Weekend Quote 21: Purgatorio

For more than a week I have been delving into Dante’s Purgatorio, and this particular quote has been captured my mind.

“Insane is he who hopeth that our reason

Can traverse the illimitable way,

Which the one Substance in three Persons follows!

Mortals, remain contented at the ‘Quia’;

For if ye had been able to see all,

No need there were for Mary to give birth.”

These two stanzas appear within the Ante-Purgatory, in Canto III. Here Virgil scolds Dante for his thirst of knowledge about Purgatory and its mysterious nature. Virgil says that God only let humans to know part of its existence in the Universe; and men cannot ask for more.

Dante mentions about ‘the one Substance in three Persons follows, and I think he refers to The Holy Trinity; which we could never really understand. It is when humans cannot understand all, will there be faith, because faith is the one that fills the gap between what we know and what we don’t.

Dante insists that humans should remain content with the ‘what’ (quia), while keep being blind from the ‘why’. For if human get to know everything, Christ would not have ever to be sacrificed for us.

Thank you Dante (and Virgil) for the enlightenment! For I believe that thirst of knowledge leads us to many sins, including Pride and Avaricious, and it is what made Adam and Eve fell to sin in the first place.

What do you think?

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Dante’s Purgatorio: Terrace 3 - 5

Continuing Dante’s Purgatorio, these are my summary for the third, fourth and fifth terraces. Previously I have also posted the Ante-Purgatory and Terrace 1 and 2.

Terrace 3 – The Wrathful

Entering the third terrace, Dante has a vision that he is in a temple among many others, when a lady enters and says: “Son, why in this manner hast thou dealt with us? Lo, sorrowing thy father and myself, were seeking for thee” which was what Mary told Jesus in the temple when he was a boy, a sign of gentleness. Dante also envisions how wrathful people were stoning St. Stephen, but he asked God to forgive them. Virgil again warns Dante to not being lazy; and the night soon falls enveloping them with darkness and smoke.

The smoke here is very thick that Dante could not see, and therefore need to be guided by Virgil. He hears voices praying Agnus Dei which are sung by the spirits to untie their angers. One spirit, Marco Lombard, a Venetian courtier dismisses the idea that Heaven dictates its will to human kind; for we have been granted free-will to accept the good and dismiss the bad. So the sin is actually caused by ourselves. We were born like a pure and innocent child sprung from our Creator, full of goodness, and can stay like that only if we maintain our love pure. That is why we need to have good Law and ruler as curb to guide our soul. Marco laments then the corrupt nation and Church, and it is bad leadership that makes the world sinful. Rome had used to separate nation from religion, but now that the two are linked, it goes wrong. Marco laments the decreasing of Lombardy after Frederick II ruled it. Thus Marco is sinned for being wrathful. After the conversation, the Angel of Meekness appears to guide them.

Terrace 4 – Sloth

Dante and Virgil are stuck before entering the fourth terrace. Dante begs Virgil to explain the nature of Purgatory. According to Virgil, there are two kinds of Love: natural love, which is free of error, and rational love, which can err. Sin is the misuse of free-will, the result of the error of love. While in Inferno love is abused, in Purgatory love is re-oriented. Rational love can turn to sin when it is wrongly directed to evil ends: Pride, Envy, Wrath or other wrong ends: Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust. As rational love opposes hatred towards Creator and self-hatred, Virgil concludes that the existence of community and relationship are the cause of it.

Dante then asks about earthly love; to which Virgil answers that moral and ethics are the products of our continuous choices in judgment. Dante’s earthly love for Beatrice might be purged here in the Purgatory.

Now Dante sees some spirits hurrying to take up their penance; they are longing to be purged from their sins. The spirits point out two examples of Sloth: the Israeli who delayed their journey after being released from Egypt, and Aeneas' followers who chose to stay behind instead of heading to Italy. Many thoughts come to Dante after that and he is falling into his second dream.

