Purgatorio

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Purgatorio

• World Literature

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Purgatory

• Place for purging
• From Latin purus and agere
• to make pure
• Provides merciful chance for a deceased person to
  become cleansed from serious sins that have been
  repented of but not atoned for
• When purged, the soul can enter pure into Gods
  pure presence.

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Purgatory

• Comes from Catholic tradition of praying for
  their dead.
• Maccabees 1243
• made atonement for the dead that they might be
  freed from their sins.
• Matthew 123
• Sins would not be forgiven either in this world
  or in the world to come.

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Purgatory

• A soul is in Purgatory because it died in Gods
  forgiving grace, no matter how heinous the sins.
• In Hell the focus of punishment is fruits of sin
  (evil acts)
• In Purgatory the focus is the roots of sin (evil
  tendencies)
• 7 deadly or 7 cardinal sins

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Purgatory

• Purgatory
• Night and day
• Time is precious in this realm (Canto 24)
• Souls are eager to get on with their work
• Angels
• Every terrace has guardian angels

• Hell
• Always night
• Time is pointless
• Activities are mindlessly repetitive
• Demons/monsters

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Purgatory

• Dantes Purgatory
• Towering mountain-island in the Earths southern
  hemisphere.
• Three divisions
• Forest of Eden
• Purgatory
• Seven terraces or ledges
• Prepurgatory
• 4 groups of souls in waiting

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Purgatory

• Purgatory
• Each of the 7 terraces linked with one of
  Christs beatitudes (Matt. 53-11)
• Each category has
• Inspiring examples of the virtue they neglected
• Horrible examples of the vice they indulged
• Both pre-Christian and biblical examples

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Outline of Purgatory

• Cantos 1-9
• Prepurgatory (waiting)
• Cantos 10-27
• Seven-story mountain (purgation)
• Cantos 28-33
• Forest of Eden (final grooming)

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Canto 1

• Easter, April 10, 1300
• Dante evokes the Muses for the second leg of his
  journey
• Calliope, muse of epic poetry
• Four Stars
• Cardinal virtues
• Prudence
• Justice
• Fortitude
• Temperance
• Dante and Virgil meet Cato

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Canto 2

• Dante and Virgil near seashore
• Angel with boat full of spirits singing Psalm
  113-114
• Dante meets old friend Casella
• Sings one of Dantes poems

12
Canto 3

• Arrive at Prepurgatory
• foot of the mountain
• Late repentants (Group 1)
• Excommunicated
• Manfred
• Illegitimate son of Emperor Frederick II

13
Canto 4

• Mountain trek is very tiring must be diligent in
  the climb.
• Virgil consoles Dante
• going gets easier the higher you climb

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First Lower Ledge

• The spiritually lazy (Group 2)
• Belacqua, the lazy Florentine
• whats the use of going up?
• Must wait here for as long as he postponed his
  good sighs on Earth.
• Declares only the prayers of good souls on Earth
  can shorten his waiting period.

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Second Lower Ledge

• Those who met sudden, violent deaths and were
  sinners until their final hour. (Group 3)
• Must wait for as long a time as they lived before
  beginning their purification.
• Singing from Psalm 50-51
• God have mercy on me

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Second Lower Ledge

• Those who met sudden, violent deaths and were
  sinners until their final hour.
• Jacopo del Cassero of Fano
• Buonconte da Montefeltro
• La Pia
• Sordello

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Second Lower Ledge

• Valley of the Negligent Rulers
• Neglected their own souls on Earth because they
  were overly preoccupied with royal cares. (Group
  4)

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Canto 8

• Two angels of hope
• Keep serpent out of the valley
• Dante converses with 2 rulers
• Judge Nino Visconti
• Old friend of Dante
• Asks Dante to tell his daughter Giovanna of his
  need for her prayers.
• Currado Malaspina
• Predicts that within 7 years Dante will
  experience the hospitality of his family

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Lord Byrons Don Juan

• Soft hour! which wakes the wish and melts the
  heart
• Of those who sail the seas, on the first day
• When they from their sweet friends are torn
  apart
• Or fills with love the pilgrim on his way
• As the far bell of vespers makes him start
• Seeming to weep the dying days decay.
• Is this a fancy which our reason scorns?
• Ah! Surely nothing dies but something mourns.

