DivinaBy Dante Alighieri

Commedia

About the

Author:

Durante degli Alighieri

Born Mid-May to mid-June, c. 1265

Florence, Republic of FlorenceDied September 13/14, 1321

(aged about 56)Ravenna, Papal States

Occupation Statesman, poet, language theorist,

political theoristNationality ItalianPeriod Late Middle AgesLiterary movement Dolce Stil NovoDante was an Italian poet and moral philosopher best known for the epic poem The Divine Comedy, which comprises sections representing the three tiers of the Christian afterlife: purgatory, heaven, and hell. This poem, a great work of medieval literature and considered the greatest work of literature composed in Italian, is a philosophical Christian vision of mankind’s eternal fate. Dante is seen as the father of modern Italian, and his works have flourished since before his 1321 death.

Dante Alighieri

Stucture: Story Purgator

io(Purgatory)

Inferno(Hell)

Paradiso(Paradise)

The Divine Comedy is composed of 14,233 lines that are divided into three canticas (Italian plural cantiche) .Composed of:

- each consisting of 33 cantos (Italian plural canti). An initial canto, serving as an introduction to the poem and generally considered to be part of the first cantica, brings the total number of cantos to 100.

Additionally, the verse scheme used, terza rima, is hendecasyllabic (lines of eleven syllables), with the lines composing tercets according to the rhyme scheme aba, bcb, cdc, ded, ....

Sypnosis: Divine

Comedy

Beatrice(2nd Guide)

Virgil(1st Guide)

Saint Bernard(3rd Guide)

Dante Pilgrim has not been a good boy. His dead love Beatrice asks the Virgin Mary to help him see the error of his ways. Mary accepts and Dante is sent on a three-day trip through Hell, and on up Mount Purgatory on the other side of the world, and finally to Heaven in the sky. He is spiritually lost at the beginning of the story, so he needs guides to help him along the path.

*The woman he adored while she lived.

*(Saint Bernard) Namesake of the loyal dog – who takes him to see GOD.

*(Virgil) – author of Aeneid

Inferno [inˈfərnō]▬a large fire that is dangerously out of control.

Structure:

Inferno

The physical aspect of Hell is a gigantic funnel that leads to the very center of the Earth.

According to the legend used by Dante, this huge, gigantic hole in the Earth was made when God threw Satan (Lucifer) and his band of rebels out of Heaven with such force that they created a giant hole in the Earth.

Satan was cast all the way to the very center of the Earth, has remained there since, and will remain there through all of eternity.

Circle 1: Those in Limbo Circle 2: The Lustful Circle 3: The Gluttonous Circle 4: The Hoarders Circle 5: The Wrathful Circle 6: The Heretics Circle 7: The ViolentRing 1:Murderers, Robberers & PlundersRing 2:Suicides and those harmful to the worldRing 3:Against GOD, Nature & Art Circle 8: The Fraudulent

Trench I: Panderers & SeducersTrench II: FlatterersTrench III: SimoniacsTrench IV: SorcerersTrench V: BarratorsTrench VI: HypocritesTrench VII: ThievesTrench VIII: Evil CounselorsTrench IX: Sowers of DiscordTrench X: Falsifiers

Circle 9: TraitorsRegion 1: KindredRegion 2: CountryRegion 3: GuestsRegion 4: Lords

CANTO I The Dark worlds of Error

Dante in the savage wood

The Inferno follows the wanderings of the poet Dante

as he strays off the rightful and straight path of moral

truth and gets lost in a dark wood. And that, folks, is just the beginning.

Dante

At the age of thirty-five, on the night of Good Friday in the year 1300, Dante finds himself lost in a dark wood and full of fear.

CANTO I The Dark worlds of Error

LeopardLion

She-wolf

The panther at the beginning of the ascent The lion suddently confronts Dante The she-wolf appears

Just as three wild animals threaten to attack him, Dante is rescued by the ghost of Virgil, a celebrated Roman poet and also Dante’s idol.

