THE DIVINE COMEDY
- In what ways does make clear to the reader the central importance of freedom in the Purgatorio?
Freedom in the context of Purgatorio is based primarily on the freedom of man to decide upon himself/herself, devoid of any intervention from the divine. evidently speak clearly of his sentiments on human nature in Purgatorio, specifically he addresses the concept of freedom in this second part of the Divine Comedy. He demonstrates in Canto XVI:
The heavens your movements do initiate,
I say not all; but granting that I say it,
Light has been given you for good and evil,
And free volition; which, if some fatigue
In the first battles with the heavens it suffers,
Afterwards conquers all, if well ’tis nurtured.
To greater force and to a better nature,
Though free, ye subject are, and that creates
The mind in you the heavens have not in charge.
This means that God bestowed human beings with the materials of the individual perception. This material takes account of one’s soul. However, it is dependent on a person’s individual free will to permit the soul to direct him and steer in earthly affairs. In the subsequent quote in Canto XVI:
Before it is, like to a little girl
Weeping and laughing in her childish sport,
Issues the simple soul, that nothing knows,
Save that, proceeding from a joyous Maker,
Gladly it turns to that which gives it pleasure
claims are anchored on the basic nature of yearning, a human sentiment that is at the foundation of one’s awareness. Moreover, he places the importance to what the soul implies. It implies an ethereal entity that only man could mold because of his possession of free will. Thus, in his work in Purgatorio, speaks of freedom of the soul.
- Why can it be said that love is one of the principal themes and structural principles of the Purgatorio?
In the three parts of the Divine Comedy, Purgatorio is probably the only part where it reveals souls nearest to what we perceive as a normal representation of the human state. They are evidently in torment; ironically they are in high spirits. Unlike those that have been encountered in the depths of Inferno, the torment that these souls are encountering is geared towards an eventual purpose. Unlike to those souls in Inferno, their pain is not eternal, futile affliction, but compensation which bestows these souls gradually nearer to God. This is the reason love is the principal themes of Purgatorio. It is the unconditional love of these souls and their continuous repentance to receive the glory of God through the gates of paradise is what keeps them doing what they do.
Moreover, the sins presented in this part of the Divine Comedy are brought about by imperfections in love. segregates the seven deadly sins into three clusters. One is categorized as the distorted kind of love which is based on perversion. Sins like pride, envy, and anger are those which entail love for things which should not be loved in the first place. Another kind of love in this context is characterized by a derisory kind of love, sloth. This exemplifies laziness and indolence. And lastly, the remaining sins of avarice, gluttony, and lust are grouped together in order to characterize the sins of excessive love. Purgatorio resolves love by instructing souls to love the appropriate things in the suitable extent.
Normally, purgatory is perceived as a place of pain and endless suffering, however, the work of reveals that there are two elements that constitute purgatory, castigation and purification. gave emphasis to purification, which is acquired to a certain extent by anguish, but similarly by lessons. The souls that subsist in Purgatorio are able to gain knowledge of helping each other. As a consequence, in Purgatorio it is perceived that the souls that dwell there are in full swing to their goal of going to Paradiso, and in doing so still possess the ability to love.
o In what ways does Paradise constitute a procession of symbols? What values do these symbols represent?
On the work of in Paradise, a collection of symbols are presented to the reader. These symbols are revealed when guides into the Spheres in heaven. The first sphere is stated in Canto II until Canto V of the Paradiso. The first sphere is represented by the moon. Based on the descriptions of the characters, the moon represents those individuals who have forsaken their vows. The second sphere is discussed in Canto V to Canto VII. This sphere is embodied by Mercury. In looking at the verses of the Paradiso, this sphere symbolizes individuals who have done well in their lives in their conquest of fame.
On the sphere of Venus, the said object symbolized those who have done well with regards to the context of love and affection. The discussion in this part is reflected in Canto VII and XIX. The sun, on the other hand, represents the souls who are wise as discussed in Cantos X to XIV. Moreover, those who have defended the principles and teachings of Christianity have also been symbolized in the fifth sphere. The fifth sphere is characterized by the planet Mars. Similarly, justice is depicted in the scenes that took place in Cantos XVIII until XX. This sphere is represented by the planet Jupiter. On the other hand, the use of the planet Saturn revealed the symbolic use of the thoughtful and meditative souls as depicted in Cantos XXI to Cantos XXII. The eighth sphere as presented in Cantos XXII to XXVII represents the blessed souls that have entered heaven. It is at this point of the story where faith, hope and love are tested on the part of . The ninth sphere basically reflects the prime movers according to . Specifically, this sphere symbolizes the angels.
The concern of the who does not discover heavenly enlightenment is the concern of the poet who has not brought into being an inspiration. All in all, the Divine Comedy reveals that the poem is not fashioned by a vision, nevertheless is the construction of a vision; or conceivably more precisely, the Comedy is construction aimed in the direction of a vision.
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