In this second part of Dante’s vision of God, he gets a fleeting glimpse of God himself. He sees three interconnected circles—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Trinity). In the second circle, he briefly perceives Christ’s human nature united to his divine nature—but at this point, the light of God overwhelms him, and he can neither see nor desire to see anything more. Though Dante’s ability to fully convey such a transcendent vision must fail, he has achieved the goal of such vision—perfect harmony with God.
Paradiso, like
Inferno and
Purgatorio, ends with the word “stars,” with Dante now having attained the heavenly goal he sought all along.