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[[Image:Paradiso Canto 31.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Dante enters the Empyrean, the outer part of Heaven]]

[[Image:Paradiso Canto 31.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Dante enters the Empyrean, the outer part of Heaven]]

'''Dante's Paradiso''' is the third cantica in the [[Divine Comedy]] by [[Dante Alighieri]]. It tells of Dante's journey through [[Heaven]], with Beatrice as his guide, until he eventually reaches the edge of time and sees [[God]] Himself.

'''Dante's Paradiso''' is the third and last cantica in the [[Divine Comedy]] by [[Dante Alighieri]]. It tells of Dante's journey through [[Heaven]], with Beatrice as his guide, until he eventually reaches the edge of time and sees [[God]] Himself.

==Structure of Heaven==

==Structure of Heaven==

[[Image:Ptolemaicsystem-small.png|right|thumb|250px|A Medieval diagram of the Earth and planets, showing the system used in the Paradiso.]]

[[Image:Ptolemaicsystem-small.png|right|thumb|250px|A Medieval diagram of the Earth and planets, showing the system used in the Paradiso.]]

Heaven is made up of nine spheres, corresponding to the heavenly bodies visible from Earth that were known in Dante's time. Dante meets the souls of the dead in each sphere, organised according to the good works they did while on Earth. Dante questions Beatrice on what he sees and is questioned by the inhabitants of [[Heaven]] as well. The nine levels of Heaven correspond to the [[Ptolemy|Ptolemaic]] view of the [[planet]]s' rotation around the Earth, and in each one Dante is shown a different category of souls:

Heaven is made up of nine spheres, corresponding to the heavenly bodies visible from Earth that were known in Dante's time. Dante meets the [[soul]]s of the dead in each sphere, organised according to the good works they did while on Earth. Dante questions Beatrice on what he sees and is questioned by the inhabitants of [[Heaven]] as well. The nine levels of Heaven correspond to the [[Ptolemy|Ptolemaic]] view of the [[planet]]s' rotation around the Earth, and in each one Dante is shown a different category of souls:

{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable"

* God’s throne with the elders

* God’s throne with the elders

However, while Dante is in the first sphere, it is explained that all the souls in fact occupy the same Heaven and receive the same reward. Different categories of souls appear in different places as an aid to his (and the reader's) understanding, but this should not be taken as a literal representation of what Heaven is like. To accomplish this, each sphere's role derives from an association with the heavenly body that occupies it. For example, Mercury is usually hard to see because it is outshone by the sun, just as those souls found there have their good works overshadowed by their desire for glory. Jupiter, called after the king of the gods in [[Roman]] [[mythology]], is home to kings and other rulers.

However, while Dante is in the first sphere, it is explained that all the souls in fact occupy the same Heaven and receive the same reward. Different categories of souls appear in different places as an aid to his (and the reader's) understanding, but this should not be taken as a literal representation of what Heaven is like. Each sphere's role derives from an association with the heavenly body that occupies it; for example, Mercury is usually hard to see because it is outshone by the sun, just as those souls found there have their good works overshadowed by their desire for glory. Jupiter, called after the king of the gods in [[Roman]] [[mythology]], is home to kings and other rulers.

== Key figures ==

== Key figures ==