Medieval Thought and

Culture
Feudal Life
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted from the
5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire
and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.
For safety and for defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small
communities around a central lord or master. Most people lived on a manor,
which consisted of the castle, the church, the village, and the surrounding
farm land. These manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers,
pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms.
In this "feudal" system, the king awarded land grants or "fiefs" to his most
important nobles, his barons, and his bishops, in return for their contribution
of soldiers for the king's armies. At the lowest echelon of society were the
peasants, also called "serfs" or "villeins." In exchange for living and working
on his land, known as the "demesne," the lord offered his peasants
protection.
Religion
The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe during the Middle
Ages, and it had its own laws and large coffers. Church leaders such as
bishops and archbishops sat on the king's council and played leading
roles in government. Bishops, who were often wealthy and came from
noble families, ruled over groups of parishes called "diocese." Parish
priests, on the other hand, came from humbler backgrounds and often
had little education. The village priest tended to the sick and indigent
and, if he was able, taught Latin and the Bible to the youth of the village.
As the population of Europe expanded in the twelfth century, the
churches that had been built in the Roman style with round-arched roofs
became too small. Some of the grand cathedrals, strained to their
structural limits by their creators' drive to build higher and larger,
collapsed within a century or less of their construction.
 During the Middle Ages religion is everything. It was not unusual for people to go to
church everyday and pray five times a day. People believed that all the good things in life
were due to the bounty of god and that the evil events of the times were due to their sins.
Medieval religion was extremely important and even the doctors and physicians of the era
were also well versed in religion. From birth to death, whether you were a peasant, a serf,
a noble a lord or a king, life was dominated by the church and Medieval religion. There
were many famous Medieval saints and there are details of the names of these pious men
and women of the Middle Ages.
Monasteries in the Middle Ages were based on the rules set down by St. Benedict in the
sixth century. The monks became known as Benedictines and took vows of poverty,
chastity, and obedience to their leaders. They were required to perform manual labor and
were forbidden to own property, leave the monastery, or become entangled in the
concerns of society. Daily tasks were often carried out in silence. Monks and their female
counterparts, nuns, who lived in convents, provided for the less-fortunate members of the
community. Monasteries and nunneries were safe havens for pilgrims and other travelers.
Monks went to the monastery church eight times a day in a routine of worship that
involved singing, chanting, and reciting prayers from the divine offices and from the
service for Mass. The first office, "Matins," began at 2 A.M. and the next seven followed at
regular intervals, culminating in "Vespers" in the evening and "Compline" before the
monks retired at night. Between prayers, the monks read or copied religious texts and
music. Monks were often well educated and devoted their lives to writing and learning.
The Venerable Bede, an English Benedictine monk who was born in the seventh century,
wrote histories and books on science and religion.
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the
Saracens who were Muslims. The term 'Saracen' was the word used to describe a Moslem during
the time of Crusades. Crusades started in 1095 when Pope Claremont preached the First
Crusade at the meeting of the Council of Claremont. The preaching of the pope led to many
thousands of Medieval people immediately affixing the cross to their garments - the name
Crusade given to the Holy Wars came from old French word 'crois' meaning 'cross'.
The Crusades were massive military expeditions undertaken by the Christian nations of Europe
for the purpose of rescuing the holy places of Palestine from the hands of the Muslims. They were
eight crusades in number, the first four crusades are sometimes called the Principal Crusades.
The remaining four are referred to as the Minor Crusades. In addition there was also a Children's
Crusade. There were several other similar expeditions but these were insignificant in numbers or
results.
Crusades also gave rise to the important knightly orders, the Knights Templar, the Teutonic
Knights and the Hospitallers. These were orders of religious knights, working from monastic rule
to defend the holy land and pilgrims en route to Jerusalem. The members of the orders of
Religious knights were both monks and knights; that is, to the monastic vows of chastity, poverty,
and obedience they added a fourth vow, which bound them to protect pilgrims and fight the
infidels. The Medieval period saw the emergence of a military order called the Poor Fellow-
Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Their name was to become the Templar Knights,
or the Order of the Knights Templar.
 The reason for Crusades was a war between Christians and
Muslims which centered around the city of Jerusalem. The
City of Jerusalem held a Holy significance to both the
Christian religion and the Muslim religion. For Christians the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem commemorated
the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial and
was visited by Pilgrims. In 1065 Jerusalem was taken by the
Turks and over 3000 Christians were massacred which
started a chain of events which all contributed to the cause
of Crusades.
The Objectives of the Crusades was at first to release the
Holy Land, in particular Jerusalem, from the Saracens, but
in time was extended to seizing Spain from the Moors, the
Slavs and Pagans from eastern Europe, and the islands of
the Mediterranean.
 1st - The 1st crusade, which lasted from 1095-1099, established
the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, providing more lands for the
crusading knights, who often travelled across Europe to try their
fortunes and to visit the Holy Sepulchre.
2nd - During the period of the 2nd crusade the religious military
orders, known as the Hospitallers and the Templars, were
formed.
3rd - The 3rd crusade resulted in the capture of Jerusalem by
Saladin in 1187
4th - During the period of the 4th crusade the crusaders of the
Fourth expedition captured Constantinople instead of Jerusalem.
Last Crusades - The kingdom of Jerusalem was gradually lost until
the last Christian city, Acre, fell in 1291. The dream of returning
to the Holy Land nonetheless proved popular; the Kings of France
and England frequently made such plans, though in nearly every
case Crusades were redirected or derailed by regional tensions.
Dante Alighieri
Was a major Italian poet of the Late Middle Ages.
His Divine Comedy, originally called Comeda and
later christened Divina by Boccaccio, is widely
considered the greatest literary work composed in
the Italian language and a masterpiece of world
literature.
Divine Comedy
An epic poem of 14,233 lines by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed
1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent
work of Italian literature and is seen as one of the greatest works of world
literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of
the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church by the
14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as
the standardized Italian language. It is divided into three parts: Inferno,
Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
On the surface, the poem describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory,
and Paradise or Heaven; but at a deeper level, it represents, allegorically, the
soul's journey towards God.
An initial canto, serving as an introduction to the poem and generally
considered to be part of the first cantica, brings the total number of cantos to
100. It is generally accepted, however, that the first two cantos serve as a
unitary prologue to the entire epic, and that the opening two cantos of each
cantica serve as prologues to each of the three canticas.
 Written in the first person, the poem tells of Dante's journey through the
three realms of the dead, lasting from the night before Good Friday to the
Wednesday after Easter in the spring of 1300. The Roman poet Virgil guides
him through Hell and Purgatory; Beatrice, Dante's ideal woman, guides him
through Heaven.