This time Dante sees the Siren--half woman half bird--approaches him and sings her alluring song, just as when she lured Ulysses' sailors to sail off course. The Siren is a symbol of temptation, which leads to avarice, gluttony and lust sins. A saintly lady (symbol of the righteousness) asks Virgil to snatch the Siren from Dante's dream, and with that, Dante wakes. Apparently, lust is one of Dante's weaknesses.

With burden in his thought, Dante resumes his journey with Virgil, while a soft voice of Angel of Zeal shows them the path upwards, and erase another letter P from his forehead. Apparently Dante still cannot release himself from his dream, that Virgil scolds him: 'Remorse is fine but excessive dwelling on evil may be an obstacle.’ [source] With that Dante unleashes himself from his remorse, and climbs to the next terrace.

Terrace 5 - The Avaricious

The first thing Dante sees on Terrace five is people lying on the ground, weeping, face downwards, and repeating verse from Psalm 119. They are the avaricious souls. One of them is Adrian V, the Pope who was bound to his family's greatness before repented after elected as a Pope. And because of his late repentance, he now deserves to be purged there.

Dante then accursed avarice (she-wolf in Inferno), before hearing weeping from a spirit which gives us few examples of poverty that is liberating: to Mary, who was so poor that the inns refused her to stay for laboring the Child; to Saint Nicholas of Bari, who sent gifts for poor girls so that they could pay their dowry and saved their honour. The spirit appears to be Hugh Capet, King of France who descended the Philip’s and the Louis’. Hugh and Dante then discuss examples of avarice sins: Pygmalion—who killed Dido’s husband for gold, Midas, Sapphira and Ananias—for their hypocrisy about their wealth and rebuked by Peter, and Crassus.

Then there’s an earthquake that shook the Mount, which encourages the spirits to sing ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’. Dante and Virgil stand still, as still as the shepherds when hearing Angels’ voices at Child’s birth. Dante is anxious to know the cause of the earthquake, yet he is afraid of asking, so he just resumes his journey. Meanwhile, Dante’s existing thirst of knowledge can only be quenched by the Heavenly water of truth (just as what Christ said to the Samarian woman); fortunately then, he met Statius, a Roman Poet who can satisfy this, instead of Virgil, whose philosophy is too earthly.

Statius explained that the earthquake happens when a soul feels himself purged, and is ready rise above to Heaven. It causes earthquake because the free-will has gripped the soul and empower it to rise freely. The earthquake is also symbolism of the earthquake that separates Roman Empire before and after Christ. Statius tells then his own history and how Virgil’s Aeneid has been his influence. Dante than introduces Statius to Virgil himself, and both Poets shares humility and love to each other.

Dante’s Purgatorio: Terrace 1 - 2

Following my first post of Purgatorio review posts (Ante-Purgatory), now Dante brings us to the terraces of Purgatory. There are seven of them, and this second post will cover the first two of them.

Terrace 1 – The Proud

Dante and Virgil enter pass the threshold and they cannot look back. They are first met by wavering rocks which are slackening their pace. There is a high wall where is sculpted the figure of Mary’s Annunciation by Gabriel The Archangel, the example of humility that corrects pride. There is also the sculpture of King David and the Ark of the Covenant, with the scornful Michal, daughter of Saul [from Old Testament: 2 Samuel 6]. Next to it the sculpture of Emperor Trajan shows compassion towards a widow.

Dante explains that Purgatory put burdens to sinner, not punishment; the Proud people must bear burden to force them to humility. Dante reminds us that we are only worms which are going to transform into butterflies; and that’s why we need to be humble. The proud sinners then paraphrase the Lord’s Prayer (which I think is picked from ‘Our Father’), emphasizing the humility. They have prayed for us, and Dante suggests that we reciprocate by praying for the dead.

Dante also points out artistic pride, where poets or painters passionately compete to supersede each other, through a testimony from Oderisi of Gubbio. He also gives an example of humility through the story of Provenzan Salvani who wore beggar’s clothes to procure the ransom of his friends’ imprisonment. For what he’d done, God granted him a place in Purgatory.