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Canto 9

• First prophetic dream
• Lifted by golden eagle and carried through sphere
  of fire covering Earth.
• To St. Peters Gate

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Canto 9

• St. Peters Gate
• 3 steps
• White
• Repentant sinner who examines his conscience
• Original innocence
• Purple
• Repentant sinner bruises himself with a sorrowful
  confession
• Mankinds fall from grace
• Red
• Repentant sinner washed sacramentally in Christs
  purifying blood
• Redemption by Christ

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Canto 9

• 2 Keys
• keys to the kingdom
• Gold
• Mediated act of divine forgiveness
• More precious
• Silver
• Wise counseling of a confessor
• Requires more human skill

23
Canto 9

• Angel marks seven Ps on Dantes brow
• Peccatum sin
• See that you wash away these wounds when you are
  within.
• Ps represent 7 cardinal sins
• One is purged at each level of the mountain

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Canto 10

• Arrival at Purgatory proper

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Ledge 1

• Pride
• Aldobrandesco
• Oderisi
• Provenzan

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Ledge 2

• Envy
• Sapia
• Guido del Duca
• Rinier da Calboli

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Ledge 3

• Anger
• Marco the Lombard

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Ledge 4

• Sloth
• Outline of Purgatory
• Abbot of San Zeno

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Ledge 5

• Avarice and Wastefulness
• Second prophetic dream
• Pope Adrian V
• Hugh Caper

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Ledge 6

• Gluttony
• Statius
• Forese Donati
• Bonaguinta da Lucca

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Ledge 7

• Lust
• Guido Guinizelli
• Arnaut Daniel
• Dante goes through fire
• Third prophetic dream
• Leah
• Matilda emblem of active life
• Rachel
• Beatrice lost love

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Ledge 7

• Third prophetic dream
• Leah
• Matilda emblem of active life
• Rachel
• Beatrice lost love

33
Forest of Eden

• 4th and final day in Purgatory
• Enters earthly paradise regained
• Virgil Statius still with Dante
• Meets Matilda
• Caretaker of Eden
• Rivers in Eden
• Lethe oblivion
• Waters removed the memory of sin evil
• Eunoe well-minded
• Waters restore memory of every good deed

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Pageant of Revelation

• 7 Blazing candles
• Flames are rainbow of colors
• Represent gifts of Gods Spirit
• Wisdom
• Understanding
• Counsel
• Knowledge
• Fortitude
• Piety
• Reverence for Lord

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Pageant of Revelation

• Gods gift of Revelation had 3 biblical stages
• Hebrew Scriptures
• Four Gospels
• Later books of Christian Testament

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Pageant of Revelation

• 24 elders dressed in white
• Crowned with lilies walk 2 x 2 behind candles
• Represent books of Hebrew Bible
• Singing to a woman
• White
• Illuminating faith

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Pageant of Revelation

• Chariot
• Pulled by winged Griffon
• Half golden eagle half lion
• Represents Christ
• Both divine (eagle) and human (lion)
• 2 creatures in front 2 creatures behind
• Represent 4 gospel writers
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John

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Pageant of Revelation

• Chariot
• On Right
• 3 dancing ladies
• Theological virtues
• Faith white
• Hope green
• Charity - red

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Pageant of Revelation

• Chariot
• On Left
• 4 women dressed in purple
• Cardinal virtues
• Justice
• Fortitude
• Temperance
• Prudence (3rd eye sees past, present, future)

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Pageant of Revelation

• 7 white robed men with 7 candles
• Crowned with roses other red flowers
• Represent other books of New Testament
• Luke
• Paul
• Peter
• James
• John
• Jude
• John (the Divine)
• Sleeping old man

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Canto 30

• Focal point of poem Dorothy Sayers
• Goodbye to Virgil
• Hello to Beatrice
• Green mantle
• Dressed in red
• White veil
• Colors of flag of Italy

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Canto 30

• Beatrice
• Chastises Dante
• His sorrow must match his sins.

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Canto 31

• Dante makes confession
• Sees reflection of griffon in Beatrices eyes
• Matilda pulls Dante across Lethe
• Dante drinks of the waters of the Lethe

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Canto 32

• Beatrice assures Dante of his final salvation
• Beatrice gives Dante his poetic mission to the
  world
• for the good of that world that lives badly, fix
  your eyes on the chariot, and when you have
  returned to the world, write what you see.
• Sees devastations that have afflicted Church
  throughout history

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Canto 32

• Pageant of Church History
• Chariot
• Now signifies Church Militant as it struggles on
  Earth.
• Tied to tree of Knowledge of Good Evil
• Attacks by
• Imperial Eagle
• Fox
• Eagle covers it with feathers
• Dragon

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Canto 32

• Pageant of Church History
• Chariot
• Transforms into 7-headed monster
• 7 deadly sins
• Harlot
• Papacy under Boniface VIII Clement V
• Corrupt popes, according to Dante
• Giant
• King Philip IV of France
• Abused church
• Attacked Boniface VIII
• Pressured Clement V to move papacy from Rome to
  France

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Canto 33

• Shattered chariot
• Church
• which was and is not
• Deliverer will come
• slay the harlot giant
• Dante and Statius washed in Eunoe
• Purgation is complete