Dante’s Paradiso ​(in visual aids)

Paradiso​ ​(in visual aids)

- Italian for "Paradise" or "Heaven"
- the third and last cantica in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, following the
Inferno​ and the​ Purgatorio​.
- It tells of Dante's journey through​ Heaven​, with Beatrice as his guide, until he
eventually reaches the edge of time and sees God Himself.

(explain) ​The Italian poet describes his journey through Heaven, the things he sees and
people he encounters on the way to the so-called Empyrean, the true home of God, saints,
angels and the souls of the faithful. He is accompanied by Beatrice, identified as Dante's
love of life Beatrice Portinari who guides him through the 9 Spheres of Heaven.

(in visual aids)

How is ​Paradiso​ different from the other two volumes of the ​Divine Comedy​?
- According to the image that Dante gave us,​ ​Inferno and Purgatory are part of the
terrestrial sphere, whereas ​Paradiso​ is out of the Earth.

(explain)
In both ​Inferno​ and ​Purgatorio​, Dante was relating a journey through a physical space, one
with definite and easily understood boundaries, and with a geographical location on the
Earth. Paradise is completely different; it is essentially beyond both space and time, so it has
less of a sense of definite progression than the other two books. It is less clearly defined and
more ethereal in its appearance; the whole thing seems more like a vision than do the other
two installments. Additionally, God is present in ​Paradiso​, bringing brilliant light and joy to
the place, whereas his absence in Inferno gave the place a dark and gloomy ambience, and
his semi-presence by proxy in Purgatorio lent the mountain only a moderate amount of light.

(include image in Visual aids)

(make it bigger to see all the text)
9 Spheres of Heaven (Dante's Paradiso)​(in visual aids)
(explain)
Dante's nine spheres of Heaven are the​ ​Moon​,​ ​Mercury​,​ V
​ enus,​ the​ ​Sun​,​ ​Mars​,​ J​ upiter,​
Saturn,​ the​ ​Fixed Stars​, and the​ ​Primum Mobile.​

From the Earthly Paradise the narrator, together with Beatrice, flies to heaven, in the
inaccessible height of mortal might. He did not notice how they flew up, and found
themselves over the sun. The narrator is surprised that still alive he is capable of this;
however, this did not surprise Beatrice: a spirit cleared spiritually, not burdened with sins is
lighter than ether.

● First Sphere (The Moon: The Inconstant)​ ​(in visual aids)

- Containing the inconstant, whose vows to God waned as the moon and thus
lack fortitude
- For souls that have been unable keep their vows to God.
(explain)
They are in the first Paradise - the Moon in the sky, which Beatrice called the first
star, and they plunged into its depths. In its depths they have met the soul of nuns
stolen from monasteries and forced to get marry. No fault of heir own, but still they
did not keep the vow of virginity, and so they are not allowed to the higher heaven.
The narrator is puzzled: what are they to blame for? It is not necessary to blame the
victim but the perpetrator! But Beatrice explained that the victim bears a certain
responsibility for done over her violence if resisting, did not show heroic endurance.
The failure to fulfill a vow, Beatrice says, is almost irreparable by good deeds.

● Second Sphere (Mercury: The Ambitious)​ ​(in visual aids)

- Containing the ambitious, who were virtuous for glory and thus lacked justice
- Filled with spirits who hoped for earthly fame and honor, so they impaired the
force of their spiritual hope
- here Dante meets the souls who did good works but with a negative purpose:
to have fame in life.

(explain)
They flew on the second heaven of Paradise - Mercury. It is home to the souls of the
righteous ambitious. These are not shadows, unlike the previous inhabitants of the
underworld, but lights: shining and radiant. One of them broke out particularly
brightly, glad to communicate with the narrator. It turned out to be the Roman
Emperor Justinian​, the legislator. He realizes that staying in Mercury (not above) is
the limit for him, for the ambitious, doing good deeds for the sake of their own glory (
loving themselves first and foremost), have missed the true love for god.

Justinian’s light merged into the dance of lights with other righteous souls. The
narrator start pondering over why God the Father had to sacrifice his son? Was it not
possible just like that, with the supreme will, to forgive the sin of Adam! Beatrice
explained: higher justice demanded that humankind atoned itself. But humanity failed
to do it, and it was necessary to fertilize the earth woman with a son (Jesus), to
combine the human with the divine, so he could do it.
● Third Sphere (Venus: The Lovers)​ ​(in visual aids)
- Containing lovers, whose love was directed towards another God and thus
lacked temperance.
- home to the souls of lovers who “earned” their place in heaven with their love
for God and humanity.
(explain)
They flew to the third heaven - to Venus, where the souls of loving are in bliss,
shining in the fiery bowels of this star. One of these spirits lights is Hungarian king
Charles Martel​, who spoke to the narrator, suggesting that people can realize their
potential, only acting in the field that meets the needs of their nature. It is not good if
a born warrior becomes a priest. One of the lights also talked with the narrator,
troubadour Folco. He condemned the ecclesiastical authorities, self-serving popes
and cardinals. Florence is the city of the devil.

