Dante's Divine Comedy

• 1. According to lines 4-6, what happened to the souls liberated from Limbo in the Harrowing of Hell?

They were directed to ascend Mt. Purgatory.

Do you find in the simile in lines 9-13 any resonance with the apostles’ response to Christ’s appearance in the upper room after His resurrection: “And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement . . .” (Luke 24:41)

This is an OPEN QUESTION.

• 2. What is “our language” as Sordello refers to it in line 17?

Martinez believes that Sordello acknowledges Virgil as the creator of literary Latin. He goes on to speculate that Dante himself regarded Virgil’s spoken Latin to be close to the Italian spoken, in multiple dialects, throughout Italy.

Hollander interprets Sordello’s words indicate he regards Virgil as the founder of all Romance poetry.

Mazzoni imagines four possible interpretations: 1) all human vernacular, 2) Latin only, 3) vernacular poetry in general, and 4) the vernacular Italian traceable to Latin.

What remarkable omission does Virgil make in his explanation of how he comes to be in Purgatory (lines 22-28)?

Though he says he passed through all the circles of Hell and arrived on Mt. Purgatory under the direction of Heaven, he does not explain that he was sent on this mission as Dante’s guide. Whether intentionally or unwittingly, Virgil has led Sordello to believe he is now to serve as Virgil’s guide.

Lines 25-28 also indicate that Virgil still does not understand the role of faith when he says he is condemned for not believing a truth that came to his knowledge “too late.”

How does he compensate for that omission in lines 37-39?

He asks Sordello to “show us the way,” including Dante in his request.

What new rules of Purgatory does Sordello reveal in his response to Dante’s request (lines 40-45)?

The souls in Ante-Purgatory, are free to roam but not ascend the mountain.

None of the souls in Purgatory may ascend at night.

• 3. What epic convention does Dante develop in lines 91-136?

The catalogue, a long list – often including details – relevant to plot, character development, or theme.

What is Dante saying in lines 121-124 through the dialogue of Sordello?

True nobility is not heritable. It is seen in individuals but not in family lines.

In his Convivio he writes, “the divine seed [of nobility] falls not upon the race, that is the stock, but falls upon individuals . . . the stock does not ennoble individuals, but individuals ennoble the stock.”

James makes a supporting statement in the 17^th verse of the first chapter of his letter in the New Testament: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Nobility is a gift of our Heavenly Father, not of our earthly fathers.