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A review by mimig312
Purgatory: From the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
5.0
The second part to Dante Alighieri's the Divine Comedy, Purgatory picks up right after Dante and his guide, Virgil exit the depths of Hell. In Dante's vision of Purgatory, we learn that he has devised a multi-level ascent which is a reverse of the underworld of the Inferno. Dante and Virgil proceed into Purgatory and meet a wide array of spirits, some contemporaries of Dante, but most are figures of Italian, European or classical history. They also encounter many angels that serve to gather or guide the souls on their way.
This part of the Divine Comedy is considered "low comedy" as it does not end with a sad or tragic ending. Given that the setting is Purgatory, all the spirits that Dante encounters are purging themselves of sin and ascending to Paradise. This isn't exactly a "happy" state but the end result of the sinner's purging will result in their ultimate ascent to heaven. Depending on the sin, the purging can manifest in some sort of physical or mental penance that can last many earthly lifetimes.
As with the Inferno, I found it more helpful to read a guide to learn more about the various characters Dante describes in his cantos. It helps tremendously to understand the politics and culture of his time and gives greater meaning to the encounters he has with the spirits and angels. There's also a super helpful video guide posted on YouTube by AspectHistory that breaks down the meaning of several cantos in 10-20 minute videos:
https://www.youtube.com/c/AspectHistory
This part of the Divine Comedy is considered "low comedy" as it does not end with a sad or tragic ending. Given that the setting is Purgatory, all the spirits that Dante encounters are purging themselves of sin and ascending to Paradise. This isn't exactly a "happy" state but the end result of the sinner's purging will result in their ultimate ascent to heaven. Depending on the sin, the purging can manifest in some sort of physical or mental penance that can last many earthly lifetimes.
As with the Inferno, I found it more helpful to read a guide to learn more about the various characters Dante describes in his cantos. It helps tremendously to understand the politics and culture of his time and gives greater meaning to the encounters he has with the spirits and angels. There's also a super helpful video guide posted on YouTube by AspectHistory that breaks down the meaning of several cantos in 10-20 minute videos:
https://www.youtube.com/c/AspectHistory