The structure of the three realms follows a common numerical pattern of 9

plus 1, for a total of 10: 9 circles of the Inferno, followed by Lucifer contained
at its bottom; 9 rings of Mount Purgatory, followed by the Garden of Eden
crowning its summit; and the 9 celestial bodies of Paradiso, followed by the
Empyrean containing the very essence of God. Within each group of 9, 7
elements correspond to a specific moral scheme, subdivided into three
subcategories, while 2 others of greater particularity are added to total nine.
For example, the seven deadly sins of the Catholic Church that are cleansed
in Purgatory are joined by special realms for the Late repentant and the
excommunicated by the church. The core seven sins within Purgatory
correspond to a moral scheme of love perverted, subdivided into three
groups corresponding to excessive love (Lust, Gluttony, Greed), deficient love
(Sloth), and malicious love (Wrath, Envy, Pride).
Inferno
Infernoopens on the evening of Good Friday in the year 1300.
Traveling through a dark wood, Dante Alighieri has lost his path and
now wanders fearfully through the forest. The sun shines down on a
mountain above him, and he attempts to climb up to it but finds his
way blocked by three beastsa leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf.
Frightened and helpless, Dante returns to the dark wood. Here he
encounters the ghost of Virgil, the great Roman poet, who has come
to guide Dante back to his path, to the top of the mountain. Virgil
says that their path will take them through Hell and that they will
eventually reach Heaven, where Dantes beloved Beatrice awaits. He
adds that it was Beatrice, along with two other holy women, who,
seeing Dante lost in the wood, sent Virgil to guide him.
Virgil leads Dante through the gates of Hell, marked by the haunting
inscription ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE (III.7). They enter
the outlying region of Hell, the Ante-Inferno, where the souls who in life
could not commit to either good or evil now must run in a futile chase after
a blank banner, day after day, while hornets bite them and worms lap their
blood. Dante witnesses their suffering with repugnance and pity. The
ferryman Charon then takes him and his guide across the river Acheron, the
real border of Hell. The First Circle of Hell, Limbo, houses pagans, including
Virgil and many of the other great writers and poets of antiquity, who died
without knowing of Christ. After meeting Horace, Ovid, and Lucan, Dante
continues into the Second Circle of Hell, reserved for the sin of Lust. At the
border of the Second Circle, the monster Minos lurks, assigning condemned
souls to their punishments. He curls his tail around himself a certain number
of times, indicating the number of the circle to which the soul must go.
Inside the Second Circle, Dante watches as the souls of the Lustful swirl
about in a terrible storm; Dante meets Francesca, who tells him the story of
her doomed love affair with Paolo da Rimini, her husbands brother; the
relationship has landed both in Hell.
In the Third Circle of Hell, the Gluttonous must lie
in mud and endure a rain of filth and excrement. In
the Fourth Circle, the Avaricious and the Prodigal
are made to charge at one another with giant
boulders. The Fifth Circle of Hell contains the river
Styx, a swampy, fetid cesspool in which the
Wrathful spend eternity struggling with one
another; the Sullen lie bound beneath the Styxs
waters, choking on the mud. Dante glimpses
Filippo Argenti, a former political enemy of his, and
watches in delight as other souls tear the man to
pieces.
Virgil and Dante next proceed to the walls of the city of Dis, a city
contained within the larger region of Hell. The demons who guard the
gates refuse to open them for Virgil, and an angelic messenger arrives
from Heaven to force the gates open before Dante. The Sixth Circle of Hell
houses the Heretics, and there Dante encounters a rival political leader