Virgil

CANTO II

The Descent

Virgil and Dante begin their journey

Virgil asked the deceased love-of-Dante’s-life, Beatrice, to send someone down to help him. And voila! Virgil to the rescue! He’s an appropriate guide because he’s very much like Dante, a fellow writer and famous poet.

When asked why in hell he came, Virgil answers that the head honchos of Heaven—the Virgin Mary and Santa Lucia—felt sorry for Dante.

Beatrice and Virgil

Beatrice

CANTO III

The Opportunists(Gate)

Virgil and Dante at the gates of Hell

Dante passes through the gate of Hell, which bears an inscription ending with the famous phrase "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", most frequently translated as "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” Dante and his guide hear the anguished screams of the Uncommitted. These are the souls of people who in life took no sides; the opportunists who were for neither good nor evil, but merely concerned with themselves.

CANTO III

The Opportunists(Gate)

Charon on the River Acheron

After passing through the

vestibule, Dante and Virgil reach the ferry

that will take them across the river

Acheron and to Hell proper. The ferry is piloted by Charon, who does not want to let Dante enter,

for he is a living beingVirgil forces Charon

to take him however, the passage across the Acheron is undescribed, since Dante faints and does not awaken until he is on the other side.

Charon

CANTO IV

The Virtuous Pagan Circle 1 - Limbo

The doomed souls embarking to cross the Acheron

The first circle of Hell (Limbo), considered pre-Hell, just contains all of the unbaptized and good people born and before the coming of Christ, who obviously couldn’t be saved by him.

CANTO IV

The Virtuous Pagan Circle 1 - Limbo

Homer, the poets, and heroes in Limbo

The first circle of Hell (Limbo) :

Virgil resides here, along with a bunch of other Greek and Roman poets.

Dante encounters the poets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan, who include him in their number and make him "sixth in that high company".

CANTO V

The LustfulCircle 2

Minos judges the transgressions and dispatches the souls

Dante and Virgil leave Limbo and enter the Second Circle — the first of the circles of Incontinence — where the punishments of Hell proper begin. It is described as "a part where no thing gleams. They find their way hindered by the serpentine Minos.

Minos

who judges all of those condemned for active, deliberately willed sin to one of the lower circles.

He sentences each soul to its torment by wrapping his tail around himself a corresponding number of times.

CANTO V

The LustfulCircle 2

The souls of the lustful in the infernal hurricane

In the second circle, lustful sinners are tossed around by endless storms.

CANTO V

The LustfulCircle 2

The souls of Paolo and Francesca

Dante speaks to the soul of Francesca da

Rimini, a woman who was stuck in a

loveless, arranged marriage and

committed adultery when she fell in love with a dashing youth

named Paolo.

Paolo

Francesca

CANTO VI

The GluttonousCircle 3

Virgil feeds Cerberus in the third circle

Cerberus - the monstrous three-headed beast of Hell, ravenously guards the gluttons lying in the freezing mire, mauling and flaying them with his claws as they howl like dogs.

Cerberus

CANTO VI

The GluttonousCircle 3

The gluttons battered by eternal rain

Dante then awakes in the

third circle, where the

Gluttonous sinners suffer

under a cold and filthy rain.

CANTO VII

The Avaricious and ProdigalCircle 4

The souls of the avaricious and the prodigal forced to roll heavy stones

Virgil leads Dante on to the fourth circle, where the Avaricious (greedy

people) and Prodigal (reckless spenders) roll

heavy weights in endless circles.

Virgil rebukes Plutus at the entrance to the fourth circle

Circle 4 – Guarded by Plutus.

Plutus

CANTO VIIIThe Wrathful and SullenCircle 5 – The River Styx

The soul of the Florentine Philippo Argenti accosts the poets on the Styx

The next stop on the tour is

the fifth circle, where the

Wrathful and Sullen are

immersed in the muddy river

Styx. While they are crossing the Styx, a sinner named Filippo Argenti reaches out to Dante (presumably for help), but Dante angrily rejects him.

