept and the blood from their wounds dripped onto their feet and the ground
was covered in maggots and worms. The only way to escape this torment is
to Journey deeper into hell and the only way to do that is to cross the river
Acheron. When they reached the riverbank, there are countless Souls waiting
for Caron, the ferryman of the Dead,
Caron eventually agrees to take them across the river in his boat when they
arrive on the other side. The Virgil explains to Dante that this is the first
circle of hell known as limbo, the souls who reside here were not necessarily
bad people in terms of sins committed but they did not possess the
necessary Faith many of them rejected Christianity the unbaptized and
virtuous pagans, is how they described they may not have been sinful but
they were still sentenced to an eternity of damnation and denied entry into
Paradise.
In the distance there is a large Citadel which houses many of the Great
philosophers Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and many more before becoming
Dante's guide. This was also the home of Virgil and Dante does also come
across other great poets such as Homer Ovid and Horus. There are also
many great Greek and Roman musicians Statesmen generals and Physicians.
Eventually they, depart and make their way onwards to the second circle of
hell lust. the first Circle was undoubtedly a punishment but those who
resided there still had some Freedom the second Circle onwards is where the
real punishment began. There, to greet Souls as they entered the second
Circle was Minos,
the first king of Crete and son of Zeus. after his death he would become one
of the three judges of Hades. In Dante's interpretation he certainly has a
much more monstrous form. Minos would examine the crimes of those
bought before him and give them a sentence that he felt was fitting. He
would wrap his tail around himself a certain amount of times and that
number would determine which Circle they were sentenced to. The second
circle of hell was intended for those who had succumbed
to lust and many of these were kings queens and rulers such as Cleopatra,
Helen of Troy, Paris, and achilles. Dante views lust as a mutual Indulgence
and therefore sees it as the least heinous of sins the punishment is also
the most lenient. Inside of Hell itself, with help from Virgil, Dante is allowed
past Minos and they enter the third circle of hell gluttony. Here there is an
icy rain that never stops as punishment for their insatiable appetites the
gluttonous are left to wallow and squirm around in the vile and putrid mud
like worms. Gelatinous masses unable to stand or even crawl guarding them
is the three-headed Hound Cerberus who patrols up and down this filthy
Maya flaying and mauling the gluttonous with his claws tearing their spirits
as they helplessly scream. Luckily, Virgil manages to calm Cerberus
and they are able to pass safely through they come across a few spirits who
have
suffered in this circle for some time these Unfortunate Souls no longer have
bodies and resemble not much more than foul smelling liquid. Dante then
meets a spirit that he doesn't recognize called chiacco. Chiacco however
recognizes Dante from back home in Florence. He also gives him the first of
many political prophecies or predictions he inquiries about the state of civil
conflict within Florence and then tells Dante that the party he aligns with will
be expelled with aid from Rome. In the fourth circle of hell, Dante encounters
a figure known as Pluto, a deity of wealth. He soon discovers that this is the
circle of greed where those who cared too much from Material Goods would
be punished they are divided into two separate groups. The first consisted of
those who would hoard their possessions and money and the second
consisted of those who spent their money freely neglected the value of their
possessions and squandered everything. They had these two groups were
cursed to push enormous weights up a hill only to meet each other. In the
Middle where they would argue, “Why do you hoard?” one group would ask
“why do you waste?” the other would respond when they clashed in the
middle, they would knock each other and the weights down to the bottom
only to repeat the process again and again. The hoarders and wasters are
housed together as a punishment forever arguing and screaming never
listening or trying to understand the other's perspective. This is a pretty
accurate description of today's society. Sadly,
as they descend deeper, they reach the river Styx and the fifth circle of hell
is Wrath. The river is more of a swampy mire, where the wrathful fight and
battle the boatmen
arrives. And after a short disagreement with Virgil, he agrees to Ferry them
to
the other side as they journey across the marsh. A soul jumps up and grabs
the boat.
Filippo Argenti, a bitter political rival of Dante back in Florence. The two
exchanged some rather harsh words and Dante wishes for Fillipo to suffer
more
punishment ironically. Dante's Behavior here is not too different from the
souls
that reside in this circle. In the far distance, Dante notices fiery towers and
burning wars. Virgil explains that they are approaching the city of Dis in the
lower portion of hell where the Heretics are housed. When they arrive, they
are denied entry by the Fallen Angels who guard the gates. They grant
virtual passage with only one condition, that he may never return to his own
Circle. At this point, Dante begins to worry that he may never leave hell
himself. Virgil agrees to enter alone and open the gates from the inside for
Dante, but in this task, he is unsuccessful. He returns to Dante with the
angels
slamming the gate shut behind him but he vows to Dante that he will not
abandon
him despite both poets being terrified. Virgil is adamant that their journey
shall continue. For the first time, Dante starts to doubt his guide having seen
Virgil failed. It's also apparent that he has no real plan and things can only
get worse.
He asks Virgil if he's ever been this deep into hell before, and Virgil replies
that he has ventured this deep into hell once before when the Sorceress,
Erichtho, sent him to retrieve a soul for one of her necrotic rituals. All of a
sudden, out of nowhere appeared the furies three female figures stained in
blood with serpents entwined around their bodies to Megaera and to
Symphony. They were far from pleased to see Dante and decided to summon
Medusa to turn him into stone. Virgil warns Dante of Medusa's gaze and
covers his eyes to ensure he isn't turned into stone and trapped in Hell
forever. From the River Styx, emerges a figure that Virgil recognizes and he
tells
Dante to Bow and remain quiet as the Angelic figure approaches. It becomes
clear that it was sent from heaven the furies immediately flee in Terror and
the angels who denied entry are reprimanded. The angel then does what
Virgil could not and opens the gates
allowing the two poets to enter the city of dis or the city of Dieter. It
contains circles six through nine. With circle 6 being located just within its
walls and the rest closer to the center in the circle of heresy. Dante and Virgil
come across a group of Heretics who have been locked inside burning tombs
as punishment these were known as the epicureans. A set of people who
believed when the body died, so did the soul. And so, they valued pleasure
above all Else as it allowed them to enter a state of tranquility so they lived
their lives believing pleasure allowed them to escape all sorts of pain and
discomfort which makes their punishment in hell. Dante comes across two of
the tortured Souls one of which is from Florence but once again is on the
opposite side of Dante politically before leaving this region. The Poets
experience the vilest smell imaginable permeating from the lower regions a
smell was so bad they had to stop and rest. Virgil takes this time to explain
what they will encounter next the next three circles contain smaller circles
inside themselves the circle of violence for example is divided into three
sections. In the first, you have Those who commit an act of violence against
others and their property. In the second, you have those who committed acts
of violence against themselves such as suicide. And lastly, you have those
who committed acts of violence against God or nature. as their time
shortens, they must descend into Circle seven, the circle of violence. Before
entering the circle, they must pass a narrow passage of broken rocks. Here
they encounter the Minotaur, who blocks their path. Virgil begins to mock the
creature asking if its murderer can also be found in the circle of violence,