named Farinata. A deep valley leads into the First Ring of the Seventh
Circle of Hell, where those who were violent toward others spend eternity
in a river of boiling blood. Virgil and Dante meet a group of Centaurs,
creatures who are half man, half horse. One of them, Nessus, takes them
into the Second Ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell, where they encounter
those who were violent toward themselves (the Suicides). These souls
must endure eternity in the form of trees. Dante there speaks with Pier
della Vigna. Going deeper into the Seventh Circle of Hell, the travelers find
those who were violent toward God (the Blasphemers); Dante meets his
old patron, Brunetto Latini, walking among the souls of those who were
violent toward Nature (the Sodomites) on a desert of burning sand. They
also encounter the Usurers, those who were violent toward Art.
The monster Geryon transports Virgil and Dante across a great abyss to
the Eighth Circle of Hell, known as Malebolge, or evil pockets (or
pouches); the term refers to the circles division into various pockets
separated by great folds of earth. In the First Pouch, the Panderers and
the Seducers receive lashings from whips; in the second, the Flatterers
must lie in a river of human feces. The Simoniacs in the Third Pouch hang
upside down in baptismal fonts while their feet burn with fire. In the
Fourth Pouch are the Astrologists or Diviners, forced to walk with their
heads on backward, a sight that moves Dante to great pity. In the Fifth
Pouch, the Barrators (those who accepted bribes) steep in pitch while
demons tear them apart. The Hypocrites in the Sixth Pouch must forever
walk in circles, wearing heavy robes made of lead. Caiphas, the priest
who confirmed Jesus death sentence, lies crucified on the ground; the
other sinners tread on him as they walk. In the horrifying Seventh Pouch,
the Thieves sit trapped in a pit of vipers, becoming vipers themselves
when bitten; to regain their form, they must bite another thief in turn.
In the Eighth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell, Dante
speaks to Ulysses, the great hero of Homers epics, now
doomed to an eternity among those guilty of Spiritual
Theft (the False Counselors) for his role in executing the
ruse of the Trojan Horse. In the Ninth Pouch, the souls of
Sowers of Scandal and Schism walk in a circle, constantly
afflicted by wounds that open and close repeatedly. In
the Tenth Pouch, the Falsifiers suffer from horrible
plagues and diseases.
Virgil and Dante proceed to the Ninth Circle of Hell
through the Giants Well, which leads to a massive drop
to Cocytus, a great frozen lake. The giant Antaeus picks
Virgil and Dante up and sets them down at the bottom of
the well, in the lowest region of Hell. In Caina, the First
In Antenora, the Second Ring, those who betrayed their country and party
stand frozen up to their heads; here Dante meets Count Ugolino, who
spends eternity gnawing on the head of the man who imprisoned him in life.
In Ptolomea, the Third Ring, those who betrayed their guests spend eternity
lying on their backs in the frozen lake, their tears making blocks of ice over
their eyes. Dante next follows Virgil into Judecca, the Fourth Ring of the
Ninth Circle of Hell and the lowest depth. Here, those who betrayed their
benefactors spend eternity in complete icy submersion.
A huge, mist-shrouded form lurks ahead, and Dante approaches it. It is the
three-headed giant Lucifer, plunged waist-deep into the ice. His body
pierces the center of the Earth, where he fell when God hurled him down
from Heaven. Each of Lucifers mouths chews one of historys three greatest
sinners: Judas, the betrayer of Christ, and Cassius and Brutus, the betrayers
of Julius Caesar. Virgil leads Dante on a climb down Lucifers massive form,
holding on to his frozen tufts of hair. Eventually, the poets reach the Lethe,
the river of forgetfulness, and travel from there out of Hell and back onto
