The Divine Comedy: Paradise
“Open thy mind; take in what I explain and keep it there; because to understand is not to know, if thou dost not retain...”
Paradise, or by its original name Paradiso, is the last and final part of Dante's Divine Comedy. It is the last journey that follows Inferno and Purgatory. Here, Beatrice serves as Dante's guide. This part of the poem, like the prior ones, also has a symbolic meaning. While the soul suffered and cleansed itself of its sins in the previous parts of the poem, here in the last part Dante writes about the soul's ascension to heaven, or God himself.
The poem begins in The Earthly Paradise, otherwise known as The Garden of Eden. From here on Beatrice guides Dante through the nine Celestial Spheres of Heaven and ultimately to the Empyrean, the highest place in heaven where God resides. Just like the Inferno and Purgatory, the narration and structure of the Paradise is centered around certain themes. Here, Dante's journey is shaped and influenced by four cardinal virtues along with three theological virtues, emphasizing the number seven once again. It is also important to note that Dante's journey from its beginning in Purgatory to the end of it in Paradise has also lasted for seven whole days. To ascend to the Empyrean, Dante must first go through the celestial spheres otherwise referred to as the seven classical planets. Along with the two other spheres, these nine levels that Dante must ascend through are associated with the nine levels of angelic hierarchy while also carrying classical implications.
The first of these nine spheres is the Moon, representing inconstancy and the lack of fortitude. Unlike the moon, which is constantly in flux between waxing and waning, the souls should not sway from their vows and uphold their promises, emphasizing free will. Beatrice explains the nature of these vows, saying that they are pacts between God and humanity. For this reason, they are an extension or an offering of one's free will and should not be abandoned if it doesn't end in harm. Here, Beatrice and Dantemeets Piccarda and Constance of Sicily. The second of these spheres is Mercury, representing ambition and the lack of justice. Like Mercury itself, which is hard to see due to its proximity to the Sun, the ambition of humanity is almost impossible to perceive when compared to God's glory. Here, they encounter Emperor Justinian, the former Caesar of Rome. However, all that remains is his self, and not his earthly status or possessions. The next and third sphere is that of Venus and is associated with lovers who lack temperance. Here, Dante is given messages about how a society should include various kinds of people in harmony. He is also warned against the temptations of love. This is exemplified by the corruption of the Church and falling into earthly temptations or desires such as money. These three spheres fall within the Earth's shadow and therefore represent the lack of these virtues in the face of Earthly life and desires.
After proceeding to the next sphere, Dante and Beatrice are now out of the Earth's shadow. From now on, they encounter more positive examples of the values and virtues that are associated with each sphere. The fourth and next sphere, the Sun, is the representation of wisdom. It is the source of Earth's illumination in which the wise and the prudent reside, shining their intellectuality onto Earth. Here, twelve intellectual men dance around Beatrice and Dante, who are made up of theologians, philosophers, and a single king. Another twelve men, in the form of light dance around them, doubling the number. While dancing and revolving around them, they sing a song of the understanding of the Trinity. The fifth sphere is Mars, in which reside the warriors of faith who gave their lives for God and embody the virtue of fortitude. Among these warriors, Dante encounters one of his ancestors. He foretells the future, praising the Florence of a distant time while also predicting Dante's exile from the city. He also tells him to write about his journey through Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise for others to read. Dante moves onto the sixth sphere of Jupiter, associated with just rulers. Here, Dante encounters many kings who were deemed to be just and ruled righteously. Collectively, they form an imperial eagle, a symbol of their sovereignty and rule. Dante asks the eagle what happens to those who were born before Christ. The eagle's answer is such:
If a person sincerely believes in the essence of the coming of Christ at any time, they have a chance of entering God's Paradise.
The last of the spheres that is associated with the seven classical planets is the seventh sphere, which is the sphere of Saturn. This is the sphere of contemplatives and people who embody temperance reside here. Dante meets other several important figures here such as Peter Damian and Saint Benedict whom he discusses topics such as predestination, monasticism, the state of the Church, and the world. Also, Beatrice, who is the representation or the embodiment of theology, becomes even more beautiful as they are now closer to God.
The next and the eighth sphere is that of the Fixed Stars. This is the sphere of faith, hope, love, and the church triumphant. Here, Dante encounters the Virgin Mary along with some saints who test him on these values. After answering their questions, he also speaks to figures such as Adam and moves to the ninth sphere. The ninth sphere is the Primum Mobile and is occupied by angels. It is the last sphere of the physical universe. Since it is the outermost and final ring, the movement of this ring by God himself also causes the movement of other rings since they are all intertwined. Here, Dante sees God as a bright light surrounded by angels. Beatrice also explains to him how the universe was created and the role of angels in the universe.
The last part of the poem belongs to the Empyrean, in which God resides. It is a place that is outside of the physical universe. Here, Beatrice is even more beautiful than before since she is now in the abode of God. After being surrounded by a bright light which first blocks his vision, Dante is deemed to be pure and ascended appropriately to be able to see God. Dante is now able to see a giant rose, the flower which represents divine love. It is home to those who reside here and is constantly surrounded by angels. As Beatrice returns to her home in this divine rose, St. Bernard takes on the role of Dante's guide. After praying to the Virgin Mary, Dante is now in the presence of God himself. God appears to Dante as three equal circles, representing the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Within these circles, Dante makes out the silhouette of Christ. Dante tries to understand how these three circles fit within each other and the universe. As he is struck by a moment of realization on how it all works, his soul becomes aligned with God's divine love. Dante has now finally completed his journey.
Bibliography
Wikipedia
Encylopedia Britannica
Dante - Divine Comedy
Images
By Bartolomeu Velho - Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31328330
By Sailko - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46814479
By Philipp Veit - The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159910
By Giovanni di Paolo - http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=6468&CollID=58&NStart=36, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=737497
By Gustave Doré - Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri - published by L. Hachette et Cie, Paris, 1868, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1633228
By John Flaxman Jr. - Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2826503