......,., no Creator and roo creature 9' who t-\'tr ~"J.S "'-;tbout lovc-natur~ or mcn1al: and you know tha•."
The passage brings into light a concept that has been present since Inferno, love. Here, Dante makes the case for the need and necessity of love, which is a natural gift from our Creator. Yet, it is one that can be corrupted and deformed to the unnatural and the ugly. He also implies that love can be purely "natural" or "mental," but always existent in one's lives.
Rern<mber, ruda, if you\< eva bcm aught •n tht mountanu b> a mise through .. bich )Oil on I) """' .,. moles>« thruugh their .Ln. ho"', "hen tht thkk, damp >apon one< begin to thin, the >un·~ 'J'h~ pa<~ frcbl) through th<m, then )OUt •=~uuuom ,.,u be quick
The opening of the canto address the reader directly to do not despair even when caught in the midst of a mountain. It asks the reader to be patient even when suffering because when the "mist" passes, everything becomes clearer and imagination is possible. Dante makes it personal and intimate with the reader by approaching his audience directly.
The serpent's hind feet, twisted up together, became the member that man hides; just as the "'retch put out two hind paws from his member.
The passage represents the metamorphoses of serpent to man because the serpents became a man's genitals. The one a man hides with both his hand because of embarrassment. Perhaps embarrassed at t he fact that many men, like in canto 5, made decisions based on their lust and carnal passions. But it shows the transformation of serpent to man, a change that makes them one and the same, when the sin of thievery is committed.
As I kept my eyes fixed upon those sinners, 49 a serpent with six feet springs out against one of the three, and clutches him completely.
Here, one has a serpent serving as punisher for one of three thieves. In the Book of Numbers in the Bible, God uses a serpent to castigate and avenge the children of Israel. So in the same sense, serpent in the Bible and in Inferno means punisher. However, Christianity has adopted a more negative side of the serpent as temptation because it tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, causing the demise of men.
A Gallehault indeed, that book and hewho wrote it, too; that day we read no more
Here, the cases of Helen, Achilles, Paris, Tristan, Cleopatra, and many other are reinforced because their actions, in the name of love, brought destruction. In Francesca, one has the lowest of the lowest because Dante appeals to the common people to let them know that those high up are not that different from the common people. Also this is an argument of not accepting one's own guilt and fault because Francesca blames "the book" for her lack of reason, resulting in a deadly sins. Here, the main argument is lack of recognizing one's actions and the consequences of them. The main characters are lack of reason and corrupted love.
See Helen, for whose sake so many yearsof evil had to pass; see great Achilles,who finally met love—in his last battle.See Paris, Tristan .. ."—and he pointed outand named to me more than a thousand shadesdeparted from our life because of love
In this passage, love is the reason for pain and years of blood and destruction. Dante alludes to Helen of Troy and the conflict that resulted from her abduction by Paris, Achilles death after finding love, and many others that walk their same path. He did this to support his argument of love being the barer of destruction too. More than that, love is a choice and because of it, it can be corrupted or purify. Nevertheless, love does not mean painless; Dante makes this clear by using these personalities of past history. Their final destination is hell because love and lust surpassed their reason.
It is my Nella whor with her abundant tears, has guided me to drink the sweet wormwood of torments: she, with sighs and prayers devout has set me free of that slope where one waits and has freed me frorn circles underneath this circle.
In this particular moment, the entire structure of Purgatorio and the rules for reversal are contradicting because Forese's ascend to paradise is fasten by Nella, his wife's prayer. Her prayers are not just any prayers of a relative who cared and loved Forese while alive. These are ardent and passionate prayers of a widow who even in death, still remains faithful to her beloved. Nella's pure and ardent love translates into her prayers and it is what saves Forese from having to pay the entire time he owes for his sin. The scenario is used to highlight the cultural and moral sanctity of marriage in a non-Western city, as well as criticizes the Western ideal or those who believe themselves above others. Like many other examples from Inferno and Purgatorio, love is the maker and breaker of everything good or bad, in life and after death. Lastly, it emphasizes the power love has when it is intermingled with genuine prayer, almost miraculous in a sense.
Each shade had dark and hollow eyes; their faces were pale and so emaciated that their taut skin took its shape from bones beneath. ~~--~• r1ru"'l"1" 'h~l;~urQ t"h.-.t-.:::ancu"'' p,...,,.'-";rht-hru"
The shades in this part of the canto represent the punishment gluttonous must endure before ascending to paradise As they were used to wasting and consuming for no reason other than gluttony, the reversal of that in Purgatorio is starvation to the point where they are skeletons walking in pain. This part shows that to purge a soul and ascend to paradise, prayer is not 100% the cure, pain is involved in the process of reversal. Yet, it is not an eternal pain; pain here, is a temporal aspect for salvation.
How different we,.., rhtse ennyways from rho..<e 112 d• l'1nfnnal11 cht qu1oi pn-cann of Hell• For h= 11 JS ,.,th JuDg one enters; s'mtn. e U &i~ pn-lomenti feroci. down lhert:.IIIS Wllh $2\age lamenraUOI\S.. Cu monto\om super It tcagltoo sann. liS :-;ow we ucendtd b} the socttd <tairs,
Here, the text contrasts the entries of Inferno to those of Purgatorio. The tone of the choice of words in these lines is that of relieve and happiness at having left behind such horror and suffering. By saying that "hermit is with song one enters," is huge because the joy of the music and singing is what differentiates Inferno and Purgatorio from the beginning because instead of hearing lamentations and painful cries, Dante hears soothing and sweet music. It is as if he is been welcomed with high honors and all. This is why Dante's journey through Purgatorio is easier than Hell.
I saw, to one side of the patb, one who had hem created nobler 1han all other bern~ (;oiling liglurung-like from Huvm.
These lines refer to Lucifer or the Devil. He is not named because he lost that privileged when he defied God in the heavens. He was once the favorite and the most adored angel of heaven. Since naming is a big part of the poem, the fact that he is not named is huge because he serves as an example of what might happen when you defy God. You might not be remembered and you might be forgotten. In a lot of cultures, remembrance is what is important after death because that is how you stay alive after death. It is as close as one can get to immortality. Also, it reminded me of Harry Potter a lot because Voldemort is the character "who must not be named." He is practically the representation of Lucifer or Evil in Harry Potter.