Earth. They emerge from Hell on Easter morning, just before sunrise.
Nine Circles of Hell: Overview
First Circle (Limbo)
Dantes First Circle of Hell is resided by virtuous non-Christians and unbaptized pagans who are
punished with eternity in an inferior form of Heaven. They live in a castle with seven gates which
symbolize the seven virtues. Here, Dante sees many prominent people from classical antiquity such
as Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Cicero, Hippocrates and Julius Caesar.
Second Circle (Lust)
In the Second Circle of Hell, Dante and his companion Virgil find people who were overcome by lust.
They are punished by being blown violently back and forth by strong winds, preventing them to find
peace and rest. Strong winds symbolize the restlessness of a person who is led by desire for fleshly
pleasures. Again, Dante sees many notable people from history and mythology including Cleopatra,
Tristan, Helen of Troy and others who were adulterous during their lifetime.
Third Circle (Gluttony)
When reaching the Third Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil find souls of gluttons who are overlooked by
a worm-monster Cerberus. Sinners in this circle of Hell are punished by being forced to lie in a vile
slush that is produced by never ending icy rain. The vile slush symbolizes personal degradation of
one who overindulges in food, drink and other worldly pleasures, while the inability to see others
lying nearby represents the gluttons selfishness and coldness. Here, Dante speaks to a character
called Ciacco who also tells him that the Guelphs (a fraction supporting the Pope) will defeat and
expel the Ghibellines (a fraction supporting the Emperor to which Dante adhered) from Florence
which happened in 1302, before the poem was written (after 1308).
 Fourth Circle (Greed)
In the Fourth Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see the souls of people who are punished for
greed. They are divided into two groups those who hoarded possessions and those
who lavishly spent it jousting. They use great weights as a weapon, pushing it with
their chests which symbolizes their selfish drive for fortune during lifetime. The two
groups that are guarded by a character called Pluto (probably the ancient Greek ruler of
the underworld) are so occupied with their activity that the two poets dont try to speak
to them. Here, Dante says to see many clergymen including cardinals and popes.
Fifth Circle (Anger)
The Fifth Circle of Hell is where the wrathful and sullen are punished for their sins.
Transported on a boat by Phlegyas, Dante and Virgil see the wrathful fighting each other
on the surface of the river Styx and the sullen gurgling beneath the surface of the water.
Again, the punishment reflects the type of the sin committed during lifetime. While
passing through, the poets are approached by Filippo Argenti, a prominent Florentine
politician who confiscated Dantes property after his expulsion from Florence.
Sixth Circle (Heresy)
When reaching the Sixth Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see heretics who are condemned
to eternity in flaming tombs. Here, Dante talks with a couple of Florentines Farinata
degli Uberti and Cavalcante de Cavalcanti but he also sees other notable historical
figures including the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick
II and Pope Anastasius II. The latter, however, is according to some modern scholars
condemned by Dante as heretic by a mistake. Instead, as some scholars argue, the poet
probably meant the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I.
 Seventh Circle (Violence)
The Seventh Circle of Hell is divided into three rings. The Outer Ring houses
murderers and others who were violent to other people and property. Here, Dante
sees Alexander the Great (disputed), Dionysius I of Syracuse, Guy de Montfort and
many other notable historical and mythological figures such as the Centaurus, sank
into a river of boiling blood and fire. In the Middle Ring, the poet sees suicides who
