Perga 4

Darkness of Hell giving way o the Morning Mists of  new life:

Dante and Virgil Ascemding the Mountain of Purgatory
William Blake's Illustrations of Dante

image index previous image next image Purgatorio IV, 46-57.(c)1999 National Gallery of Victoria William Blake's Illustrations of Dante From wiki Purgatorio (pronounced [purɡaˈtɔːrjo]; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, following the Inferno, and preceding the Paradiso. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Dante up the Mount of Purgatory, guided by the Roman poet Virgil, except for the last four cantos at which point Beatrice takes over as Dante's guide. In the poem, Purgatory is depicted as a mountain in the Southern Hemisphere, consisting of a bottom section (Ante-Purgatory), seven levels of suffering and spiritual growth (associated with the seven deadly sins), and finally the Earthly Paradise at the top. Allegorically, the poem represents the Christian life, and in describing the climb Dante discusses the nature of sin, examples of vice and virtue, as well as moral issues in politics and in the Church. The poem outlines a theory that all sin arises from love – either perverted love directed towards others' harm, or deficient love, or the disordered or excessive love of good things. The Rest on the Mountain Leading to Purgatory 1824-27pen, ink and watercolour over black chalk and pencil (NGV 29) Felton Bequest, 1920 1014-3 National Gallery of VictoriaPurgatorioIV, 46-57. The poets are climbing the steep path that encircles the mountain leading to Purgatory. Now they sit down to rest on a terrace, looking down over the sea. In the text Dante wonders at the direction of the sun but Blake shows it obscured by mist or clouds. The colouring of this design is cooler than in the illustrations to the Inferno, being dominated by pinks and greens. (c)1999 National Gallery of Victoria

The seven terraces of Purgatory[edit]

From the gate of Purgatory, Virgil guides the pilgrim Dante through its seven terraces. These correspond to the seven deadly sins or "seven roots of sinfulness."^[16] The classification of sin here is more psychological than that of the Inferno, being based on motives, rather than actions.^[17] It is also drawn primarily from Christian theology, rather than from classical sources.^[18] The core of the classification is based on love: the first three terraces of Purgatory relate to perverted love directed towards actual harm of others, the fourth terrace relates to deficient love (i.e. sloth or acedia), and the last three terraces relate to excessive or disordered love of good things.^[16]

Each terrace purges a particular sin in an appropriate manner. Those in Purgatory can leave their circle voluntarily, but will only do so when they have corrected the flaw within themselves that led to committing that sin.

The structure of the poetic description of these terraces is more systematic than that of the Inferno,^[19] and associated with each terrace are an appropriate prayer, a beatitude, and historical and mythological examples of the relevant deadly sin and of its opposite virtue.