● Fourth Sphere (The Sun: The Wise)​ ​(in visual aids)

- Containing the prudent, whose wisdom lighted the way for the other virtues

(explain)
The fourth star is the Sun, the abode of the wise men. The spirit of the great
theologian​ ​Thomas Aquinas​ is shining here. He greeted the narrator and showed him
other wise men. Their singing reminds the church bells. Thomas told about Francis of
Assisi - the second (after Christ) spouse of poverty. Upon his example monks,
including his closest pupils, began to walk barefoot. He lived a holy life and died - a
naked man on the bare ground - in the bosom of poverty. The other spirits of wise
men listened to Thomas, stopping to sing and to dance. Then the floor was taken by
the Franciscan​ ​Bonaventure​. In response to the praise of his teacher he praised the
teacher of Thomas - Dominic, the farmer and the servant of Christ. And again the
word was taken by Thomas. He talks about the great merits of King Solomon: he
asked God for wisdom not to solve the theological questions, but for royal wisdom, so
he could intelligently govern the people. What will happen to the inhabitants of the
sun in the day of judgment, when the spirits gain flesh? They are so bright and
spiritually, it's hard to imagine them materialized.

● Fifth Sphere (Mars: The Warriors of the Faith)​ ​(in visual aids)
- home to holy warriors, whose souls are forming the shape of a cross.
- Contains the men of fortitude who died in the cause of Christianity​.

(explain)
Their stay here ended, so they came to the fifth heaven - to Mars, where sparkling
spirits of the warriors for the faith are settled in the form of a cross and where sounds
a sweet anthem. One of the lights moved closer to the narrator, this is the spirit of his
great grandfather, warrior​ ​Caccuiguida​. He welcomed the narrator and praised the
glorious time in which he lived on earth, and which had passed away, being replaced
by the worst of times. He is proud of his ancestor, his origin. Caccuiguida told about
himself and about their ancestors who were born in Florence, and whose coat of
arms - a white lily – is now painted with blood.
The narrator wanted to learn from him about his future fate. Cacciaguida replied that
he would be expelled from Florence, and in the bleakest wanderings would perceive
 the bitterness of someone else's bread and toughness of foreign stairs. At the end his
enemies would be ashamed, and he would triumph. Caccuiguida and Beatrice
encouraged the narrator. Their stay on Mars ended.

● Sixth Sphere (Jupiter: The Just Rulers)​ ​(in visual aids)

- “inhabited” by the souls of just rulers.
- Contains the kings of justice

(explain)
Now they started from the fifth to the sixth of the sky, from red Mars to white Jupiter,
where the souls of the just are gathered. Their lights are combined into the letters of
the call to justice, and then in the shape of an eagle, the symbol of the imperial
power. This majestic eagle came with the narrator in a conversation. The eagle
represents the idea of justice, and not his claws and beak are important but all-seeing
eye, made up of the most worthy of lights. The pupil is the soul of the king, and
psalmist David, eyelashes are the souls of the righteous pre-Christians.

● Seventh Sphere (Saturn: The Contemplatives) ​(in visual aids)

- Soul of the contemplative who embody temperance
- Contains the temperate, the monks who abided by the contemplative lifestyle
- Dante encounters the spirits of people who dedicated their lives to prayer,
climbing up and down a golden ladder.

(explain)
They ascended to the seventh heaven - to Saturn. It is the abode of spectators.
Beatrice has become more beautiful and brighter. Blessed spirits of the spectators
were silent, did not sing - otherwise they would have deafened the narrator.

The spirit of Benedict, after whom one of the monastic orders is named, angrily
condemned the modern self-seeking monks.

● Eighth Sphere (The Fixed Stars: Faith, Hope, and Love) ​(in visual aids)
- Represent the Church Triumphant - the total perfection of humanity cleansed
of all the sins and carrying all the virtues of heaven
- Fixed Stars in the constellation of Gemini.