Philippo

CANTOIX-XI

The Wrathful and SullenCircle 5 – The Gate of Dis

Virgil and Dante disembark at the citadel of Dis

Now at the gates of a city called Dis, Virgil takes it upon himself to persuade the demon guards to let them pass. Unexpectedly, he fails.

CANTOIX-XI

The Wrathful and SullenCircle 5 – The Gate of Dis

The hideous Erinyes: Megaera, Tisiphone, Alecto

The walls of Dis are guarded by fallen angels.

Demon guards

This means that instead of continuing on with the journey,

Dante and Virgil must wait for an angel to

come down and force open the gates for

them. The angel opens the gates

CANTOIX-XI

The HereticsCircle 6

Farinata degli Uberti addresses Dante

After passing the city of Dis, our

dynamic duo enters the sixth

circle, where the Heretics lay in

fiery tombs.

Farinata degli Uberti

Dante talks to Farinata degli Uberti, who predicts that Dante will have difficulty returning to Florence from exile.

CANTO XII The Violent against NeighborsCircle 7

The Minotaur on the shattered cliff

This circle houses the violent. Its entry is

guarded by Minotaur.

Divided into 3 rings:

Outer ringMiddle ringInner ring

Minotaur

CANTO XII The Violent Circle 7

As they cross from the sixth to the seventh circle,

where the Violent are punished,

Virgil finally begins explaining

the layout of Hell.

Violent against their neighbors

Circle 7

Violent against themselves

Violent against GOD

Outer ring

Middle ring

Inner ring

*The seventh circle will show all the violent sinners.

CANTO XII The Violent against their neighbors Circle 7 – Outer Ring

Outer ring – housing the

violent against people and

property, who are immersed in

Phlegethon – a river of boiling

blood, to a level commensurate

with their sins.

The centaurs attack the souls in boiling blood

CANTO XIII The Violent against themselvesCircle 7 – Middle Ring

Middle ring – In this ring are

the suicides, who are transformed

into gnarled thorny bushes

and trees.

The suicides in the forest

*The trees are a metaphor; In life the only way of the relief of suffering was through pain (suicide)

CANTO XIV-XVII

The Violent against GOD, Nature and ArtCircle 7 – Inner Ring

Inner ring – All reside in a

desert of flaming sand with fiery

flakes raining from the sky.

Brunetto Latini accosts Dante

Violent against:

GOD – blasphemers,

Nature –Sodomites;

Art – Usurers

Latini

CANTO XVIII

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Finally, Dante and Virgil ready

themselves to cross to the eighth circle.

Dante, at Virgil’s command, summons

the beast Geryon from the depths

with a cord wrapped around his waist.

Geryon

Geryon, symbol of deceit The descent into the abyss on Geryon’s back

Virgil stays to talk with the beast while urging Dante to look at the last of the Violent sinners. When Dante comes back, they mount Geryon and ride the beast during the descent into the eighth circle.

CANTO XVIII

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

The eighth circle contains ten

pouches, each containing different

types of sinners.

Dante’s Inferno

Circle 1: Those in Limbo Circle 2: The Lustful Circle 3: The Gluttonous Circle 4: The Hoaders Circle 5: The Wrathful Circle 6: The Heretics Circle 7: The ViolentRing 1:Murderers, Robberers & PlundersRing 2:Suicides and those harmful to the worldRing 3:Against GOD, Nature & Art Circle 8: The Faudulent

Trench I: Panderers & Seducers

Trench II: FlatterersTrench III: SimoniacsTrench IV: SorcerersTrench V: BarratorsTrench VI: HyprocritesTrench VII: TheivesTrench VIII: Evil CounselorsTrench IX: Sowers of DiscordTrench X: Falsifiers

Circle 9: TraitorsRegion 1: KindredRegion 2: CountryRegion 3: GuestsRegion 4: Lords

CANTO XVIII

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Bolgia I : Devils and seducers Bolgia II: Paramours and flatterers in the eighth circle

Panderers and Seducers walk in separate line in opposite direction, whipped by demons.

Flatterers are steeped in human excrement.