have been turned into trees and bushes which are fed upon by harpies. But he also
sees here profligates, chased and torn to pieces by dogs. In the Inner Ring are
blasphemers and sodomites, residing in a desert of burning sand and burning rain
falling from the sky.
Eight Circle (Fraud)
The Eight Circle of Hell is resided by the fraudulent. Dante and Virgil reach it on the
back of Geryon, a flying monster with different natures, just like the fraudulent. This
circle of Hell is divided into 10 Bolgias or stony ditches with bridges between them.
In Bolgia 1, Dante sees panderers and seducer. In Bolgia 2 he finds flatterers. After
crossing the bridge to Bolgia 3, he and Virgil see those who are guilty of simony.
After crossing another bridge between the ditches to Bolgia 4, they find sorcerers
and false prophets. In Bolgia 5 are housed corrupt politicians, in Bolgia 6 are
hypocrites and in the remaining 4 ditches, Dante finds hypocrites (Bolgia 7), thieves
(Bolgia 7), evil counselors and advisers (Bolgia 8), divisive individuals (Bolgia 9) and
various falsifiers such as alchemists, perjurers and counterfeits (Bolgia 10)
 Ninth Circle (Treachery)
The last Ninth Circle of Hell is divided into 4 Rounds according
to the seriousness of the sin though all residents are frozen in
an icy lake. Those who committed more severe sin are deeper
within the ice. Each of the 4 Rounds is named after an individual
who personifies the sin. Thus Round 1 is named Caina after Cain
who killed his brother Abel, Round 2 is named Antenora after
Anthenor of Troy who was Priams counselor during the Trojan
War, Round 3 is named Ptolomaea after Ptolemy (son of
Abubus), while Round 4 is named Judecca after Judas Iscariot,
the apostle who betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
Punishment For Each Circle Of Hell
Circle 1: Virtuous Pagans - had to desire to be with God
Circle 2: Lustful - trapped in a whirlwind
Circle 3: Gluttons - dirty rain and snow/ harsh weather
Circle 4: Hoarders and Wasters - Constantly pushed weights
Circle 5: Wrathful and Sullen - fought with one another; choked on
mud
Circle 6: Heretics - buried in tombs on fire
Circle 7, Part 1: Violent Against Each Other - put in boiling blood
Circle 7 Part 2: Violent Against Self - turn into trees, wood of suicides
Circle 7 Part 3: Violent Against Government/Nature/Art/God - desert of
burning sand
 Circle 8 Part 1: Panderers and Seducers - whipped
Circle 8 Part 2: Flatterers - submerged in excrement
Circle 8 Part 3: Simoniacs - upside down in baptismal fonts with
their feet on fire
Circle 8 Part 4: Fortune Tellers - Heads on backwards
Circle 8 Part 5: Grafters - boiling pitch while demons tear them
apart
Circle 8 Part 6: Hypocrites - robes of lead
Circle 8 Part 7: Thieves - Thieves sit trapped in a pit of vipers,
becoming vipers themselves when bitten; to regain their form,
they must bite another thief in turn.
Circle 8 Part 8: Fraudulent Counselors - Encased in flames
Circle 8 Part 9: Sowers of Discord - A demon hacks apart their
poor souls just as they did on earth
Circle 8 Part 10: Falsifiers - disease and plague
 Circle 9 Part 1: Traitors to Kin - Immersed in ice up to
their faces
Circle 9 Part 2: Traitors to Political Entities - Lying face
up covered in ice
Circle 9 Part 3: Traitors to Guests - Covered in ice except
for the face.
Circle 9 Part 4: Traitors to Benefactors - Completely
encased in ice with no one to talk to
Purgatorio
Purgatorio picks up right where Inferno left offDante and Virgil have just
emerged from their tour through Hell. The two travelers find themselves on the
island of Mount Purgatory at the dawn of a new day. On the shores of the island,
Dante and Virgil watch a boat arrive. Guided by an angel, the boat shuttles a new
batch of penitent souls to Purgatory. Like these souls, Dante is about to climb Mount
Purgatory, learning lessons, and cleansing himself of sin in preparation for ascending
to Heaven.