sending it into a blind rage. The Minotaur charges and ends up severely
wounded rendering itself, unable to continue to chase to the poets. The first
section of circle 7 is reserved for those who committed acts of violence
against their fellow man. There is a river of boiling blood that these
Souls must wade through every day. The level of blood one is submerged in
is
dependent on the severity of the crime. Those who committed murder would
be fully submerged, whereas someone who committed assault may only be
submerged partially. As they approach the river, they see it's guarded by a
group of
centaurs who immediately point their bows at Dante and Virgil, demanding
to
know what business they have here. Virgil then tells them he will only speak
to
their leader these centaurs guard the river not to stop individuals like Dante
and Virgil from entering but to stop. The Souls of this circle from escaping
the
river itself when Chiron notices that Dante is not actually dead, he draws his
bow and
demands Virgil explains their story. He agrees for the centaurs to take the
poets to a shallow point in the river and allow them to cross on one of these
centaur's backs. The Centaur chosen for this task is Nessus, which is very
ironic in itself because in Greek myth, Nessus was a centaur who agreed to
take Heracles and his wife across a river. When he crossed the river with
Heracles’ wife, he then forced himself upon her and left Heracles no choice
but to kill him. In Dante's story, there is no betrayal from nessus, he does as
he was instructed and fairies the two poets across the river. After crossing
the river of blood, they walk through a wood. The trees in this wood are
gnarled and twisted with no leaf in sight all around him. Dante hears moans
and shrieks but other than the two poets, there is no one else in this word
weary that there may be Terrors hiding. Dante urges Virgil to tread quietly,
but Virgil knows where these noises are coming from. Virgil breaks a branch
off the tree and to Dante's surprise blood pours from the branch and the tree
cries out in pain. “oh why have you come to cause me pain I was once a man
just like you”. The second part of this circle is reserved for those who
committed suicide as they did not value their bodies in life. Then in hell,
those bodies would be taken away every day. Harpies would swoop down to
claw and feed off the trees only when they were broken and bleeding where
they permitted to speak. Virgil explains that he meant the tree no harm, but
witnessing it firsthand was the only way Dante would believe him he asked
the tree to tell Dante his story. He was once a man named Pietro de la Vina,
a diplomat under the service of Frederick the second king of Sicily. He was a
reputable man with status until he was accused of treason and locked away
watching his Good Fortune turned to grief was too much for Pietro, and so he
took his own life. Dante determines that this man must have been wrongfully
accused and convicted otherwise he would have been in the circle for traces.
But the fact that he
is here with others who committed suicide means he must have been an
honest man Led down a dark path by others and so he returns the twigs and
branches broken by Virgil and they move on the third part of this circle is a
desolate Barren plain, where flakes of fire fell from the sky it housed those
who committed violence against Art, nature and God. The souls found here
was subjected to a burning Heat. The blasphemers who committed crimes
against God were laid out onto the burning sand while fire rained down on
them unable to move. The sodomites who harm nature were left to run
around the desert through the lava-like sand. Those who committed
crimes against Art were left huddled together all three of these groups were
perpetually screaming out in pain, as the ashy flakes fell to the ground and
caught fire leaving these Sinners to experience an eternal burning.
The two poets traveled through the desert to waving away flakes of fire
whenever they fell near them trying their best not to catch fire Dante stops
when he sees a man who isn't crying out in pain. The Fire doesn't seem to
bother him at all as he lays in the
Sand. This man is Capaneus. During the siege of Thebes, he stood on a
ladder over the walls and screamed that not even Zeus himself could stop
him
entering and laying waste to the city of course arrogance and hubris of this
kind
would not be tolerated by Zeus who then killed Capaneus of a thunderbolt
proving
that he could indeed stop him from entering the city. In Dante's story,
Capaneus is in this circle of hell for blasphemy against Jupiter or jove the
equivalent to Zeus who also struck him down with a bolt of thunder. He
shows no Remorse for his sin, as he
lay there in the burning sand cursing the name of the God who struck him
down. As they continue on, they come across a stream covered in a thick
mist which offers them protection from the fire. Above along this stream,
Dante is recognized by a man who is completely covered in burns. this man
is Brunetto Latini, Dante's mental and guardian when his father passed
away. He asked Dante if he may walk with him and Dante eagerly accepts
suggesting that maybe they should sit down so they can catch up. Brunetto
however tells Dante that he cannot because of his sins he must never
stop wandering the desert so far we've only really seen political
enemies of Dante in hell but Brunetto is one of the first Spirits he meets from
back in Florence who shares his
political beliefs he even warns him that he faces Exile if he somehow escapes
hell and returns to Florence they would eventually come to the end of the
stream and in front of them was the
edge of a cliff and a roaring waterfall below Dante sees three men in front of
him that he recognizes from Florence they asked him not to judge them
based
on their burnt and scarred appearance for they were once famous and
esteemed men
as they were guilty of sodomy they could not stop walking and so they
formed a
circle around Dante asking him of the current political situation in Florence
a question that leaves Dante with an expression of grief he then tells them
the story of his
journey and they wish him luck if he ever escapes hell they ask her only that
he speaks of them favorably as they look down into the abyss below
Virgil asked Dante to throw the belt he wore around his waist over the edge
and
wait they are now approaching the eighth circle of hell a strange shape that
Dante can't quite make out Rises From Below and stops before them behold
the
Beast or the pointed tail that crosses mountains leaves walls and weapons
broken and makes the stench of which the world is full the creature answers
Virgil's call and
makes itself visible a creature with human beastial and reptilian elements all
combined into one
its name is Gary on a winged monster with a face of a man a
scorpid stinger and the body that is part Beast part reptile its General
shape can be compared to that of a wyvern with some elements of a chimera
or manticore
in Greek myth garyon is a three-headed giant but here Dante's garyon is an
amalgamation of three separate beings and is a visual representation of the
next Circle the friendly human face makes him seem trustworthy but his
grotesque body and
Stinger present us with the idea of a trickster or fraudster behind the
pleasant face is a cold-blooded monster Virgil explains the only way down
this
waterfall is on the creature's back but he makes sure that he sits behind
Dante
and warns him to be wary of Gary on Stinger those who are not wary of his
true nature never make it to the bottom of this Abyss the eighth circle of hell
is fraud for
those who committed fraudulent and malicious crimes this circle is also
known as the Mali Bulger meaning the ditches of evil this also refers to the
layout of the circle as it's divided into ten narrow ditches each one punishing
a different Act of fraud
the first Stitch contains seduces and panderers a fancy name for a Pimp or
someone who owns a brothel these two groups lined the walls of this ditch
walking in opposite directions being
whipped by horned demons at first this may not seem like a harsh
punishment but these demons can be seen as symbolic of slave drivers just
as
these men chose to treat women like objects that could be disposed of and
sold in the afterlife they would be
nothing more than a commodity themselves to these demonic slave drivers
Dante recognizes one man as venedico who he recalls arranged the sale of
his own
sister to a nobleman on the other side Virgil points out a man named Jason