CANTO XIX-XX

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Bolgia V Dante rebukes Pope Nicholas III i Bolgia VI: Sorcerers and false prophets

Simoniacs -Those who committed simony are place head first in holes in the rock, with flames burning on the soles of their feet.

Sorcerers and false prophets- they have their heads twisted around on their bodies backward, so they can only see what is behind them and not in

the future.

CANTO XXI-XXIIIThe Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Bolgia V : Devils torment the barrators Bolgia VI: Hypocrites

Corrupt politicians( barrators) are immersed in a lake of boiling pitch, guarded by devils, the Malebranche

Hypocrites listlessly walking along wearing gold-gilded lead cloaks.

lol

CANTO XXIV-XXVII

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Bolgia VII : The thieves tormented by serpents Bolgia VIII: Evil Counsellors

Thieves are bitten by snakes. Snakes bites make them undergo various transformations and some resrrected after being turned to ashes.

Evil counsellors are encased in individual

flames

*The’re watching the flaming spirits of Oddyseus and

Diomedes (Trojan War)

CANTO XXVII-XXXI

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Bolgia IX : Sowers of Dicord Bolgia X: The falsifiers and forgers tormented with itching

A sword-wieldded devil hacks at the sowers of discord.

As their wounds heal, the devil will

tear their bodies again.

Groups of various sort of falsifiers are

afflicted with different types of

diseases.

The severed head of

Bertrand de Born speaks to

Dante

CANTO XXVII-XXXI

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Ephialtes in manacles among the giants

As they leave, Virgil points out

the sinning giants who are

immobilized around them in

punishment.

CANTO XXVII-XXXI

The Fraudulent Circle 8 –

Nimrod of the giants

Nimrod—who was responsible for building the Tower of Babel—has lost the ability to speak coherently. His words are gibberish.

Virgil requests that one of the unbound giants, Antaneus, transport them in the palm of his hand down to the last circle of Hell. He complies.

The giant Antaeus lowers Dante and Virgil into the last circle

Nimrod

Antaneus

CANTO XXXIII The TraitorsCircle 9 –

The ninth circle of Hell, where traitors

are punished, contains four

different zones.

Dante’s Inferno

Circle 1: Those in Limbo Circle 2: The Lustful Circle 3: The Gluttonous Circle 4: The Hoaders Circle 5: The Wrathful Circle 6: The Heretics Circle 7: The ViolentRing 1:Murderers, Robberers & PlundersRing 2:Suicides and those harmful to the worldRing 3:Against GOD, Nature & Art Circle 8: The Faudulent

Trench I: Panderers & Seducers

Trench II: FlatterersTrench III: SimoniacsTrench IV: SorcerersTrench V: BarratorsTrench VI: HyprocritesTrench VII: TheivesTrench VIII: Evil CounselorsTrench IX: Sowers of DiscordTrench X: Falsifiers

Circle 9: TraitorsRegion 1: KindredRegion 2: CountryRegion 3: GuestsRegion 4: Lords

CANTO XXXIII The TraitorsCircle 9

Traitors, distinguished from

the “merely” fraudulent in that their acts involve

betraying one in a special relationship to the betrayer, are

frozen in a lake of ice known as Cocytus.

The traitors frozen in the ice of Cocytus

CANTO XXXIII The TraitorsCircle 9 – The Four Concentric Zones of 9th Circle

Traitors to their Kindred

REGION 1:Caïna

Named for Cain, is home to traitors to their

kindered.

REGION 2:Antenor

aIs name for Antenor of

troy,who betrayed his city to the

Greeks.

REGION 3:Ptolomæ

aIs probably named

for Ptolemy, the captain of Jericho ,

He killed Simon Maccabaeus and

his sons.

REGION 4:Judecca

Is named for Judas the Iscariot,

Biblical betrayer of Christ, is for traitor

to their Lords.

Traitors to their Country Traitors to their Guests Traitors to their Lords

CANTO XXXIII The TraitorsCircle 9 – REGION 1:Caïna

REGION 1:Caïna

The souls here are immersed in the ice up to their necks.

