Purgatorio, the second canticle of the Divine Comedy, is a profound exploration of the human soul’s journey toward healing, freedom, and spiritual renewal. Unlike the despair of Inferno, Purgatorio offers hope: the possibility that people can change, grow, and become better. Through figures such as Cato the Younger, Manfred of Sicily, Virgil, Statius, G.P. della Mirandola, and Beatrice, this course will invite you to reflect on themes of forgiveness, free will, dignity, love, pride, vanity, and human transformation. The course examines Dante’s belief that people can change through self-reflection, responsibility, ethical effort, and the pursuit of goodness, while also considering Purgatorio as a metaphor for the struggles and growth of human life itself. The series will continue in spring with Paradiso.
Read: Divine Comedy, Purgatorio, Dante