Jason of Argo the once
famous hero Jason is there for the seduction of the Sorceress Medea which
to be fair had more to do with Athena and Hera trying to help him but he did
also seduce the queen of lemnos and then sail away after she had two of his
children so for that douchebaggery Jason
is condemned to an eternity in hell next to this trench are those considered
guilty of false flattery exploiting others fears and desires by twisting and
corrupting language to manipulate them these individuals are covered in
their own feces which represent the falsehoods
they told whilst alive they do nothing but ride around and howl at each other
not a sight Dante and Virgil were keen on observing for very long
in the third ditch Dante finds those guilty of simony gaining position in the
Christian church due to monetary means or through other favors this term
comes
from Simon Magnus a magician or sorcerer who tried to pay Saint Peter to
bestow
the power of the Holy Spirit upon him the simonics as they are referred to
were placed headfirst into holes with flames burning the soles of their feet
Dante notices one pair of feet squirming more than the others because the
Flames
are much higher this Soul was Pope Nicholas III who mistakes Dante for the
then Pope Bonifacio he explains to Dante that because he tried to abuse his
position in the church he must serve a lifetime in this hole and Below him are
all the other popes guilty of the same
crime when the next Pope dies he will take his place at the very top pushing
Pope Nicholas further down the hole like all those before him the corruption
of
the church by the Simon ax is something Dante makes very clear he
despises which
is why we see it so deep into hell in the fourth hole were the sorcerers
who dabbled in divination fortune telling and astrology Arts that were
associated with a false prophet the punishment for being a sorcerer was
having their head twisted backwards leaving them to slowly walk forward
and
only being able to look back at the other hideous distorted sorcerers
in the fifth hole were the baratas also known as grifters
these Souls were immersed in a lake of boiling tar A visual representation of
their Shady dealings and sticky fingers they are also guarded by winged
demons
known as the malibrangier when a grifter tries to emerge from the
surface they Claw at them and attack them with hooks until they are once
again fully submerged for some reason
Dante ends up insulting these demons which results in them being pursued
they
eventually Escape down a slope where they encounter hole number six these
men are dressed in what appear to
be regular robes but judging by how slowly they're moving and the
discomfort
in their face this isn't true these robes are weighed down by lead on the
outside everything looks fine these robes appear just as you would expect
from any holy man but the weight inside
is symbolic of the weight one carries with them in lies and deceit
Dante and Virgil climb across a ruined bridge and stand above pit number
seven
this hole is full of naked people being chased by snakes and lizards their
hands
are bound behind their backs with snakes these souls are the thieves
those who stole in life will now have everything stolen from them their
possessions their identity and their Humanity
Dante finds one man willing to tell him his story Vani fuchi a man who stole
holy items from a cathedral who committed violent crimes and murder
as they talk a Viper bites his neck and kills Vani only for him to burst into
flames and resurrect From the Ashes Like a Phoenix the Vani shares a
prophecy with Dante
that all those Dante aligns with back in Florence shall die including Dante
as the snake attacks him again Vani curses the gods and flees from Dante
after this a centaur arrives with a fire-breathing dragon on his shoulder
and he asks where the bitter one has gone implying that he is there to
punish
Vani Dante wonders why the other centaurs in Hell watch over the river of
blood but
this one known as cassus finds himself with the other thieves Virgil explains
that this is because cassus was killed by Heracles when he tried to steal his
cattle so although centaurs by Nature
are violent this one was also a thief they also observe quite a disturbing
process where a snake with feet bites a man and then the two begin to
merge
together and mutate into one creature with body parts from both another
snake
bites a man and smoke pours from his wound and the snake's mouth this
time
the two swap places and mutate into each other the man's body shrinks and
distorts until he becomes a snake and the snake subsequently becomes a
man giving us the impression that everything
in this hole may be a thief even these snakes and lizards we thought existed
in
the hole to punish the thieves in hole 8 Dante sees the fraudulent
counselors who are literally burning in a pit of flames for their sins these are
individuals who use their positions to convince and manipulate others to
engage in fraud
here we notice two heroes in particular Odysseus and diomedes who were
held
accountable for the idea of the Trojan Horse as well as numerous other
failings
that led to the fall of Troy the ninth hole was dedicated to the Sowers of
Discord those who tried to create divisions between people
when Dante looks down into the pit he struggles to find words to describe
what
he sees those guilty of creating these divisions were being hacks Away by a
demon wielding a large blood-stained sword their bodies were torn into
pieces
entrails were dragged along the floor and most bodies no longer even
resembled
a human shape just as they sought to tear others apart in life in death their
bodies are
physically torn apart and mutilated Dante eventually describes this by
saying if you gathered all the people who were injured in the bloodiest and
most grotesque battles their wounds and
injuries could still not match the mutilation that took place in the ninth hole
when their bodies were torn apart they would drag themselves around this
hole regenerating once a full circuit was
complete the demon would then tear them apart again and this cycle would
repeat for eternity
Dante unable to shake what he saw from his mind approach the 10th and
final
Hull from this hole came a horrendous stench bodies were scattered around
laying on
top of each other disease ridden and writhing these bodies belong to the
falsifiers
the Alchemists the counterfeiters and the imposters
just as they were a plague on Humanity in life they experienced every
plague in
disease possible Dante noticed some of them were covered in leporous scabs
furiously scratching until there was no flesh remaining after everything
Dante has seen and been
through he finally approaches a giant well the entrance to the final circle of
hell the circle of treachery outside they see numerous Giants one
blowing on a horn that was Nimrod who built the Tower of Babel in Hell
however
he is incapable of coherent speech next to him is a much larger Giant in
Chains
Felts who was punished for his Uprising against jove this is referring to the
gigantomaki where the Giants try to storm Olympus leading this Army
against
Zeus was Felts another giant who isn't in Chains is antaus and it's this giant
who places both poets in the palm of his hand and carries them down to the
Ninth
Circle and so the last part of Dante's Journey Through Hell begins in a circle
he
describes as the bottom of the universe full of treachery and betrayal
at the very bottom they come across another Lake but there is no blood or
Tar this lake has frozen over it spans almost the entirety of the
circle and is divided into four sections with the Sinners being trapped in the
ice itself these are known as the betrayers of family community the guest
and Lords Dante then describes two immediate regions the first is known as
Cana which
is referring to the biblical figure Cain who kills his own brother no surprise
this area houses those who betrayed their family these Sinners are not fully
submerged in the ice they can still move their heads but nothing else
Dante sees two bodies Frozen so close together that their foreheads are
almost
glued by the cold and he recognizes them as two brothers who murdered
each other
over a dispute involving family inheritance the second area is known as
antinora
named after the Trojan Soldier and tenor who betrayed his people to the
Greeks
this area housed those who committed treason and betrayed their country
and
Community as Dante continues across this Lake he accidentally kicks
someone in
the head and they shout back asking why do you trample me the bodies in
