Difference between revisions of "Dante's Paradiso"
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| − | 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. | + | 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. |
== End == | == End == | ||
Revision as of 14:19, September 15, 2008
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.
Structure of Heaven
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 Ptolemaic view of the planets' rotation around the Earth, and in each one Dante is shown a different category of souls:
| Sphere | Souls |
|---|---|
| Moon | Those who broke vows |
| Mercury | Those who did good for personal glory |
| Venus | Those who did good because of love |
| Sun | Philosophers |
| Mars | The Church Militant |
| Jupiter | Great rulers |
| Saturn | Contemplatives |
| Fixed Stars | The Church Triumphant |
| Crystalline Heaven or Primum Mobile | Angels |
Beyond these spheres (and outside time itself) are:
- The motionless Heaven (or Empyrean)
- Mary’s throne
- 9 angelic circles
- 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.
End
The Paradiso ends when Dante sees God. He tries to describe what he has seen, but admits defeat as his poetic gifts fail in their attempt to give form to the ineffable. The reader can only assume that the poet was somehow returned to Earth, and given the task of returning to life and writing down what he has seen for the benefit of those still living. Dante equates this purpose to that of the man the Apostle Paul wrote about who ascended to the 3rd Heaven in a vision, or that John the Divine wrote in the Apocalypse (Revelation). [1]
Sources
Dante's allusions are again rooted in Greek and Roman mythology which he relates to Christian virtues and doctrines, symbols from astrology, Biblical history, Church teaching, and honored political figures. The high position of Mary is emphasized as it was the prevailing belief of the time.
- ↑ The Divine Comedy, By Dante Alighieri, Translated by Charles Singleton, Bollingen Series 80, Vol. 3: Paradiso. Copyright 1975 by Princeton University Press.