Dante addresses the traitor Bocca degli Abati

Bocca degli Abati

CANTO XXXIII The TraitorsCircle 9 – REGION 2:Antenora

REGION 2: Antenora

The souls here are immersed the same

level as those in Caïna, except they are unable to bend

their necks.

Ugolino gnaws upon the head of Archbishop Ruggieri

Archbishop Ruggierir

Ugolino

CANTO XXXIII The TraitorsCircle 9 – REGION 3:Ptolomæa

REGION 3:Ptolomæa

Where traitors against their guests suffer, immobilized

in ice and their tears frozen against their

eyes.

As they cry, their tears freeze and seal their eyes shut – they are denied even comfort of tears.

CANTO XXXIII The TraitorsCircle 9 – REGION 4:Judecca

REGION 4:Judecca

In the fourth the final zone, Judecca,

where traitors against their

benefactors are punished, Dante

witnesses the king of Hell, the three-

headed Lucifer, giant and frozen at

the core. In his three mouths,

Lucifer mechanically chews on the most

evil mortal sinners—Judas, Brutus, and

Cassius.

Lucifer, king of Hell, frozen in the ice

Lucifer

Dante & Virgil

They’re so tiny.lol

CANTO XXXIV Upper World

The two poets escape

and pass through the

center of the Earth -

Virgil and Dante ascend to the upper world

- emerging in the other hemisphere just before dawn on Easter Sunday beneath a sky studded with stars.

The Guide and I into that hidden roadNow entered, to return to the bright world;And without care of having any rest

We mounted up, he first and I the second,Till I beheld through a round apertureSome of the beauteous things that Heaven doth bear—

—Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars.

▬ End of Inferno ▬

Purgatorio [purɡaˈtɔːrjo]▬any condition or place of temporary punishment, suffering, expiation, or the like.

The Earthly Paradise

Structure:

Purgatorio

There are seven circles of purgation of the deadly sins, arranged in three groupings, consisting those arising from a perverse desire to see others fail or suffer, namely pride, envy, and anger (Circles 1-3);

that arising from inadequate desire, namely spiritual and intellectual sloth (Circle 4);

and those arising from excessive desire, namely avarice, gluttony, and lust (Circles 5-7). Added to these are the excommunicated, at the base of the mountain, and the late-repentant below the gate.

There are therefore nine major divisions, plus the Earthly Paradise, beyond Purgatory proper, at its summit, making ten in all.

The Lustful

The Gluttonous

The Avaricious and Prodigal

The slothful

The Envious

The Proud

The Late RepentantThe Negligent Rulers

The Un-absolved

The Indolent

The Excommunicate

Purgatory

Ante-Purgatory

CANTO I Mount Purgatory

Purgatorio picks up

right where Inferno left off—Dante and Virgil have just emerged

from their tour through

Hell.

The poets behold the beauty of Venus in the morning sky

The two travelers find themselves on the island of Mount Purgatory at the dawn of a new day.

CANTO II Mount Purgatory

On the shores of the island, Dante and Virgil

watch a boat arrive. Guided by an angel, the

boat shuttles a new batch of penitent souls to

Purgatory.

The celestial pilot lands the boat

Like these souls, Dante is about to climb Mount Purgatory, learning

lessons, and cleansing himself of sin in preparation for ascending to

Heaven.

CANTO III Mount Purgatory

Before beginning to

scale the mountain, Dante and

Virgil must first pass

through ante-Purgatory.

The company of souls upon the cliff

They meet a variety of souls, most of whom are shocked to see that Dante casts a shadow, showing that he's alive.

CANTO III-VI The Excommunicates & The Late-repentant

Along their travels they pass though the First Spur of the Indolent and the Second Spur of the Late-Repentants.

The indolent souls beside the rock The late repenters singing the Miserere

CANTO VII

They travel to the Valley of the Rulers

and meet a bunch of deceased kings.

The body of Buonconte da Montefeltro in the Arno The angels drive the serpent away

In the valley, a serpent appears at dusk, only to be driven away by two angels.