this area are submerged in
a similar way to the previous the main difference being they can't move their
neck
the man who Dante kicked was someone who betrayed Florence Andante
gives this man
no apology or sympathy the third region in this icy Wasteland is Ptolemy
named
after a man who invited his father-in-law to dinner only to kill him Dante
stumbles upon a man who asked him
if he can remove the ice from his eyes the man then explains that after
murdering a guest the soul falls into ptolemyer long before the body dies the
empty body is then inhabited by a demon until a natural death occurs so
their
suffering begins long before they actually die the fourth area of this lake is
known as judeka of course being
named after Judas and those who betrayed the Lord those in judeca are fully
encased in the
ice and as a result not a sound is made as there is no one to speak to the
poets
move quickly on to the center of Hell Virgil tells Dante that the banner of
the king of Hell draws closer meaning there is only one Soul left to observe
when they reach the very center Dante is frozen to the spot and no words
can be
formed in the very center of Hell Satan is condemned for the worst act of all
treachery against God himself it's explained here that his name was
once Lucifer the fairest of the angels in heaven but his Rebellion against God
led to him being cast from heaven and frozen in ice from the waist down
Dante
struggles to comprehend how big Lucifer's body really is only being able
to see the upper half which is free from Ice what's more stunning than his
size is
the fact that he has three heads one that is fiery red one that is pale
yellow and one that is black underneath each head are a pair of
bat-like wings which have been flapping and causing the icy winds Dante and
Virgil experienced while crossing the lake These Wings Are also to ensure the
lake stays Frozen so Satan and everybody else can never leave this prison
Satan himself cannot speak but only cry and blubber into his mouth each
mouth is
also constantly chewing on a treacherous man Marcus Junius Brutus and
Gaius
Cassius longinus two men responsible for the assassination of Julius Caesar
hang
from the left and right mouths in the center mouth hangs Judas punished
for his betrayal of Jesus Christ Judah suffered the worst punishment as he
represented treason against the Divine whereas the others were guilty of
treason against man
Virgil tells Dante that now is when they escape Hell by climbing down Lucifer
himself which makes no sense to Dante as surely that would only take them
deeper into
hell Virgil assures him that this is the only way and so they climb down
Satan's
legs once they reach his genitalia they pass through the center of the
universe
Virgil turns his body around and then starts climbing back up which again
makes no sense to Dante as that's the
way they just came from as Dante follows Virgil he's amazed to see
everything is
essentially upside down and they are now climbing up Lucifer's legs Virgil
explains that they are essentially climbing up through the crater left by
Lucifer when he crashed into the Earth
they eventually climb out of hell on the morning of Easter Sunday and before
them
is the river Lethy which flows from the mountain of purgatory
[Music]
Purgatorio
before we begin a brief explanation into the idea of purgatory itself May
provide
some context the Bible doesn't really mention Purgatory at least not by
name but it
does mention that one's punishment after death may not always be Eternal
in some cases it may only be temporary once your
debt has been repaid there is hope of one day joining others in Paradise
to explain as simply as possible both hell and Paradise are what Dante
considers
Eternal Realms Purgatory is different as it's the only realm that is not Eternal
those who come here may not be ready for hell or Paradise instead they are
given
the chance to cleanse their sins and grow as a person when it's time for the
last judgment all the souls in purgatory will be sent to either hell or paradise
and the realm of
purgatory will cease to exist entirely
at the base of the mountain Dante and Virgil meet an old man named Cato
who
guards the entrance naturally he's hesitant to let them pass not entirely
sure how Dante and Virgil were able to Escape From Hell Virgil explains the
journey thus far and how it would only
be possible for them to escape if God himself allowed them to Kato is
persuaded and allows them to
pass but only if Virgil raps a read Around Dante and washes his face a ritual
many
Soros representing a baptism an interesting thing to note is that
Kato is what we described before as a virtuous Pagan who was placed in
purgatory by God himself which is rather
strange because not only could he be found in the first circle of hell but he
also committed suicide I've seen many
discussing the significance of Cato in purgatory so why would Dante Place
Kato
here in purgatory and not in hell it could be because Kato was as
patriotic as Dante and would do anything to defend Rome's Liberty or maybe
Dante
was just fond of Kato and decided he shouldn't suffer in the first circle of hell
souls are
ferried across the river by The Boatman Caron some of them crying and
others were the looks of worry and anguish on
their face here they are ferry to the foot of the mountain by an Angel while
singing songs of Hope and joy
when they arrive at the shore the angel disappears and the crowd gathers
around Dante realizing he's not actually dead
luckily Kato breaks up the crowd and orders them to disperse
the two stand at the base of the mountain deciding how they will begin their
climb as a group of souls pass by
the first two sections of the mountain are known as anti-purgatory the first
slope is where they find the X communicate those who are excluded or
exiled from the Christian Church the
time they spent away from the church living in sin would be multiplied by 30
so if they spent even just one year excommunicated they would have to
remain
here for 30. the most noticeable figure they meet here is Manfred the last
king
of Sicily who tells them the story of his death during the Battle of benevento
he
suffered multiple fatal wounds whilst he lay on the battlefield dying he
managed
to repent for all of his sins unfortunately for Manfred his opposition
Pope Clement IV had his body excommunicated after death which led to
the belief that he was going to hell Manfred then explains that the prayers
of the living can help reduce the time one spends in purgatory naturally he
asked Dante to find his daughter when he returns to let her know her father
is
not in hell but in purgatory if she prays for him he may reach Paradise
quicker before reaching The Terraces there is still one more part of anti-
purgatory
for those who were too late or too lazy to repent many of these Souls died
before receiving the last rites because they suffered a violent or
unpredictable death Dante comes across a group of
souls laying in the shadow of a boulder and decides to have a conversation
the
first man tells him he was betrayed when fleeing his hometown the second
man was fleeing a battle when
he fell down a riverbed and died after repenting the man recalls an angel
coming to collect him but there was also
a demon they argued whether he belonged in Hell or paradise and that is
why he
now finds himself in purgatory the last Spirit was a woman named Pia de
ptolemae
she tells Dante of her murder at the hands of her husband who betrayed her
and disregarded their wedding vows she also attempts to convince Dante to
pray
for her once he returns to the living because none of her family do so and
she
would like to leave Purgatory Dante begins to notice how interested all the
souls in purgatory are in himself or more so the fact that he is not dead
meaning he can pray for them and reduce
the time they spend here the next Soul they meet is sordello a
performer from the same town as Virgil who explains the rule of the
mountain once the sun has set the souls of
purgatory are no longer allowed to climb they can go down if they wish to
rest
but never the other way you can look at the Sun as an allegory for God
meaning
these Souls can only progress in their penitent Christian Life through his
divine grace
as it is getting late in the afternoon they move on and find a spot to rest
sordello recommends they should stop for the night in the valley of princes
as Darkness engulfs the valley the spirits sing hymns you would hear during
night prayer in Christian churches
sodello shows them the various Kings and rulers who reside here making