(explain)
they rushed to the eighth sky, the constellation of Gemini, under which the narrator
has been born. In the eighth sky thousands of lights were glowing - great triumphant
spirits of the righteous. Intoxicated by them the narrator’s vision has increased.
Beatrice smiled, and luminous spirits started singing the anthem of queen of heaven -
Holy Virgin Mary.

Beatrice asked the apostles to speak with the narrator. The apostle Peter asked him
about the nature of faith. His answer was following: the belief is an argument in favor
of the unseen; mortals cannot see with their own eyes what is opened here in
Paradise - but they may believe in miracles without visual evidence of its truth. Peter
was pleased with such an answer. The​ ​Apostle James​ asked a question about the
essence of hope. The narrator’s answer was: hope is a waiting for the future
well-deserved and God-given glory. Delighted Jacob illumined. The next question
was about love, the apostle John asked it. In response, the narrator did not forget to
mention the fact that love draws us to God, to the word of truth. The exam was
successfully completed.

Four lights are burning in front of the narrator: the three apostles and Adam.
Suddenly, Peter became flushed and exclaimed: "My earthy throne is captured, my
throne, my throne!" Peter hated his successor - the Pope. And it was high time for the
travelers to leave the eighth heaven and ascend into the ninth, the supreme and
crystal. With an unearthly joy, laughing, Beatrice threw the narrator in a rapidly
rotating sphere.

(explain)
After the sphere of Saturn, the system of categorization that has characterised the
Divine Comedy up to this point is abandoned. In the Heaven of the fixed stars,
instead of seeing a particular group of souls, Dante first sees a triumphant vision of
Jesus​,​ ​Mary​ and the​ ​saints​. Jesus and Mary then ascend into the higher reaches of
Heaven, and Dante receives an examination on the three theological virtues:

Examination on the Three Theological Virtues: ​ ​ (​ in visual aids)

● St Peter​ questions him about the nature of​ faith​.​ ​ ​ (​ in visual aids)
- St. Peter test Dante on faith, asking him what it is and whether
Dante has it. ​(in visual aids)

(explain) ​Dante said “Faith is the substance of the things we hope for
and is the evidence of things not seen.”

- St. Peter ask Dante how he knows that the Bible is true. ​(in visual
aids)
(explain) ​Dante cites the miracle of the Church’s growth from such
humble beginnings.

- Lastly, St Peter ask Dante to state what he believes

(explain) ​Dante answers with his creed: “I believe in one God who
moves Heaven with his love, and this belief comes from the proof of
the Scriptures. I believe in the Holy Trinity - one in Three and Three in
One.”

● St James​ questions Dante about​ ​hope​. The​ ​Epistle of James​ has

reassuring words intended to inspire hope ​(in visual aids)
- St. James asked, “What is hope? Do you have it? Where does it
come from?” ​(in visual aids)

(explain) ​Beatrice claims that there’s no doubt that Dante has lots of
hope; only because of this is he allowed to see God’s kingdom before
 his death. Then Dante replied, “Hope is the certain expectation of
future glory” and is a resylt of God’s grace.

- St. James goes on to ask Dante what it is exactly that he hopes

for ​(in visual aids)
(explain) ​Dante replied: Other than “Getting into Heaven,” I hope for
what Isaiah prophesied, thast “the elect shall wear a double garment -
both body and soul - in their land.” So that’s my hope. (Hope then is of
the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body.)

● St John questions Dante about love. ​(in visual aids)

- St. John asked, “Tell me what you wish for?”
(explain) ​Dante answers that he, like everyone here, desires God’s
Love.
St. John is annoyed, telling Dante he has to be more specific than that.
Dante must reveal who directed his love towards God.
Dante answers that he himself did. He says he has God’s love
imprinted in him and because he tries to be virtuous, that love turns
toward God.

- St. John confirms Dante’s answer but pressures him furtgher,

asking if there are any other reasons he loves God.
(explain) ​Dante answers, “I love God because He created the world,
because Christ died so that I might live, and because He gives me
hope of reaching heaven. I love God in the proper proportion, which he
alloted to me”

● Ninth Sphere (The Primum Mobile: The Angels)​ ​(in visual aids)
- Creatures never poisoned by original sin (angels)
- The last sphere of the physical universe
- the last stop before the Empyrean and the last of the physical Heavens as the
Empyrean is beyond space and time.

(explain)
The first thing he saw in the ninth heaven was a dazzling point, the symbol of the
deity. Around it lights are revolving - angelic nine concentric circles. Those the
nearest to the deity and therefore the smallest are seraphim and cherubim, the most
remote and vast are archangels and simply angels. On the ground it is used to think
that greater is bigger, but here, it is the other way around.