Buonconte

Serpent

CANTO VIII Upper World

The penitent souls are unable to travel in Purgatory at night, so, although Virgil is in a hurry, he and Dante rest until morning.

Twilight Dante, in a dream, is carried off by an eagle

Dante sleeps and dreams about an eagle abducting him.

CANTO IX Portals of Purgatory

When he wakes up, he finds himself at the entrance to Purgatory proper.

Dante and Virgil at the portals of Purgatory

Virgil informs him that St. Lucia came while he slept

and carried him to the gate to Purgatory.

They climb the three steps to the gate, and the angel

guarding the entrance carves seven P’s into

Dante’s forehead.

CANTO X-XII The Proud.

Now in Purgatory proper, Dante and Virgil have seven terraces to pass through, each of which corresponds to one of the seven

deadly sins.

The marble sculptures portraying pride The souls of the prideful, bearing heavy stones

On the first terrace of the Prideful, Dante and Virgil observe in the wall of the cliff sculptures representing humility.

They come across the Prideful penitents, who are being punished

for their sin of pride by carrying massive weights on their backs.

they reach the exit, where an angel erases one P from Dante’s

forehead.

CANTO XIII-XIV

The Envious

Dante and Virgil climb to the second terrace of the Envious.

The souls of the envious

Voices there call out examples of fraternal love. They witness the Envious

penitents being punished by having their eyelids sewn shut with iron wire. Voices call out examples of punished

envy.

Dante and Virgil exit the second terrace, and another angel removes a P

from Dante's forehead.

CANTO XV-XVI

The Angry

Now in the third terrace of the Wrathful, Dante has a vision

containing examples of gentleness.

Black smoke, the punishment of the Wrathful, envelops them,

rendering them blind.

In the smoke, they meet a man named Marco Lombardo, who

discourses on free will and political corruption. Dante and

Virgil meet the angel who removes the third P from Dante’s forehead.

Dante speaks to the soul of Marco Lombardo

Marco Lombardo

CANTO XVII- XVIII The Slothful

As they travel to the fourth terrace of the Slothful, He

(Virgil) continues to lecture on love and free will.

The Slothful penitents, meanwhile, shout examples of

zeal and show that their punishment is to run without

rest. 

The multitude of the slothful

CANTO XIX-XXI

The Avaricious (and the Prodigal)

Dante and Virgil ascend to the fifth terrace

of the Avaricious and

Prodigal, where they witness

the penitents' punishment:

The poets ascend to the fifth circle The souls of the avaricious

-lying stretched face

down on the ground and

bound by hand and foot. The

penitents shout

examples of poverty and generosity.

U ok there dude?

Hey Virgil, Paint me like one of your french girls.

Nope.

CANTO XXII-XXIV The Gluttonous

On the sixth terrace of the Gluttonous, they encounter a strange tree. A disembodied voice cites examples of temperance.

Dante recognizes the shade of Forese among the gluttonsThe gluttonous souls crying out beneath the tree

They encounter a man named

Forese Donati, who explains

the punishment of the

Gluttonous as agonizing thirst

and hunger. Forese

CANTO XXV-XXVI The Lustful

Dante, Virgil, and Statius climb to the

seventh terrace of the Lustful.

The lustful pass through fire in the seventh circle

Here among the Lustful, however, they witness the punishment of the penitents, who walk in flames. The Lustful shout examples of chastity.

CANTO XXVII Through the flames. Virgil’s Departure

At sunset, the travelers reach the exit to the seventh terrace, and an

angel removes Dante’s final P.

However, to leave the terrace, Dante must first walk through a wall of flames. He hesitates with fear, but Virgil lures him through with the promise that he will see

Beatrice on the other side.

Past the fire, Dante sleeps. In the morning, Virgil announces Dante’s readiness for the Earthly Paradise.

Virgil and Dante ascend to the seventh circle through flames

CANTO XXVIII-XXIX Dante and Matilda

In the Earthly Paradise, Dante meets a woman named Matilda, who explains the origins of wind

and water in the forest of the Earthy Paradise.