notes of Emperor Rudolph the only Soul who
refuses to join in on the singing he also regards him as the one ruler who
could have restored Italy to its former glory but he failed and that is why he
finds himself here as the night goes on the spirits here do not Tire as they do
not possess a human body Dante however does and so he must sleep
in his dream Dante sees a golden eagle soaring through the sky it swoops
down
and grabs Dante and while they fly through the air they begin to burn this
was enough for Dante to wake from his dream Virgil explains that they are
now at the
Gate of purgatory whilst Dante dreamed he was carried to the gates by a
woman
named Lucia this is referring to Saint Lucia or Saint Lucy
in front of them is the gate the door to Purgatory proper before the gate
there
are three steps each one a different color one is a polished White marble so
bright Dante can see himself in the reflection this represents the purity of
one's Soul the next stone is cracked and much darker either black or purple
in
the shape of a cross which represents the act of mourning the last stone is
red which represents
the blood of Christ restoration and a new beginning at the top of these steps
there is an angel guarding the entrance wielding a large sword an angel who
shines so bright it's difficult for Dante to even look at him Virgil explains they
have been guided upon this
patch by Saint Lucy and he urges Dante to step forward and ask the angel to
let
him pass Dante opts for the more dramatic approach as he climbs the steps
he falls
to his knees at the feet of the Angel and begs for entry into purgatory
looking down at Dante the Angel takes
the point of his sword and carves the letter P into Dante's forehead seven
times the P meaning pecatum the Latin
for sin he tells Dante he may wash these wounds away as he travels through
the seven
Terraces each time he has successfully washed away the sins of a Terrace
one
letter will disappear the last piece of advice they are given is to cleanse
themselves of their sins
and never look back or dwell on the past as they may struggle to move on to
the next Terrace
with the gates closing behind them The Poets are left to climb the seven
Terraces each one representing one of
the seven deadly sins Pride Envy wrath sloth avarice gluttony
and lust the sins we saw an inferno were based on physical actions in
purgatory the focus
is on self-improvement and so the sins are emotional and psychological
the first Terrace represents the sin of pride as they enter Dante notices
beautiful
sculptures surrounding him which represented humility The Virtue
considered the opposite of Pride these images were of individuals who were
considered classic examples of humility such as the Virgin Mary and the
angel
Gabriel Virgil pulls Dante away from the beautiful sculptures and paintings
because in front of them are the prideful Souls who can guide them to the
next Terrace
these souls are barely visible as they are hunched over forced to carry
enormous weights on their back
they asked the man before them if he can help them travel up the mountain
the man
physically cannot look upwards but he tells them he will offer his assistance
his name is Umberto a man who was so
proud it led to his death his arrogance caused himself and his family much
pain
but now he is slowly learning to be humble ahead of him is another man
odorisi a
once famous artist who was replaced by a much younger artist he now
understands
that in the bigger picture human Fame means nothing success and fame are
fleeting as Dante talks to these souls he finds himself bending over to see
their faces in doing so he is imitating their suffering and starting his own
cleansing process as they continue on Dante realizes that pride is a sin he
has been guilty of his self-awareness is another sign of self-improvement
when he looks down he sees several hideous statues and carvings Lucifer
falling from the heavens Arachne who was turned into a spider and briarius a
giant impaled on a thunderbolt these figures all represent the acts of
succumbing to Pride or one's ego as he Witnesses more Dante remembers
instances
where his own pride has clouded his judgment agreeing to pray for the souls
in this
Terrace they show him the path he must follow when they arrive standing
before them is
the angel of humility he takes them to the stairway that leads to the next
Terrace and acknowledges that Dante's prideful sins have been absolved
with
his wing he brushes off one of the letter p's from Dante's forehead as they
leave this Terrace they hear songs of
joy and Dante points out the difference between this and the screams in Hell
whenever they entered a new Circle he also notices he feels lighter making
the ascent slightly easier than before Virgil explains that this is because his
sins of Pride have been cleansed and as
this process continues the journey will become easier the second Harris is
that
of Envy once their dantean Virgil notice no one else around them and so
Virgil
uses the Sun as a compass to guide them when they eventually come across
other
Souls Dante notices they are dressed in black and blue matching the color of
the stone in this Terrace
as they approach they hear these Souls singing and holding on to each other
it
is now Dante sees their true punishment the reason their hands rest on the
shoulders of the soul in front of them
is because they are blind their eyelids have been sewn shut using iron wire
this
site is enough to bring Dante to tears as he is reminded of the blind begging
on the streets despite Virgil's
disapproval Dante still feels the need to speak of them and so he asks if any
are from Italy a woman named Sapia
responds telling him she often received more enjoyment from The Misfortune
of
others than her own Good Fortune she was extremely envious of those in
power when
she questions Dante as to who he is and why he's still alive he tells her he
will pass through this Terrace and only be momentarily blinded because he
felt he was more prideful than envious sapi
agree is to guide them through the Terrace in exchange for Dante's prayers
back on Earth
tadante's Amusement two souls in front of him argue amongst each other
before they notice him observing one of which
tells him he was jealous of his neighbor's happiness and his Envy only grew
as time went on as they continued
Dante hears the booming of several different voices these are the envious
who were punished serving as examples
for the rest of the souls to learn from some examples given were Kane who
was
jealous of his brother and aglarus who was turned into stone because she
was jealous Hermes loved her sister more
than her in order to pass through this terrorist Dante and Virgil must walk
where the sun shines bright and as they
do they are blinded mimicking the punishment of those in this Terrace Virgil
explains that Dante should not
fear this light because it is merely an angel coming to welcome them to the
next Terrace the angel of Charity greets them
and brushes away another Sin from Dante's forehead inviting them to move
on as The Poets enter the Terrace of Wrath the blinding sunlight is still
apparent
Dante is then greeted by several Visions examples of meekness and wrath
the first
vision is in a temple with a woman reprimanding a young boy this is meant
to represent a similar story featuring
the Virgin Mary and a young Jesus Christ the next vision is the wife of the
king
of Athens begging him to kill the man who loves their daughter his response
is
no if they condemn those around them for showing love then they will soon
be their enemies
the last vision is of a boy who prays for his persecutors to be forgiven by
God as they Stone him to death when Dante comes to he explains what he
has seen to Virgil hoping this will start the process of cleansing his own sins
relating to Wrath the current time
is 3 P.M The Poets continue to follow the light up the mountain until they are
surrounded by black smoke which now blinds them Dante Compares himself
to a
blind man being Guided by Virgil unable to see Dante hears more singing
One
Voice calls out to Dante recognizing that he's alive and in response Dante
and Virgil ask for directions the spirit agrees and tells the poets to listen
carefully because their voices are the
only way to keep track of each other within the smoke the spirit's name is
Marco Lombardo
Dante asks him why he believes there is wickedness in the world Marco
explains he thinks it's because of
the belief that Humanity has no free will when something terrible happens
people look to the heavens as the cause