Beatrice told that the angels are the same age of the universe. Their rapid rotation is
the source of all movements, which take place in the universe. Ascension in
Emporium - into the highest part of the universe – is the last one. They are
surrounded here by pure light. Sparks and colors are around them, these are the
angels and the blessed souls. They merge into a shining river, and then take shape
of an enormous heaven rose.
Angelic Hierarchy ​ ​(in visual aids)
● Seraphim - purest light; with 3 sets of wings

● Cherubim - four-faced monster with 4 wings covered in eyeballs

● Thrones - two rings (one inside the other) covered in eyeballs

● Dominions - regular angels (they are messengers)

 ● Virtues power - they glow, warrior angels

● Principalities - traditional angels

● Archangels angel - just better-looking than dominions

The Empyrean ​ ​(in visual aids)

- Contains the essence of God
- The highest heaven, one of pure light, intellect and love
- Dante will find both ranks of Paradise, the angels and the blessed souls. He’ll
get to see the Virgin Mary in her completeness

(explain)
Here, Dante had seen the redeemed spirits and the angels in their form of the Last
Judgement The Empyrean is the full Light of Truth which is filled with Divine Love. That
love is full of transcendent joy coming from the Supreme God, the essence of Love.
The Angels fly among the redeemed, in the form of a white rose, and God, Angels’ face
are flame, their wings golden and the rest, white: the three colors that symbolize Love,
Knowledge and Purity

In the Empyrean, Beatrice takes her place among the Saints and​ ​St Bernard​ takes over
as Dante's guide for the last stage of his journey. In the Empyrean, Beatrice joins the
other saints and​ ​St Bernard​ takes over as Dante's guide for the final stage of his
journey. Dante sees God first as an all-encompassing light; then as three circles
representing the​ ​Trinity​; and then as the likeness of a man.
Paradiso Character List
Narrator
A soul embarking on its journey into death, the narrator describes his experience of the
afterlife. The narrator appears to be male, according to his diction and attitude. He knows
nothing of what to anticipate in his death, although he appears to be privileged to review the
entire heavens. Readers do not learn whether he is actually dead or merely accompanying
Beatrice on a sort of tour.

Beatrice
She's the narrator's and reader's guide to the afterlife. She appears to have intimate
knowledge of the workings of heaven, especially what happens to various kinds of souls in
their death. Herself a spirit, Beatrice demonstrates multiple supernatural abilities throughout
the text such as flying, glowing, de-materializing, etc. She's a patient guide and
knowledgeable about her subject.

Emperor Justinian
He was a holy Roman emperor during his lifetime. Although he has made it to the second
heaven, his selfish ambition prohibits him from rising any higher in the afterlife. His works
were characterized by a desire for power and acclaim.

Charles Martel
He was a Hungarian king. Martel meets the narrator in the third heaven, Venus. He speaks
about the preordained fate of the individual. Whatever role a man has been given should be
the one he completes. Thus a priest should become just that and not a soldier. Martel
speaks condemningly of the Catholic church and its perceived hypocrisy.

Thomas Aquinas
Aquinas is in the fourth heaven. He was a renowned theologian and a saint. He commands
the attention of everyone in the Sun. He commends Francis of Assisi for his loyal service to
Christ. Additionally he celebrates the wisdom of King Solomon of old, a man destined to rule
his people with the utmost skill.

Bonaventure
Bonaventure is a Franciscan monk who responds to Aquinas' praise of the saints. He adds
his own praise to his mentor, Dominic, for instructing so many in the humble ways of Christ.

Caccuiguida
This man is the narrator's great grandfather. He appears to him like a vision in the fifth
heaven. He instructs the narrator in his ancestry and commends him on a life well lived so
far; however, he warns of the narrator's impending expulsion from Florence. He encourages
his great grandson to take heart because in the end his enemies will be humiliated.

Apostle Peter
Peter is summoned by Beatrice to speak with the narrator. When prompted, he asks the
narrator what is the nature of his faith. He appears impressed by the response. Peter
becomes angry when reminded of the corruption of the church on Earth by the Pope, whom
he considers his own successor as the leader of the church.

Apostle James
Similarly, the Apostle James asks the narrator his opinion of the nature of hope. He too
seems impressed by the response.

Apostle John
Again, the apostle asks the narrator about love. John is primarily concerned about the
narrator's loyalty to God in response to love.

Saint Bernard
After the Ascension in Emporium the narrator turns to find Beatrice missing. In her place he
sees Saint Bernard, an elder in the divine church. He prays to the Virgin Mary for assistance
and then leads the narrator into the final stage of his journey, the second guide.