Dante, Virgil, and Statius in the ancient forest of the terrestrial paradise

Beatrice among the angelsDante submerged in the River Lethë

At the banks of the river Lethe, an extraordinary procession passes by,

halting before Dante. Virgil disappears, to Dante’s distress, but

Beatrice appears.Beatrice

Matilda

CANTO XXXX The giant and the harlot

Dante witnesses the

procession's chariot

attacked by an eagle, a

fox, the eagle again, and a

dragon.

The giant and the harlot in the chariot

Then the chariot turns into a whore, courted by a giant. Beatrice prophesies God’s vengeance on the dragon, whore, and giant.

CANTOXXXI XXXIII Dante’s purification

At the closing of Purgatorio, Matilda leads Dante to the river Eunoe, and immerses him in the water.

Dante drinks of the River Eunoë

He is now ready to ascend to Heaven, with Statius and

Beatrice as his guides.

From the most holy water I returnedRegenerate, in the manner of new treesThat are renewed with a new foliage,

Pure and disposed to mount unto the stars.

▬ End of IPurgatorio ▬

Paradiso [paraˈdiːzo];▬a place regarded in various religions as the abode of God (or the gods) and the angels, and of the good after death, often traditionally depicted as being above the sky.

Structure:

Paradiso

Heaven is made up of nine spheres, corresponding to the heavenly bodies visible from Earth that were known in Dante's time.

Dante meets the souls of the dead in each sphere, organised according to the good works they did while on Earth. Dante questions Beatrice on what he sees and is questioned by the inhabitants of Heaven as well.

The nine levels of Heaven correspond to the Ptolemaic view of the planets' rotation around the Earth, and in each one Dante is shown a different category of souls

CANTO I-II Dante’s divine task

Paradiso opens with Dante's invocation to Apollo and the Muses, asking for his divine task. He and Beatrice ascend from the Earthly Paradise. Beatrice outlines the structure of the universe.

Dante and Beatrice arrive in the First Heaven, sphere of the Moon. Beatrice vigorously quizzes

Dante and then corrects his views on the cause of the moon spots. Dante first sees the blessed souls

as points of light.

CANTO III-IV MOON Those who broke vows

Dante first sees the blessed souls as points of light. He meets Piccarda Donati, who explains the souls' happiness with their places in Heaven. She explains that the Moon houses souls who broke their vows.

The first realm: Piccarda Donati and the souls whose vows had been broken

Beatrice explains why Dante sees the

souls in these heavens, when they

are all located in the Empyrean, (the Tenth

Heaven). Then she explains vows in

terms of absolute and contingent will.

Piccarda Donati

CANTO V-VII MERCURYThose who did good for personal glory

They ascend to the Second Heaven, sphere of

Mercury. Justinian explains the history and destiny of

Rome.

He tells Dante that the souls in Mercury were all

just, but motivated by fame. Beatrice explains God's just vengeance on

Jerusalem.

The host of myriad glowing souls in the second realm

CANTO VIII-XI VENUSThose who did good because of love

They ascend to the Third Heaven, sphere of Venus.

Dante meets Charles Martel, an early French emperor, and he explains why sons can end

up so different from their fathers.

Charles Martel addresses Dante and Beatrice

Dante meets Cunizza da Romano and Folco of Marseille, who points out Rahab to Dante.

Charles Martel

CANTO XII-XIII

SUNPhilosophers

Beatrice and Dante ascend to the

Fourth Heaven, sphere of the Sun.

The rings of glorified souls in the sun

St. Thomas and eleven other souls form a crown around our heroes. Dante denounces the senseless cares of mortals.

CANTO XIV-XVII

MARSThe Church Militant

Dante and Beatrice see the angels with Christ on the crossDante and Beatrice translated to the sphere of Mars

They ascend to the Fifth Heaven, sphere of

Mars. The souls form an image of the Cross.