the action must have been preordained by God but Marco believes we must
have free
will over some actions otherwise the reward and Punishment system of
Heaven
and Hell makes no sense you can't punish or reward someone for an action
they are not responsible for that being said
Marco believes he came from a time where the morals of men were much
greater than Dante's present day eventually the smoke
begins to clear and this is Marco's cue to leave before the angel of this
Terrace arrives
before leaving Dante has several more visions that represent the sin of
Wrath
he's woken by Virgil as the sun shines bright on them from the light they
hear a voice telling
them it's time to ascend to the next Terrace as Dante approaches intrigued
as
to the source of this beautiful voice he is once again blinded The Voice they
hear is the angel of this Terrace who has come to guide them as they climb
the
steps to the next Terrace the angel removes another Sin from Dante and
gives
them a Blessing by the time they leave this Terrace night falls upon them as
they enter Terrace number four Dante asks Virgil which Vice is to be
cleansed than this Terrace the answer to that
question is sloth now this doesn't necessarily mean physical laziness but
more of a
spiritual laziness or neglect that would lead to someone being sad and
depressed
Virgil explains sloth by using love as an example he states there are two
types
of love we can choose what or who to love and whether we love them too
little
or too much these are mistakes we can make the second type of Love Is
Love
towards God himself which can never be a mistake if your love for God is
your
priority then you can never succumb to evil however this changes when your
love
for God takes a back seat in Virgil's worldview love is the driving force for all
of our actions and
decisions all of our vices and virtues stem from love those guilty of sloth in
this case have given up on the pursuit of love and have turned their backs on
God and their own happiness
most of the spirits in this Terrace don't have much time to talk to Dante and
so Virgil guides him through how to
cleanse this Vice as the night goes on Dante decides to get some rest and
Begins the dream about
a beautiful woman this woman is actually a siren the siren here is a symbol
of
gluttony and lust Dante is seduced by the siren song he doesn't notice the
arrival of a second woman who is dressed much more saintly this woman
doesn't
seem too happy that Virgil allowed this situation to happen realizing his
mistake Virgil runs over to the siren and tears off her clothes rather than
being in awe of the naked
woman in front of him Dante snaps out of his trance he smells the sirens
putrid
stench and foul appearance he now sees her true nature
when Dante wakes they hurry to the entrance of the next Terrace and there
to greet them is the angel of zeal
having proven himself in his dream the angel brushes off another sin and
shows
them passage to the next Terrace the last three Terraces are devoted to
those who either misplace their love or show too much they are The Terraces
of
avarice gluttony and lust Terrace number five relates to the vice of avarice
meaning Greed for physical goods and extravagance all the ambition to gain
power and social standing as they pass through this Terrace they see the
penitent Souls lying face down on the
ground in Chains weeping when they ask for directions they are told if they
do
not share a similar punishment then they should look to the path on the right
the first Soul Dante speaks to is Pope Adrian V who is here because of his
ambition for political power within the church eventually he began to lose
interest in his mortal life and so he began to focus on the afterlife which is
why he finds himself here and not in hell they continue down the path when
they hear a female voice calling out to them she describes Mary giving birth
to
Jesus in a stable as an example of how poor she was this becomes common
with
other Souls discussing their stories of poverty soon The Poets realized the
waiter cleanse the sin of greed is with
generosity Dante begins to hear more stories of generosity as opposed to
avarice fabricius was a Roman politician who refused to take bribes that
would have
furthered his own position he then hears several stories of someone who
gave money to poor women so they could afford
to get married the next Soul Dante comes across is Hugh Cape a king of
France who shares some of
his stories he also tells Dante the souls in this terrorist discuss acts of
generosity during the day and sins of avarice during the night all of a sudden
the Earth begins to
shake and only Dante and Virgil seem concerned so they take this as a sign
to
make Haste The Last Man they come across is compared to Jesus Christ
shortly
after his resurrection Dante and Virgil here are the two disciples he meets on
the road when he questions who they are Virgil explains that Dante was
meant to
reign with the righteous but he has fallen off his path and it is Virgil's job to
guide him
the man is Overjoyed hearing this mostly because he's a big fan of Virgil's
work
The Man reveals himself as the Roman poet statius the Tremor they felt
earlier only happens when a soul is ready to ascend to Paradise on this
occasion the Tremor is because of status statius explains it was the work of
Virgil that inspired him to change his ways the three are then greeted by the
angel
of moderation who removes another of Dante's sins and ushers them to the
next
Terrace estatius himself will be moving through The Terraces he decides to
join
Dante and Virgil on their Journey Terrace number six is where those guilty
of gluttony resign as somebody who's covered the story of Tantalus within
Greek mythology a few times what comes
next is a very nice reference the souls in this terrorists experience a
punishment very similar to Tantalus
Eternal hunger and thirst in front of them is a large tree ripe
with fruit and below a pool of water as they approach they begin to hear
voices
telling stories of temperance The Virtue Dante will need to purge his gluttony
John the Baptist chose to eat Locust and honey when he was in the
wilderness and
the Virgin Mary cared more about her guests than herself Dante is unable to
place where the voices are coming from
but it seems as if they may be coming from the tree itself before he can be
tempted by the fruit Virgil urges Dante
to continue on the path ahead of them now they finally see the souls that
reside in this Terrace Dante is horrified by how starved and skinny they are
their skeletons are almost
completely visible again Dante begins to hear voices warning him this tree
represents the tree of knowledge that Eve ate from In the Garden of Eden
they
also begin to tell stories of gluttony the stories continue as they walk on
eventually they come to a halt when they
see a red light this is the angel of temperance who shows them the path
they must not stray
from as Dante was able to avoid Temptation he had shown enough
Temperance or self-restraint for the
angel to remove the sin of gluttony Now we move on to Terrace number
seven
where the lustful reside to enter this Terrace one must pass
through a giant wall of Fire our poets tread carefully before reaching the wall
here they see other
Souls Walking Through the flames and giving examples of lust one of them
being the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
cities that were mentioned in the Book of Genesis those repenting here do so
for acts of inappropriate and misdirected sexual desire to purge
themselves of this sin they look towards the Virgin Mary and chastity as the
sun begins to set the poets are
greeted by the angel of Chastity who urges them to proceed through the fire
but Dante remains Frozen to the spot
Virgil persuades him that there is nothing to fear unlike hell there is no
chance of death here with this Dante shows his faith in God as well as in
Virgil who has led him this far he steps
forward and passes through the wall of Fire on the other side they are
greeted by
another set of steps which they choose to rest on until sunrise when light
breaks Dante and his two guides climb to the very top here Virgil
congratulates
him Dante is now free he no longer needs a guide he urges Dante to go
ahead and explore
the Earthly Paradise on his own we then have one final verse from Virgil
Waits no further word or sign from me your will is free erect and whole to act
against that will would be to ER therefore I crown and mighty you over
yourself
Dante is free from purgatory but he doesn't know these are the last words he
will ever hear from the man he considers
