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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Purgatorio, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Purgatory and the Heavenward Journey
Love, Sin, and God
Free Will
Spiritual Power vs. Earthly Power
Time
Summary
Analysis
Just before sunset, the angel of chastity sings “Blessed are the pure in heart” beyond the wall of flame. The angel tells the souls that without passing through the fire, they can’t be purged. When Dante stares uneasily into the fire, Virgil encourages him, promising that though the fire will be painful, it will never harm him. He adds that he won’t abandon Dante now that they’re so close to God. Besides, this is the last barrier between Dante and Beatrice. The sound of Beatrice’s name softens Dante’s resistance.
All penitents climbing to Purgatory’s summit, whether or not they must cleanse their souls of lust specifically, have to pass through the fire, which symbolizes not just penance, but also the purifying of love. The fire is an allegorical symbol of God’s love, by means of the painful earthly pilgrimage, readying the soul for Heaven. Within this story, the fire also fulfills the function within the courtly love genre of the hero (Dante) passing through dangers in pursuit of his lady (Beatrice).
Themes
Virgil, Dante, and Statius step into the fire. Immediately, the heat is so intense that Dante wishes he could refresh himself “in a vat of boiling glass.” Virgil keeps encouraging him by reminding him of Beatrice. Eventually, through the darkness, they hear an angel singing, “Come, blessed of my Father!” Emerging from the fire, they see a steep pathway, and since it’s nearly night, they settle down to sleep on the stairs.
The fire is intensely palpable, although it does not literally burn—it’s meant to burn away impurity and not to destroy. After passing through unscathed, the group arrives at the threshold of their goal, but since climbing is prohibited overnight, they must wait a little longer.
Themes
Dante falls asleep and dreams of a young girl singing and picking flowers; she identifies herself as Leah from the Bible. Leah adds that her sister, Rachel, prefers to sit in front of a mirror all day, contemplating her image—“seeing, for her, is all—as doing is for me.” When Dante wakes up, Virgil assures him that, today, all his desires will be satisfied. Encouraged by this, Dante hurries eagerly up the steps.
Dante’s last dream in Purgatory is an allegorical comparison of the Old Testament biblical figures Leah and Rachel, wives of the patriarch Jacob. Medieval biblical commentators sometimes took Leah and Rachel as symbols of the active and contemplative lives, respectively—that is, the practical, world-oriented lifestyle that most people pursue, and the less common lifestyle that’s wholly devoted to prayer. Dante dreams this on the threshold of realizing the fulfillment of every Christian life, whether active or contemplative.
Themes
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When they reach the top step, Virgil looks firmly at Dante and says that he’s guided Dante through Hell and Purgatory, but he can’t show him anything else. Now, he says, “take what pleases you to be your guide.” Dante’s will, he adds, “is healthy, upright, free, and whole […] Lord of yourself, I crown and mitre you.”
Because Virgil is not a Christian, he cannot enter Paradise; he has led Dante as far as he can. Furthermore, now that Dante’s own will has been cleansed in Purgatory, his desires are purified, meaning that he doesn’t need Virgil. “[W]hat pleases [him]”—meaning Beatrice, who is symbolic of God’s love—can do that. Dante’s will can now rule and guide itself.
Themes
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