Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Purgatory by Dante

As part of my never-ending desire to give myself a classical education, I knew I had to dive into The Divine Comedy by Dante. Having already read Inferno as part of Hillsdale's Great Book course, in my OCD I felt like I had to keep on going and read Purgatory by Dante. I'm glad I did, although I have to say I don't believe it was as interesting. Once again, I suffer from lack of inside knowledge. Although Esolen does a good job of telling us what we need to know about each character we meet, being so far removed in time makes it difficult to fully relate to the point Dante is making.

Esolen begins with an introductory essay in which he makes the case that Dante is primarily concerned with restoration, liberation, and friendship in Purgatory. "Purgatory is the mountain, or the widing ascent up that mountain, that straightens sould whom the world has made crooked." (p. xv) In Purgatory, Dante will have a chance to revisit his youth and see where he got off track. Although he loved Beatrice, his fear that she would call him to a higher place scared him drove him from her. In Purgatory he, along with those he meets, will get a chance to make past mistakes right. When it comes to liberation, Dante makes it clear that we much come to terms with our own helplessness, becoming, in effect, like little children. This kind of humility is the central virtue of Purgatory. "Thus in a real sense, the souls suffering their way up the Mountain o fPurgatory are uniting their sufferings with those of Christ, who climbed that mountain of Calvary...In learning humility, they learn to become likeChrist, and in becoming like Christ, they unite themselves with the power of God and gain the freedom of him who 'descended first into the lower parts of the earth' and, ascending, 'led captivity captive' (Eph. 4:809)." (p. xxi) Purgatory is the place to be set free from the damage caused by sin. Finally, Purgatory shows a world in which the inhabitants genuinely rejoice in each through the bonds of friendship. Unlike Inferno where the souls bitterly lash out at each other, in Purgatory the people love and support each other on their upward journey.

Here are Esolen's summaries that begin each canto occasionally followed by a quote from the poem and/or commentary from Esolen:

CANTO ONE
The poets emerge from Hell and find themselves at the base of a tall mountain, just before dawn on Easter Sunday. There they meet Cato of Utica, the guardian of Purgatory. Following Cato's instructions, Virgil washes Dante's face and girds him with the reed of humility. 

Right away, Dante gives us the purpose of Purgatory:


And I will sing about that second realm
      given the human soul to purge its sin
     and grow worthy to climb to Paradise. (p. 3)

CANTO TWO
The poets meet a group of spirits ferried across the sea by an angel pilot. Among them is Dante's friend Casella, who explains how the souls are brought to Purgatory. When Casella agrees to sing one of Dante's youthful poems of love, Cato appears and rebukes the souls for dallying.

Dante describes the joy with which the souls approach Purgatory, so unlike in the Inferno:


The heavenly pilot stood before the bow;
     beatitude seemed written on his face.
     more than a hundred souls sat toward the prow:
“When from the land of Egypt Israel came,”
     they sang together in a single voice,
     with all the verses written in that psalm. (p. 15)


CANTO THREE 
Dante and Virgil meet the first souls dwelling in Ante-Purgatory: those who died while excommunicated from the Church. Among these is Manfred, noble son of Frederick II. 

CANTO FOUR 
After Virgil describes the geographical position of Purgatory, the poets meet the second group of late repenters: the Negligent, among whom is a friend of Dante's, the sardonic Belacqua. 

CANTO FIVE 
Dante now encounters the third group of late repenters, those who died by violence. These include Jacopo del Cassero, assassinated; Bonconte da Montefeltro, a casualty in war; and Pia, murdered by her husband. 

CANTO SIX 
Dante leaves the souls who died by violence, and he and Virgil meet a lone spirit from Mantua. The spirit's patriotism inspires Dante to reproaches against the corruption of his native land. 

CANTO SEVEN 
The Mantuan Sordello shows to Dante, in the Valley of the Princes, a fourth group of late repenters: those who were preoccupied with cares of state. 

CANTO EIGHT 
After the guardian angels fend off a night attack by the serpent, Dante meets his friend and patron Nino Visconti, and pays tribute to the courtliness of the house of Conrad Malaspina. 

CANTO NINE 
Dante is swept up, while dreaming, to the gates of Purgatory. There he and Virgil meet the Porter, the angel commissioned by Saint Peter to guard the gate. The angel inscribes the marks of the seven deadly sins upon Dante's forehead. 

CANTO TEN 
Now at the beginning of the ring of pride, the poets behold portrayals of humility. Passing by these, they encounter the proud, who bear heavy stones upon their backs. . 

CANTO ELEVEN 
Dante meets three spirits in the ring of pride: Omberto Aldobrandesco, proud of his family and birth; Oderisi da Gubbio, proud of his artistic talent; and Provenzan Salvani, proud of his glory in war and politics. Oderisi reveals the vanity of human glory. 

CANTO TWELVE 
The poets see thirteen engravings of pride punished. As they leave the ring, Dante discovers that one of the marks of sin has been expunged. 

CANTO THIRTEEN 
The poets enter the ring of envy, whose sinners weep through eyes sewn shut. There Dante converses with the Sienese woman Sapia.