his guide mentor and friend at the very top of Mount Purgatory sits
the Earthly Paradise which is pretty much the Garden of Eden a vibrant
Forest
full of greenery and Lush surroundings that embody the Peace of Eden
before Adam and Eve fell from Greece
the Earthly Paradise kantos are notoriously difficult to completely understand
because much of it is
symbolism this is where Dante must confess all of his sins the first person
Dante comes across is a
young woman holding flowers singing by a riverbed when he gets closer he
recognizes a song similar to one sung by
demita when her daughter Persephone leaves for the underworld during the
winter
Dante is confused as to why all of a sudden he can feel the wind on his
cheeks as statius told him Purgatory
does not experience weather the woman explains that as the Garden of Eden
is
where Humanity committed the original sin things here work slightly
differently
she also mentions the waters here have special properties the power to
make one
forget all of their previous sins or remember all of the Good Deeds they have
done
when Dante turns around both of his companions are there smiling a bright
flash of light passes through
the forest and when Dante regains his sight he sees what appears to be
seven
trees in the distance as he gets close he realizes the trees form a candelabra
and the Flames from the candles like the sky the lights are closely followed
by a
group of people all dressed in white Dante describes 24 Elders dressed in
white with crowns made from lilies behind their Elders are four animals
wearing crowns made of green leaves each
with six wings feathers full of eyes behind the animals is a chariot being
pulled by a griffin on the right side there are three dancing women one
dressed in red one in emerald and the third in white on the other side there
are four more women dressed in dark red or purple behind the Chariots there
are
seven men two elderly men four humble men and one man walking alone
much of the Divine Comedy at times feels like a lucid dream and you'd be
forgiven
for reading this description and having no idea what is actually happening it
may not be entirely comparable but
processions relating to the church were fairly common in the Roman Empire
everything we see in this ritual is
symbolic of something else much of it borrowing from the New and Old
Testament
as The Chariot comes to a halt Angels rise and cast flowers into the air from
which emerges a woman in a red dress and white veil with a crown of olive
branches Dante recognizes this as Beatrice when he turns to Virgil to tell him
he was
right his friend is no longer there Beatrice symbolizes the path of God that
Dante must follow Virgil if you remember from Inferno resides in the circle
for
virtuous pagans he wasn't necessarily a bad person he just didn't believe in
God
in hell and Purgatory Virgil's guidance was needed but now Dante must
Ascend to
heaven and for that he needs a True Believer and so we see Virgil past the
torch to Beatrice Dante sheds a tear for his friend who has taken him this far
but Beatrice
tells him to cry no more because of Virgil's disappearance the Earthly
Paradise is no place for Tears or sorrow
Dante confesses to Beatrice then after her death he turned to material
belongings to distract himself from his
pain she then admonishes him claiming her death should have had the
opposite effects
she continues to push Dante to confess his sinful actions and he does so
feeling more and more shame
eventually Beatrice removes her veil and Dante is so taken back by
everything he
just faints when he wakes he finds himself being placed in the river leithy by
a young
woman who along with statius takes him back to Beatrice this is the process
of forgetting one's memories of past sin
the next River he comes to is the river you know which Dante must shrink
from in order to restore his memories of all the
good deeds he has done Dante is now ready to ascend to paradise
and the final Kanto ends of these words from that most holy wave I now
return to
Beatrice remade as new trees are renewed when they bring forth new bows I
was pure and prepared
to climb unto the Stars having escaped the events of Inferno
Paradiso
With His companion and friend Virgil together they were also able to
complete the ascent of Mount Purgatory however
with Virgil's job complete he passes the Reigns to Beatrice who will
accompany
and guide Dante through heaven or Paradise hence the name Paradiso so far
you may have noticed some patterns forming in Inferno there were Nine
Circles each one representing different
sins this journey was about punishment and acknowledgment of one sin in
purgatory there were 9 or 10 Terraces each one representing a sin but also a
virtue that can cleanse the sin the focus here is on repentance and
cleansing one's Soul a clean slate for heaven Paradise consists of nine
spheres
with each one representing different celestial bodies and virtues the Earth
is at the very center of the universe surrounded by these nine spheres as
Dante travels to each one Beatrice will help him understand the theology or
concepts Behind these ideas with each sphere his comprehension grows and
his
Consciousness expands once he has absorbed the knowledge from the nine
spheres he will gain access to the
empyrion the highest Heaven and the home of God similar to Purgatory
where there
were nine Terraces with the Earthly Paradise at the very Peak we see the
same nine plus one solution in Paradise
nine Heavenly spheres with number 10 being the empyrean the final layer of
Heaven the poem begins in the Earthly Paradise at the very top of Mount
Purgatory
Dante's journey through Paradise had taken 24 hours meaning he had
ascended
from Hell To Paradise in about one week total Dante and Beatrice begin their
Ascent through the atmosphere when Dante questions how this is even
possible Beatrice explains that one's soul is
naturally drawn towards God now that he has freed himself from his Earthly
desires his soul is able to soar freely towards God and Heaven the first
Heavenly sphere is the moon representing the inconstant Dante questions
the dark
markings on the moon's surface that we can see from the earth and Beatrice
lets him come to his own conclusion here they
end up having a scientific debate about the concentration of matter and light
however this is cut short when he has a
vision of nearby Souls that he confused uses for Reflections Beatrice explains
that the lunar cycle and how much we can see of the moon is associated
with
inconsistency the sphere of the moon is made up of the souls who abandon
their
vow to God for numerous reasons they lacked what Beatrice describes as the
virtue of fortitude these Souls have all still been saved and have access to all
the Spheres in heaven but Dante's perception of them is limited as he is still
mortal Dante has a conversation
with the soul of picada the sister of one of Dante's friends picardo died
shortly after being forcibly removed from her Convent by evil men her vow
to
God that was broken and though it was not entirely her fault she did not
completely resist showing a lack of
fortitude Beatrice explains that a vow to God consists of giving yourself
freely and into entirely these vowels
should be taken very seriously and everything should be done to maintain
the vowel one must remain consistent in
their conviction Dante wonders if there is a way one can atone for broken
promises Beatrice explains that God's
greatest gift is Free Will and pledging yourself to God is essentially you
giving up that gift however the church does have the ability to release
people
from their vows through one loophole when one makes a vowel a certain
amount
of worth can be established to that promise if you then make another vow
that the church deems to be of higher
value than Naval is not broken but simply adjusted now if your initial
vowel is seen as Priceless then this cannot be amended as there is no higher
value the only exception to this is when keeping a vowel would result in a
greater evil Dante uses k King agamemnon's willingness to sacrifice his
own daughter in the Trojan War as an example of when a vowel can descend
too
far towards evil the second sphere is the planet Mercury
the representation of the ambitious who desired Fame and Glory those who
are
lacking in the virtue of Justice Mercury being so close to the Sun makes it
hard
to see it pales in comparison to the sun's Glory just as the Earth pales in
comparison to the glory of God here Dante meets the Roman Emperor
Justinian
who narrates the vast majority of this Kanto Justinian realizes that in heaven
