Purgatorio is the second part of the epic poem Divine Comedy written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. After completing their journey through the nine circles of hell in Dante’s Inferno, Dante and Virgil reach the beginning of the climb to the peak of Dantes Purgatory.
The climb to the peak of Mount Purgatory is supposed to teach Dante about the nature of sin, the love of God, and Christian life to purify him of his sins before continuing on his journey to Paradiso or Heaven.
Purgatory has been described as an island mountain by Dante in the second section of Divine Comedy. The bottom section of the mountain is known as Ante-Purgatory, and the middle section consists of the seven terraces of Purgatory, while the top part of the mountain is depicted as the Earthly Paradise.
The seven levels of Purgatory each represent one of the seven sins. It has been further divided into three parts, consisting of the first three levels, the fourth level, and the final three levels.
First Slope of Ante Purgatory: Stubbornness
At the base of the mountain lies the first slope of what is known as Ante-Purgatory, where stubborn souls who delayed their Christian life reside. Here, the two poets come across Manfred of Sicily and other souls who confess to their failure to obey God’s laws.
These souls must endure thirty times longer than the period of their disobedience in the first level of Ante-Purgatory. Manfred tells Dante that Christian prayers from virtuous people on Earth can shorten the duration of time spent in Purgatory.
Second Slope of Ante Purgatory: Repentant
Repentant is the second and final slope of Ante Purgatory. Here, Dante and Virgil meet people who never repented while alive, dead kings who were not good rules, and people who died with violence but managed to repent at the last minute.
That following evening, Dante falls asleep and dreams about an eagle who carries him. He wakes up at the gates of Purgatory Proper soon after. The gates are guarded by an angel, who carves the forehead of Dante with the letter “P” seven times.
The angel informs Dante that he is about to go through the seven terraces of Purgatory (each representing one of the seven sins) and one of the P’s will be erased as he progresses through each terrace as he climbs Mount Purgatory.
First Terrace: Pride
The first Terrace of Purgatory is inhabited by the souls of the people who were prideful in their earthly existence. The walls of the terrace are embellished with sculptures representing humility, the antithesis of pride.
However, the punished souls are not able to look at these beautiful sculptures as their backs have been burdened with heavy weights to cleanse them of their sins.
Dante engages in discussions with the souls and gains knowledge from them. As they depart from the terrace and proceed to the next level, an angel erases the first “P” engraved on Dante’s forehead.
Second Terrace: Envy
In the second Terrace of Purgatory, Dante, and Virgil encounter the souls of those who were envious during their life on earth. These individuals spent their earthly lives desiring others’ happiness to such an extent that they would resort to causing harm to deprive them of it.
Upon entering the terrace, they are greeted by voices exemplifying generosity, which serves as the antithesis of envy. Later on, they also hear the voices discussing instances of envy.
The penitents wear gray cloaks and are blinded by their eyes being sewn closed with iron wire, rendering them unable to see where they are going. As they depart from the terrace, an angel erases the second “P” engraved on Dante’s forehead.
Third Terrace: Wrath
The fourth Terrace of Purgatory is inhabited by the repenting souls of individuals who were driven by wrath in their earthly existence. Dante starts experiencing visions of gentleness, the antithesis of wrath, as they venture further.
The wrathful penitents are condemned to forever wander within a dense black cloud of smoke, which symbolizes the fury that had blinded them during their lifetime.
These souls remain silent, yet Dante engages in an exchange with Marco Lombardo regarding free will. Dante also sees visions of punished wrath during their journey. As the poets depart from this terrace, another “P” engraved on Dante’s forehead is erased.
Fourth Terrace: Sloth
Dante and Virgil see the souls of the people who were slothful in the fourth Terrace of Purgatory. Virgil explains to Dante the structure of Purgatory and how it is based on love.
The slothful souls are constantly running around the terrace without any rest due to their lack of zeal in their past lives, particularly when it came to acting out of love. The voices in the air provide examples of zeal, which is the opposite of sloth.
Later that evening, Dante has nightmares of a siren, representing gluttony, lust, and greed. On the following day, the angel of zeal removes the fourth “P” from Dante’s forehead.
Fifth Terrace: Avarice
The fifth Terrace of Purgatory is for the souls of the Avaricious and Prodigal. Here, Dante and Virgil find sinners lying on the floor, bound and face down. These souls are being punished for their excessive desire for material possessions.
As they journey through the terrace, an unknown tremor shakes it, but Dante refrains from inquiring Virgil about it. Suddenly, they meet a Roman called Statius, who reveals that the tremor indicates that a soul is ready to be purged and move on from Purgatory.
He joins them on their journey and reveals his admiration for Virgil’s works. Later, an angel strips off the fifth “P” from Dante’s forehead.
Sixth Terrace: Gluttony
On the sixth Terrace of Purgatory, the souls of the gluttonous are being punished. They feel excruciating hunger and thirst even though there are plenty of fruit trees surrounding them because they can never reach the fruit.
The voices in the trees serve as an example of temperance, which is the opposite of gluttony. Dante encounters his friend Forese Donati and Bonagiunta Orbicciani, who is a poet and speaks kindly about one of Dante’s works, “La Vita Nuova”. As they leave the sixth level, an angel removes the fourth “P” from Dante’s forehead.
Seventh Terrace: Lust
Dante ponders how the penitent souls in the terrace of Gluttonous are thin yet still considered souls, as they continue the climb to the seventh Terrace of Mount Purgatory.
On the terrace of Lustful, the souls have to dash through a huge sheet of flames while shouting examples of chastity. Everyone has to go through the wall, including Dante, who is hesitant due to fear.
Virgil persuades him by saying that Beatrice is waiting for him in the Earthly Paradise. After Dante goes through the flames, they all fall asleep, and the next morning they proceed toward the Earthly Paradise. Finally, the last “P” on Dante’s forehead is taken off.