Before beginning to scale the mountain, Dante and Virgil must first pass through
ante-Purgatory. They meet a variety of souls, most of whom are shocked to see that
Dante casts a shadow, showing that he's alive. Along their travels they pass though
the First Spur of the Indolent and the Second Spur of the Late-Repentants. They
travel to the Valley of the Rulers and meet a bunch of deceased kings. In the valley, a
serpent appears at dusk, only to be driven away by two angels.
 The penitent souls are unable to travel in Purgatory at night, so, although Virgil is in a
hurry, he and Dante rest until morning. Dante sleeps and dreams about an eagle abducting
him. When he wakes up, he finds himself at the entrance to Purgatory proper. Virgil informs
him that St. Lucia came while he slept and carried him to the gate to Purgatory. They climb
the three steps to the gate, and the angel guarding the entrance carves seven Ps into
Dantes forehead.

Now in Purgatory proper, Dante and Virgil have seven terraces to pass through, each of
which corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins. On the first terrace of the Prideful, Dante
and Virgil observe in the wall of the cliff sculptures representing humility. They come across
the Prideful penitents, who are being punished for their sin of pride by carrying massive
weights on their backs. The penitents are permanently hunched over, and Dante takes on
their bent position in order to speak with them.

Dante remains in this position through the entire first terrace, identifying with the Prideful,
until they reach the exit, where an angel erases one P from Dantes forehead. Dante and
Virgil climb to the second terrace of the Envious. Voices there call out examples of fraternal
love. They witness the Envious penitents being punished by having their eyelids sewn shut
with iron wire. Voices call out examples of punished envy. Dante and Virgil exit the second
terrace, and another angel removes a P from Dante's forehead.
 Now in the third terrace of the Wrathful, Dante has a vision containing
examples of gentleness. Black smoke, the punishment of the Wrathful, envelops
them, rendering them blind. In the smoke, they meet a man named Marco
Lombardo, who discourses on free will and political corruption. Dante and Virgil
meet the angel who removes the third P from Dantes forehead.

As they travel to the fourth terrace of the Slothful, Virgil explains how love
determines the structure of Purgatory. He continues to lecture on love and free
will. The Slothful penitents, meanwhile, shout examples of zeal and show that
their punishment is to run without rest. Dante has a nightmare about a Siren,
but the next morning, they exit the terrace and an angel removes Dantes
fourth P.