who he is as a person Remains the Same however the glory he so eagerly
seek to
acquire on Earth is gone he talks about the great history and conquests of
the
Roman Empire but acknowledges that this sphere is for those who place to
self-interest above all we hear tales of
the Roman emperor Constantine who committed the crime of moving the
capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to
Byzantium or Constantinople which two justinians symbolize the Empire
turning
its back on God and hundreds of years of good leadership Justinian then
explains
that when Rome was under his rule years later he was able to reform the
laws
allowing Rome to find peace once again he was only able to do so because
he was
converted to Christianity he then makes the point that there are many who
pretend to support the Roman Church
publicly but behind closed doors are actually opposed to it the third sphere
is the planet Venus the sphere of lovers because of its association with
Venus
the Roman deity of love this is where those lacking Temperance or
self-restraint reside Dante himself starts to feel its effects as when he
turns to Beatrice he finds her even more more beautiful than before Dante
meets
Charles Martel who believes he would have led Italy to new heights and
created Harmony amongst his people if he
had not died so early the rest of the Martell family caused disaster and
disharmony Charles explains that one's family does not decide Destiny nor
human
nature that is down to the Providence of God Dante speaks to some other
Souls who
warn him of the dangers of love and its corruption within the Church Florence
used as a prime example of what happens
to a city devoid of temperance sphere number four is the sun the sphere
of the wise here Dante enjoys and bathes in the light there are only positive
examples of the previous virtues here the sun illuminates the rest of the
universe just as those who reside here illuminate the world with their
intellect this sphere is full of Scholars religious leaders and the wisest
philosophers among those Dante
meats are Thomas Aquinas King Solomon Peter Lombard and many more
Aquinas
explains that creation is completely random because of how matter is
filtered
and trickles down from the different spheres hence why no two people are
the
same the only exceptions to this are Christ and Adam who were created
directly by God and therefore must be
perfect by Design Dante also sees Bright Lights which represent different
Saints
orders that mean not have seen eye to eye on Earth or even agreed with
each
other's ideas here they are at peace with each other and only show love
even
to those of an opposing faction sphere number five is the planet Mars which
as
with Venus is associated with Mars the Roman God of War Mars is home to
what
Dante describes as the Warriors of faith those who died giving their life for
God
displaying the virtue of fortitude courage beyond what most are capable of
Dante recounts seeing millions of Sparks of light representing Souls that
form
the shape of a Greek cross on the planet's surface he Compares this to the
Milky Way on Mars Dante meets an ancestor of his that took part in the
Second Crusade just like most of those Dante meets in his poem his great
great
grandfather reminisces about Florence in the 12th century and expresses his
sorrow over the current state of Florence Dante asks what his future holds
and is told that hardships will
fall upon him because he will be exiled from Florence all is not lost though it
is Dante's mission to write and tell the world about his journey what he has
seen
in Hell purgatory and Paradise this mission is of utmost importance
sphere number six is the planet Jupiter the place of just rulers because of its
association with Jupiter the king of Gods the souls here form to spell love
Justice ye that judge the Earth with some of the other Souls forming the
shape of an Imperial Eagle the Imperial Eagle speaks to Dante telling him
despite its composition of all the just Kings Divine Justice is the single
concept that Dante must trust even when it's workings are Beyond his
comprehension Justice can seem unfair
and flawed at times when in the hands of false leaders however Divine
Justice is
unwavering the Eagle's eyes are made up of King David emperor
Constantine
Hezekiah William II of Sicily and two pagans Emperor trajan and the Trojan
hero rythius who were saved by God himself Dante recalls seeing trajan in
purgatory on the Terrace of Pride surrounded by his soldiers Dante
questions what happens to those born before Christ and rifias is used to
explain rypheus was deemed so worthy of Grace that God saved him and
made him a
Christian a thousand years before anyone else the main premise of this idea
is
that salvation is the belief that Jesus is the Messiah it makes no difference if
you were born before or after Christ everyone is given a chance to ascend to
Heaven sphere number seven is the planet Saturn home to those who are
masters of
self-restraint and Temperance the souls on Saturn climb up and down an
enormous
Golden Ladder and find themselves very close to God this fear mostly
consists
of the discussion regarding practice Services of devoted Christians with the
monk Peter Damien together they discussed the sad state of the current
Church Saint Benedict discusses his
disappointment in his own monks who nowadays seem more interested in
material value than spiritual existence
Beatrice persuades Dante to climb the Golden Ladder himself and look down
at
the earth a tiny insignificant Speck below a lesson in perspective sphere 8
is the fixed stars of Faith Love and Hope home to the church triumphant
Dante
is immediately overwhelmed by the presence of the Virgin Mary Saint Peter
steps forward to challenge and test Dante regarding the nature of his faith
a test that Dante passes next is Saint James who appears to test Dante on
the
subject of Hope Dante again n is successful and is taken to Saint John
his presence is so bright that Dante loses his sight Saint John testante on
the subject of love using his experience so far Dante's new look on love
allows
him to pass the third and final test his vision is restored and now he can see
even more than he could before before leaving the sphere Saint Peter
denounces
the modern Church Dante looking down at the earth once more is taken to
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sphere number nine and the home of the Angels this sphere is moved by
God
himself and in turn causes all of the surrounding spheres to also move Dante
sees a piercing and burning light surrounded by Nine Circles of fire
unable to comprehend what's before him Beatrice explains that these
represent
the nine different ranks of angels that orbit around the love of God the
Angels
were created at the same time as the universe and so they radiate God's
love
throughout the various different spheres Beatrice and Dante finally pass into
the
imperian a region Beyond physical existence the restraints of time and
space do not exist here the empyrean is what many refer to as true Paradise
in
order to understand and comprehend the Wonders around him Dante must
shrink
from a River of Lights when he sees Beatrice she is even more beautiful than
before the souls here bathe in the light and gather in the shape of a white
rose
everything here is infinitely happy something that Dante can now finally
begin to understand Beatrice takes her rightful place with the other souls
and by Dante's side to
guide him now is Saint Bernard here the souls have earned a different ranks
and
must trust this judgment to be divine Dante looks at the Virgin Mary shining
bright greater than everyone else around her Bernard prays to Mary so that
she
may give Dante the strength required to gaze into the light of God this is the
one moment that Dante's entire Journey has led to with the prayer complete
he
finally looks into the light of God the light is unlike anything he has
experienced before so powerful he struggles to express the Wonders before
him there are three lights total three large circles that represent the Trinity
the circles allow Dante to gaze upon the human form of Christ he tries to
understand how these circles fit together but all of a sudden Dante is
hit with a burst of love so powerful that his memory disappears and the only
thing he remains conscious of is his own free will finally Dante knows how it
feels to be in complete unit person and harmony with God's will
but already my desire and my will were being turned like a wheel all at one
speed by the love which moves the Sun and other stars