CANTO FOURTEEN 
Still in the ring of envy, Dante is addressed by Rinier da Calboli and Guido del Duca, who delivers a devastating judgment against the mercenary and savage mores of Tuscany and Romagna. 

CANTO FIFTEEN 
Virgil explains the difference between goods that can be shared and goods that cannot. The poets then enter the ring of wrath, where they see images of meekness. 

Virgil explains to Dante that although the light of Heaven is currently too bright for him and makes him uncomfortable, he is here to become accustomed to it through changes in his character.


“Don’t be amazed if you are dazzled still
     by Heaven’s family, for he is sent
     a herald summoning men to climb the hill.
Soon it shall not oppress you anymore,
     but you will look upon these things with joy—
     all the delight your nature formed you for.” (p. 161)

CANTO SIXTEEN 
In the ring of wrath, the poets meet Mark the Lombard, who discourses on free will and on the evil that proceeds from the confusion of papal and imperial authority. 

CANTO SEVENTEEN 
Dante sees visions of the punishment of wrath; then, as evening comes on, just before they enter the next ring, Virgil explains to Dante how the structure of Purgatory derives from three classes of sins against love.

In his commentary, Esolen explains, "Virgil develops the theme that every human deed is motivated by some form of love. That vision of love—love misdirected in Hell, made whole in Purgatory, and ravishingly fulfilled in Heaven—is essentially the vision of the entire Comedy." (p. 453) 

CANTO EIGHTEEN 
Virgil shows Dante how all of our actions, both the good and the evil, are motivated by love. The poets are in the ring of sloth, and meet the sinners hurrying past, among whom is the Abbot of San Zeno. 

CANTO NINETEEN 
Before the dawn, Dante dreams of the Siren, an allegory of attachment to worldly goods. The poets enter the ring of avarice, whose sinners, including Pope Adrian V, must lie prone, bemoaning their former love of dust. 

CANTO TWENTY 
Dante and Virgil encounter Hugh Capet, who delivers an invective against the French monarchy and a litany of examples of the punishment of avarice. As the poets make their way toward the next ring, they feel a tremor of the earth. 

CANTO TWENTY-ONE 
After the earthquake, a spirit greets the poets, catching up with them from behind. He explains the incorruptibility of Purgatory, and the role of the free will in accomplishing the liberation of the repentant souls. Finally he identifies himself as the ancient epic poet Statius. Upon learning who Dante's guide is, he is overcome with emotion.

CANTO TWENTY-TWO 
Statius explains how it was on account of Virgil that he became a virtuous man, and then converted to Christianity. The three poets approach the ring of gluttony. 

CANTO TWENTY-THREE 
Among the emaciated sinners in the ring of gluttony, Dante meets his old friend Forese. 

CANTO TWENTY-FOUR 
Forese points out to Dante various of the gluttonous, one of whom, Bonagiunta of Lucca, speaks with Dante on the nature of the sweet new style of love poetry. Forese prophesies disaster for Florence and for his brother, Corso Donati. 

CANTO TWENTY-FIVE 
Statius teaches Dante about the generation of the human body and soul, and describes the state of the disembodied soul after death. The poets approach the ring of lust. 

CANTO TWENTY-SIX 
In the flames of the ring of lust, Dante encounters his poetic predecessor Guido Guinizelli and the Provençal troubadour Arnaut Daniel.

CANTO TWENTY-SEVEN 
The poets pass through the flames and, after a night in which Dante dreams of the beautiful Leah, ascend to the top of the mountain, where they see Earthly Paradise. Virgil's last words to Dante declare him truly free. 

CANTO TWENTY-EIGHT 
Walking through Earthly Paradise, Dante meets a lovely lady, Matelda, who describes for the poets the nature of Paradise, the virtues of the rivers Lethe and Eunoe, and the truth about the Golden Age. 

CANTO TWENTY-NINE 
The poets behold the pageant of the Griffin, wherein are figures representing the virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the entire history of divine revelation. 

CANTO THIRTY 
At last, Beatrice appears, and Dante turns around to speak to his guide—but Virgil is gone. Beatrice reproaches Dante for his straying.

CANTO THIRTY-ONE 
Dante acknowledges his sin and weeps in repentance. Having fainted for grief and shame, he is led by Matelda through the waters of Lethe, wherein he is cleansed of the painful memory of his sin. 

CANTO THIRTY-TWO 
The Griffin and the angelic beings depart, leaving the chariot. Beatrice directs Dante's attention to the destruction of the chariot, an allegory of corruption in the Church, brought on by the confounding of the powers of Church and empire. 

CANTO THIRTY-THREE 

Beatrice prophesies the restoration of Church and empire. Finally, Matelda immerses Dante in the waters of Eunoe, restoring his memory of good deeds done. He emerges from the river, cleansed and ready to ascend to the stars. 

As Inferno has different levels, so Purgatory does as well. 

Ante-Purgatory
  Shore of the Island (Cantos I – II)
  The Excommunicate
  The Late-Repentant
Seven terraces of Purgatory
  First terrace (Pride)
  Second terrace (Envy)
  Third terrace (Wrath)
  Fourth terrace (Sloth)
  Fifth terrace (Avarice)
  Sixth terrace (Gluttony)
  Seventh terrace (Lust)
The Earthly Paradise