Dante and Virgil ascend to the fifth terrace of the Avaricious and Prodigal,
where they witness the penitents' punishment: lying stretched face down on the
ground and bound by hand and foot. The penitents shout examples of poverty
and generosity.
 Suddenly, Mount Purgatory trembles. We learn that this happens every time a
penitent soul becomes completely purged and ready to ascend to Heaven. An
epic poet named Statius joins Dante and Virgil. He turns out to be a big fan of
Virgil; and he is also the purged soul for whom the mountain trembled. The trio
meets an angel who erases Dantes fifth P.

On the sixth terrace of the Gluttonous, they encounter a strange tree. A

disembodied voice cites examples of temperance. They encounter a man named
Forese Donati, who explains the punishment of the Gluttonous as agonizing thirst
and hunger. He points out the poet Bonagiunta da Lucca, who chats with Dante
about poetry. At the exit of the sixth terrace, an angel removes Dantes sixth P.

Dante, Virgil, and Statius climb to the seventh terrace of the Lustful. Reflecting
on the thin penitents he encountered in the terrace of the Gluttonous, Dante asks
how souls can grow lean if they dont need food. Virgil cedes the floor to Statius,
who explains the generation of the soul and their aerial bodies. Here among the
Lustful, however, they witness the punishment of the penitents, who walk in
flames. The Lustful shout examples of chastity.
 Dante meets the poet Guido Guinizzelli, whom he reveres, and also the poet
Arnaut Daniel. At sunset, the travelers reach the exit to the seventh terrace, and
an angel removes Dantes final P. However, to leave the terrace, Dante must first
walk through a wall of flames. He hesitates with fear, but Virgil lures him through
with the promise that he will see Beatrice on the other side. Past the fire, Dante
sleeps. In the morning, Virgil announces Dantes readiness for the Earthly
Paradise.

In the Earthly Paradise, Dante meets a woman named Matilda, who explains
the origins of wind and water in the forest of the Earthy Paradise. At the banks of
the river Lethe, an extraordinary procession passes by, halting before Dante.
Virgil disappears, to Dantes distress, but Beatrice appears.

Beatrice, however, rebukes Dante for crying over Virgils disappearance. She
continues accusing him of his sins and faults. Dante confesses to his sins, then
passes out from the sight of Beatrices beauty. Matilda immerses the unconscious
Dante in the waters of the Lethe and he wakes up. The procession proceeds to
the Tree of Knowledge, where Dante falls asleep.
 When he wakes, Beatrice charges him with a mission:
to observe and write down everything he sees here for
use in his poetry when he goes back to earth. Dante
witnesses the procession's chariot attacked by an eagle,
a fox, the eagle again, and a dragon. Then the chariot
turns into a whore, courted by a giant. Beatrice
prophesies Gods vengeance on the dragon, whore, and
giant.

At the closing of Purgatorio, Matilda leads Dante to the

river Eunoe, and immerses him in the water. He is now
ready to ascend to Heaven, with Statius and Beatrice as
his guides.
The levels of Purgatory: Ante-
Purgatory
THE EXCOMMUNICATE
Those who died repentant but un-reconciled with the Church
must wait outside of Purgatory proper for thirty times longer than
they were outside the Church, though the prayers of those on
Earth can reduce this time somewhat.

THE LETHARGIC
Those who postponed their repentance to the last hour, but who
did repent before death. The Lethargic must wait, and pray, for a
time equivalent to the time they spent drifting through
unrepentant days before they can be admitted upwards, into
Purgatory proper.
THE UN-ABSOLVED
This ledge holds the spirits of those who had delayed
repentance, and met with death by violence, but died
repentant, pardoning and pardoned. Nonetheless, they
must wait, and pray upon this ledge until they are
allowed upwards into Purgatory proper.

THE NEGLIGENT RULERS

These are the rulers who were virtuous, but negligent
of salvation in life, and who must now wait and pray here
until they are admitted to Purgatory proper.
Love Perverted
THE FIRST TERRACE - THE PROUD
On the terrace where proud souls purge their sin, Dante and Virgil see beautiful
sculptures expressing humility, the opposite virtue. They meet the souls of the proud,
who are bent over by the weight of huge stones on their backs. As they walk around
the terrace, they are able to profit from the sculpted examples of humility.