Then Dante sees many sinners of Proud, among them are Satan--a nobler creature than others yet had fallen so deeply from Heaven; Saul, Jupiter, Athena, Apollo, etc. At the end of their visit to first terrace, The Angel of Humility welcomes them and promises them a safe journey.

When climbing further stairs, Dante feels himself much lighter than when he's still at the Terrace. Virgil explains that when each of letter P's were erased, Dante would feel his step lighter, and finally takes the journey more as a pleasure than a burden. When Dante feels his face, one letter has indeed erased.

Terrace 2 - The Envious

The second terrace is quite plain, with livid color; here Virgil uses sun rays as his guide. They hear voices of, but can't see, spirits in the air. The first one represents Mary's words at the wedding in Cana: "They have no wine." The second one says: "I am Orestes" (about his friendship with Pylades). And the last one: "Love those from whom ye have had evil" (Matthew's Gospel of loving instead of hating). They're all about Love which would scourge the sin of Envious.

Then Dante saw the spirits in coarse cloak who cried their prayers to Mary, St. Peter and Michael the Archangel. They look like blind beggars begging for alms from Churches, as their eyelids are pierced with iron wire as the punishment. A spirit called Sapia Saracini tells her story, how she had rejoiced upon the massacre and defeat of Sienna, and how the prayers of a padre (for she was generous at the end of her life) has reduced her punishment at Purgatory.

At the end of their journey at this terrace, they hear cries of Envies, first from Cain who envied then murdered Abel: “Shall slay me whosoever findeth me!” and next is of Aglaurus who envied her sister: “I am Aglaurus, who become a stone.” Virgil admonishes human kinds for their ignorance towards Heaven’s calls, and let their eyes ‘looking on the ground’ instead.

The sun ray reflects brilliantly into Dante’s eyes that even when he shades his sight, it still blinds him. Virgil tells him that it’s Heavenly light brought by a messenger (Angel of Fraternal Love) who is coming to them, and soon it won’t bring pain anymore but joy. Their climb is now easier; and Dante asks Virgil the meaning of division and partnership. Virgil explains that envy destroys fraternal love, while sharing goodness increases love; and that the more Heavenly love we share, the more we gain, just as the rays reflect from the mirror. Virgil promises Dante that Beatrice would see him to explain more; and with that, one more P’s is erased from Dante’s forehead.

Dante’s Purgatorio – Ante-Purgatory

Purgatorio is the second part of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. While Inferno (Hell) is the place to punish sinners, Purgatory is a place where sinners, who repented before their deaths, be purged from their sin, to make them holy before ascending to Heaven. Purgatory is portrayed as a high mountain towards Heaven above. The idea of Purgatory shows how God is merciful, and how He desires the more souls to seek for and come to Him. As with Inferno, in Purgatorio Dante also tells about a lot of topics; historical, spiritual, and even philosophical. That’s why you may find this review much longer than other books, because I intended to take notes of important events and values of the whole poem. I try to break it down to several posts and sub-titles to make this review more comfortable to read. This first post is about Ante-Purgatory, the shores of Purgatory, the lowest level of the mountain.

Ante-Purgatory – The Excommunicate and Late Repentant

Meeting Cato and contradicting Plato

Dante still has his journey guided by Virgil. Leaving the darkness of Inferno behind, they approach the land of purging human’s sin before they ascend to Heaven. Purgatory is guarded by Cato, the Roman poet. The atmosphere of this poem is very different with Inferno; while Inferno is choking and hopeless, Purgatory is more hopeful and relieving, even the sceneries are more beautiful.

One of the souls Dante meets here tells how he ends up in Purgatory; it’s because right after he was stabbed, he asks for God’s mercy, and He puts him in Purgatory where he must wait. He says also that prayers from the livings are needed to help the sinners ascend to Heaven sooner. Without those prayers, the sinners—although repent at the end—would have to spend thirty times the duration of their insolent lives on earth (that is freaking!). Dante also contradicts Plato’s philosophy that soul is divided into two; each of them works by itself. Dante believes that soul is united and whole.