CANTO XVI MARSThe Church Militant

The soul of Caddiaguida speaks of Florence

Dante meets Cacciaguida, who expounds on the virtue of ancient Florence. Dante indulges in a rare proud

moment over the nobility of his birth.

Cacciaguida talks about the noble Florentine families.

Then, he tells Dante about his destiny of exile, but tempers

it with encouragement to Dante to fulfill his poetic

mission.

Cacciaguida

CANTO XVIII JUPITERGreat rulers

The souls spell out the message Diligite iustitiam, qui iudicatis

terram ("Love justice, you who judge the earth"), and then form

the Eagle.

In the sphere of Jupiter, the blessed souls circle to form letters

Dante and Beatrice move on to the Sixth Heaven, sphere of

Jupiter.

Dante and Beatrice translated to the sphere of Jupiter

CANTO XIX JUPITERGreat rulers

The blessed souls form an eagle in the sky

The Eagle explains Divine Justice and the

inscrutability of God's Mind.

It introduces the six spirits that form its eye and

explains why the Emperor Trajan and Ripheus are

there.

CANTO XX-XXI SATURN

Contemplatives and monks

They continue to the Seventh

Heaven, sphere of Saturn.

Blessed Beatrice in the seventh circle Beatrice and Dante in the sphere of Saturn

CANTO XXVI FIXED STARSThe Church Triumphant

Beatrice and Dante ascend to the Eighth Heaven, sphere of the Fixed Stars. Dante gazes down on Earth and realizes how small and petty it is. They witness the coronation and re-ascension of Mary and Christ into the Empyrean

St. John examines Dante concerning love

St. Peter examines Dante on faith. Dante conveys his hope of returning to Florence one day to be crowned as a poet.

St. James examines Dante on hope. Dante goes blind.

St. John examines Dante on charity. Adam answers Dante's four questions

CANTO XXVII-XXVIII PRIMUM MOBILE OR CRYSTALLINE HEAVEN

Angels

Beatrice and Dante then move on to the Ninth Heaven, Primum Mobile. Beatrice prophesies the coming redemption of the world.

The heavenly host singing “Gloria In Excelsis Deo” The scintillating host of heaven

Dante observes the model of the nine

Angelic Intelligences orbiting a shining

Point.

CANTO XXXI PRIMUM MOBILE OR CRYSTALLINE HEAVENAngels

They ascend into the Tenth Heaven, the Empyrean.

Dante sees the illusion and then real Celestial Rose.

Beatrice disappears and is replaced by St. Bernard.

Dante prays his thanks to Beatrice.

The saintly throng form a rose in the empyrean

CANTO XXXIII PRIMUM MOBILE OR CRYSTALLINE HEAVENAngels

Next, Dante gazes upon Mary. St. Bernard

explains the placement of the blessed in the

Celestial Rose, including that of the innocent infants. St.

Bernard prays to Mary to intercede to God on Dante's behalf so that

the poet may look upon God.

The queen of heaven

Mary approves. Dante looks into the Eternal Light, and sees within

it the image of the Holy Trinity. He

ponders the mystery of the Incarnation. God bestows the

answer upon him in a flash of light and Dante's soul is,

finally, at one with God's.

Though he can't recall the rest. I am the same: Inside my heart, although my vision is almost Entirely faded, droplets of its sweetness come

The way the sun dissolves the snow's crust— The way, in the wind that stirred the light leaves, The oracle that the Sibyl wrote was lost.

▬ End of Paradiso ▬

“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.

▬ Dante Alighieri

CreditsSpecial thanks :

To coffee for keeping me awake all night. Sincerely, exhausted college student.

To all the people who made and released these awesome resources for free:⊙ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival⊙ Photographs by Unsplash

References

Super awesome illustrations by Gustave Doré http://www.danshort.com/dc/?p=135

Inferno Summaryhttp://www.shmoop.com/inferno/summary.html

Paradiso Summaryhttp://www.shmoop.com/paradiso/summary.html

Purgatorio Summaryhttp://www.shmoop.com/purgatorio/summary.html

Thanks!Got any burning questions?