Literary Devices in Purgatorio
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Is it just us or does Matilda’s entrance in Canto XXVIII strongly mirror something we’ve heard before…where was it? Oh yeah. In the last canto. Matilda seems to be a foil (albeit,...
Setting
Yes. The setting is actually that crazy specific.Dante doesn’t fool around when he’s imagining the settings for his Divine Comedy. So it should come as no surprise that he can practically give...
Narrator Point of View
It's pretty obvious that Purgatorio has first person narration. Dante says “I” all the time. In fact, it’s a very “me, me!” kind of text. Here, perhaps even more than in the Inferno, we...
Genre
Purgatorio is definitely an epic poem. It’s in verse. It rhymes (in the Italian). It’s about really big epic topics like life and death, good and evil, God and the immortal soul. Another huge c...
Tone
Dante cares deeply about his subject matter—the improvement of man’s soul through penance and hard labor. He doesn't shirk from showing us how physically and emotionally difficult this process...
Writing Style
Purgatorio is so formal. There’s very little that’s easy and accessible about Dante’s style. By “formal,” we mean that Dante adheres to a very rigid literary form. In this case, epic conv...
What’s Up With the Title?
Let’s start by stating the obvious: Purgatory is not only the setting, but also the subject matter of the second cantica of Dante’s Divine Comedy. The idea behind Purgatory is that no matter ho...
What’s Up With the Ending?
Purgatorio ends on perhaps one of the best cliffhangers ever. Having grown so much spiritually during his journey through all seven terraces and finally receiving the final cleansing at the hands o...
Plot Analysis
Dante has been losing his way. He needs to tour Hell so he can get back on the righteous path. (Inferno in its entirety)Dante needs help in a bad way because he is lost in a dark wood, symbolizing...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
Lost in a dark wood… (Inferno Cantos I-II)Dante is at a major crossroads in his life. He is lost in a dark wood, allegory for deeply sunk into sin, and desperately in need of help. The three an...
Three Act Plot Analysis
Ante-Purgatory: Dante and Virgil arrive on the shores of Purgatory. They meet Cato; at his command, Dante is outfitted with a new rush belt. As he makes his way through the four spurs of ante-Purg...
Trivia
Dante basically created Purgatory. He didn’t create the name or the idea, but he really coined all of the specifics: its location, its structure as a mountain with cornices and terraces and Earth...
Steaminess Rating
Compared to Inferno, Purgatorio is a lot less racy. Even on the terrace of the Lustful, there’s little reference to actual sex. The closest we get is a reference to Pasiphae, mother of the half-m...
Allusions
Plato (Purg. IV, 1-12)Virgil, The Aeneid (Purg. XXI, 97)Dante Alighieri, La Vita Nuova (Purg. XXIV, 51)Beatrice Portinari (Purg. XXX, 73) - throughoutVirgin Mary (Purg. X, 50) – throughoutLeah (P...