Focus and effort are needed in Purgatory

While climbing the steep mountain in Purgatory Dante feels exhausted; Virgil encourages him to keep dragging himself up. It shows how to be purged from sin we must put efforts to climb, while to descend to ‘Hell’ is much easier. Belacqua—Dante’s lazy friend—says that he had postponed his repentant until the last minutes, that he must now wait a lifetime in Purgatory, so he must not he hasten to climb. That must be the wrong attitude when we are sinned, but which most of us often do! Once Dante hears voices that split his attention; Virgil scolds him for this distraction. He tells Dante to avoid too much reflection that disturbs his focus.

The efficacy of prayer and Dante’s speech

A group of shades (Dante calls them ‘shades’ instead of ‘souls’ like in Inferno) say that they have died of violence, but as they had repented while dying, God puts them in Purgatory while filling them with the desire to seek for Him. They are hoping that someone else may pray for them to hasten their ascent to Heaven. At this point Dante criticizes Virgil for writing denial of the efficacy of prayer in Aeneid. Virgil explains that Aeneid was written in the Pagan world, when people were not united with God.

After meeting his fellow poet Sordello, Dante then makes speech about the disastrous Italy; lamenting it as a wretched country, abandoned by German Emperor—Albert, Justinian (Byzantine Emperor) and the clergy. He curses the endless feuds of Montagues and Capulets in Verona, and many other schisms. It is Dante’s expression of his frustration towards his country who has banished him. His ideal form of country is where politics and religion (Church) be separated. He compares the tyrant cities with Marcellus who conspired against Caesar. It is indeed one powerful speech!

Negligent rulers and the Angels

From Sordello Dante learns that there are not fixed places in Purgatory (unlike Hell with the circles); there is a degree of freedom as it is the place of spiritual pilgrimage. Sordello also agrees to be Dante and Virgil’s guide. They reached a beautiful landscape on a hollow valley which is rich in colour and odour; while they hear spirits singing Salve Regina, seems that they are the shades of the negligent Kings and rulers’. A lot of historical European leaders are mentioned here.

In the evening (when regret and hope arise), Dante sees the spirits raise their faces and hands up to God, singing hymn of prayer before the end of the day. Then pair of Angels who guard the gate of Eden descend; they will guard the spirits from the serpent (temptation) who used to come at the end of day. After sunset Dante meets Judge Nino; who is amazed that Dante travels there as a living creature; a sign of God’s graceful. He then asks Dante to tell his daughter to pray for him.

When Dante sets his eyes above to Heaven he sees three flames—which represents Faith, Hope and Charity [source]. Then comes a serpent—which perhaps the one who had seduced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit—twisting its head to its tail forming a circle, just like eternal circle of sin there is in this world. The Angels transforms into falcons, and flying to drive the serpent away.

Dante’s first dream and entering Purgatory’s gate

Overcomes with lack of sleep—Dante has spent three sleepless nights (from the first he arrived at Inferno)—Dante has his first dream. A flying golden eagle has snatched him and together they are burned into fire, just like phoenix. When Dante awakes, Virgil encourages him by telling that when he’s asleep, Lucia came and brought the sleeping Dante upwards, followed by Virgil, to make their journey easier. And so, they reach the gate of Purgatory.

They reach a gate with three steps of various colors, and an Angel sits upon the threshold on the top step. Apparently the gate is a symbolic of Sacrament of Penance; the Angel is the priest, the three steps are three stages in the Sacrament: Repentance, Confession, and Forgiveness [source]. When Dante falls on his knees by the Angel’s feet begging for the gate opening, the Angel inscribes seven P’s on his forehead representing seven capital sins that he need to be purged. The Angel puts two keys—silver and gold—and with that he lets Dante and Virgil enter the gate.

*Posts about the seven terraces will follow.