THE SECOND TERRACE - THE ENVIOUS

This terrace is very similar to that below, but lacks the carvings, being very bare and
empty, with no apparent penitent. The penitents here sit, dressed in hair-cloth, along
the inner edge of the terrace, so still and so coloured that they are, at first, very hard
to notice. Their eyelids have been sewn closed with threads of iron, and they resemble
blind beggars who constantly sigh and pray to the saints to be prayed for.

THE THIRD TERRACE - THE WRATHFUL

The souls purging themselves of their wrathful dispositions are forced to walk
through thick acrid smoke that is darker than night.
Love Defective/Deficient
THE FOURTH TERRACE - THE SLOTHFUL
On this terrace, those who were slothful in life, who loved the Good but
who did not act to promote it as well as they might have expiate their sins.
Their love is strengthened on this terrace - "the loitering oar resumes its
regular stroke."

The members of the crowd are quite spread out, but still move quite
fast, as a mass, passing anyone who is merely walking and racing off into
the distance. There are many such crowds, each one racing around the
terrace. They are not allowed to pause in their running through night and
day. Since they had failed in life to act in pursuit of love, here they are
engaged in ceaseless activity.
Love Excessive
THE FIFTH TERRACE - THE AVARICIOUS
This terrace differs from the others in that the ground here is
covered with people lying face-down, sobbing tears and
lamentations. Those expiating their sins here are both those who
were too avaricious in life, and those who were not avaricious
enough. They are those who turned their eyes to Earth and its
goods, separating themselves from God by their own will, by either
desire for earthly things, or too great a rejection of them. Now
where, in life, they did not lift their eyes to Heaven, their avarice
holding them from high pursuits, now they must lie with faces and
bodies presses to the Earth until their sin is cleansed. Those doing
so claim that there is no worse punishment in all of Purgatory.
THE SIXTH TERRACE - THE GLUTTONOUS
As one goes around the sixth terrace, in the middle of it an apple tree
becomes visible. It branches hold ripe, sweet-smelling applies. In shape it
brings to mind an inverted fir tree, growing broader the higher one goes,
making it impossible to climb. A stream falls from the mountain above
onto the tree, drenching all of its leaves. Approaching the tree, a voice
from out of the branches warns one not to eat of the fruit of the tree, as if
one does, ones food will lack as if it were no food at all.
Those on this terrace are expiating the sin of gluttony. As such, they
are starved skeletons, with chalk-white cavernous faces, hollow eyes, skin
tight to their bones and all the other signs of prolonged hunger. To those
on this terrace, and indeed most likely to anyone who is at all hungry, the
scent of the apples and the water falling on the tree is irresistible, and
they cannot help but eat and drink of them. Unfortunately, that is part of
their punishment, as in doing so they are left hungrier and thirstier than
before.
THE SEVENTH TERRACE - THE LUSTFUL
One emerges onto the seventh terrace to face a field of tall,
clear, flames, held back from a narrow path along the edge of
the terrace by a strong wind rising from below.

There are, in fact, two groups of sinners in the fire, one

stationary, one moving around the terrace. When the two
groups meet, their members kiss shortly and move on without
pausing, as they turn away crying "Sodom and Gomorrah!" and
"Pasiphae in a cow incarnate lay that she might draw the bull
her lust to sate!" The moving group are those who committed
unnatural acts of lust (those who cry 'Sodom and Gomorrah!')
while the stationary are those who sinned no less, but by simply
lusting too much, rather than wrongly.
Seven Deadly Sins vs Seven Virtues
Pride vs Humility
Envy vs Kindness
Wrath vs Patience
Sloth vs Diligence
Greed vs Charity/Liberality
Gluttony vs Temperance/Abstinence
Lust vs Chastity