Richard III – Final Review

Richard III is the first Shakespeare historical themed play I‘ve ever read, and I can say now that I prefer politics-with-tragedy theme more than any others. After Julius Caesar, I think Richard III has become my new favorite. I enjoyed the clever speeches of Richard and the overall story.

The story begins when England’s two royal Houses of Plantagenet dynasty, Lancaster and York, have just put on a peace treaty after their long time war. It was now Richard’s brother, Edward, who ruled as King of England. Richard seemed to be bored at the idleness of peaceful time, and being encouraged by his high ambition, he invented a bloody strategy to snatch the throne from Edward, and at the same time thwarted the others whom he’s afraid would prevent his plan.

Helped by his friends—Buckingham was his chief supporter—Richard sent murderer to kill a lot of people, including his closest relatives. To highlight his cold heart, even the murderer—who supposed to kill two little innocent princes Prince Edward and Duke of York—felt remorse for a moment, before finally slain them; while Richard took it very lightly. Richard knew that to legitimately take over the throne he must make it desired by the citizens. He worked on it cleverly, and it rewarded him the throne of England.

At this stage he should have been invincible; however as he had reached the throne by deceitful ways, Richard became paranoid of his friends. Small mistakes in replying him could raise Richard’s suspicion; his Kingdom was built on the fragile foundation of fear. Resentful friends betrayed him and supported Earl of Richmond (Henry Tudor) in the Battle of Bosworth, where Richard was finally defeated by Richmond, and England was peaceful once again under King Henry VII (aka Richmond).

Despite of the lack of conscience, Richard’s diplomacy skill deserves two thumbs up. Twice he had had almost-impossible-to-win arguments. First, to propose Lady Anne—whose husband he had just killed—to be his wife. Second is to propose to the Queen (Elizabeth) to marry her daughter; while Richard knows how Elizabeth hates him so much. I know it’s quite absurd how those two ladies could ever agree with him; but nonetheless, Richard’s speeches are very clever and persuasive. And he won both of them! He reminds me a bit of Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew.

Beyond that, it is very hard to sympathize with Richard; he is just a true villain with corrupted soul from the beginning of the play. Nonetheless, Richard is the most interesting character in this play, and learning a bit of his history is quite enjoyable. Here we have battle, murders, a bit of romance, ghost apparition and superstitious, as always with Shakespeare tragedies. I have only one complaint. In the version I read (ebook from feedbooks), the mentioning of the characters are often inconsistent. One example, Lord Stanley is sometimes mentioned too as Derby, which is often confusing.

Four and a half stars for Richard III. You can read my further analysis on this play in my WEM posts.

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Let’s Read Plays History theme

15^th book for What's In a Name Reading Challenge 2013

4^th book for Historical Fiction Challenge 2013-2015

8^th book for Well-Educated Mind Self Project

47^th book for The Classics Club Project

Richard III – Logic Stage (2nd Level) Inquiry

Following the Grammar Stage inquiry, these are the further inquiries for the second level: Logic Stage. I have browsed the third level inquiry, the rhetoric stage, and found that we are required to take a more active role by directing the play on stage in our way. As I find this would be too consuming for me, and I don’t think I’d really need it, I decide to skip this stage; and it means this Logic Stage inquiry would be my final post for my WEM Self-Project, before I top my reading of Richard III with a final review in the few next days.

David Garrick as Richard III, by William Hogarth, approx. 1745

"Is there a murderer here?"

[source]

What genre does this play resemble?

This play is definitely a tragedy; telling the tale of the fall of Richard III. He has earned the crown by shedding too much blood; he built it not on the foundation of trust and respect, but on cruelty and fear which in the end proved to be the main cause of his fall.

Why did the playwright choose this particular set of techniques to move the play along? Is there some match between the genre and the subject of the play?

The nature of the story suits the genre well. The way Richard III ascended to the throne is quite smart, although harsh and illegal. However, it is because of the harsh way, that he finally lost his life. After sacrificing his conscience by murdering large numbers of men, Richard died only after two years, he must die in a battle. That is a tragedy.

How do the characters speak? Do their speech patterns differ?

Here I am comparing Richard and Richmond, because in the end they would fight each other over the throne and it would be interesting to compare their speech patterns. Richard’s speech is always with colors of hatred, disappointment of the world, suspicion; he seems to build a barrier against others. His speech reflects also his high determination and focus, passion of revenge and true spirit to do evil.

“I, that am curtail’d of this fair proportion

Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,

Deformed, unfinish’d, sent before my time…”

“Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,

Have no delight to pass away the time…”

“I am determined to prove a villain

And hate the idle pleasures of these days.

Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous…”

(When Catesby suggested him to withdraw from battle field after he lost his horse, Richard insisted)

“Slave, I have set my life upon a cast,

And I will stand the hazard of the die…”

While Richard always addresses his friends and armies merely as tools or slaves to reach his ambition, Richmond’s approach to his armies and friends is full of tenderness and care.

“Fellow in arms, and my most loving friends…”

His speech is calm, flowing in beauteous words, but full of authority. And he often carries the name of God in his speech.

“In God’s name, cheerly on, courageous friends,

To reap the harvest of perpetual peace

By this one bloody trial of sharp war.”

“All for our vantage. Then, in God’s name, march…”

While Richard’s speech produces a combination of over confidence and vigor, Richmond’s is reassuring and produces hope.

(Richmond)

“The weary sun hath made a golden set,

And by the bright track of his fiery car,

Gives signal, of a goodly day to-morrow…”

Does the playwright lead you into a satisfying resolution?

My disappointment is that Richard’s death scene is not even dramatized here. I think, after the death of so many of Richard’s brutal murder victims, his own death would be tragic, and Richmond’s win (the resolution) would have been more glorious.

What is the play’s theme?

Why did Shakespeare take the trouble to re-write the history of this particular King of England to a play? First, I think, because Shakespeare was vexed by the War of Roses, a long enmity between House of Lancaster and York—which reminds me of the similar theme in Romeo and Juliet. It must have been frustrating for England when the royal family’s disputes affected their lives too. Second, Shakespeare might want to particularly point out the consequence of a royal family; where marriages are used for politics, and thus ruining families.

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Richard III – Grammar Stage (1st Level) Inquiry

After having breaking down the whole play in several Acts summaries, I am going to post the three stage inquiry required for my WEM Self Project. This is the first one, the grammar stage. The inquiries are slightly different from novels, histories or poems.

Death of the two little Princes

What is the initial question or tension?

The play is opened by the description of peace in England, when the Yorks and Lancasters are having peaceful relationship after war. Only Richard felt unhappy by this situation because of his ambition; he wanted to start another war. So, I guess the initial question is: What would Richard do to fulfill his ambition; can he take over the throne? 

Where is the point of greatest tension?

This play’s greatest tension is when the Major and citizens came to plead Richard to be their king—and Richard accepted it after declining a few times. I think it shows how Richard has calculated everything; he has got rid of any obstacles to the throne, and he even made the citizens plea to him. It is the sign of his genius, and it answers the initial question. Although unwanted and detested by his adversaries, Richard succeeded because he was clever enough to win citizens’ voices. Richard finally became the King of England!

Where does the play’s action reach its climax?

Although I still don’t get the difference between greatest tension and climax (aren’t they just the same?), I guess the point where the characters change (Richard in this case) is the night before the battle, when the ghost of Richard’s victims visited and cursed for his lost in the battle. Before that Richard was so confident that he would win as: 1). his army is bigger than Richmond’s, and 2). Richmond wasn’t well experienced in battle field. However, after the ghosts’ visits, his conscience began to disturbed him, and the prophecies began to lead his spirit down. I believe this had an influence to his defeat (besides his ex-people’s betrayal).

Where is the resolution?

The last scene after Richard was killed in battle, and the others gave the crown to Richmond. Richmond then brought peace once again into England by putting the Yorks’ and Lancasters’ eternal enmity to an end.

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