The Chaos Of Virgil, The Pilgrim Dante, Reason, And Revelation: PURGATORIO, Canto III, Lines 46 - 66

Virgil loses the way. Dante finds it. Virgil tries to figure it out. Dante uses the language of revelation. All to make sure Virgil can be the guide again, even when he's clueless about Purgatory.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we watch the irony deepen in this passage from PURGATORIO, Canto III. Dante the poet is playing a wicked game with his characters. And we have to walk slowly to see it.Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:16] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto III, lines 46 -66. If you'd like to read along, print it off, or drop a comment about this episode, please go to my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:17] The pilgrim Dante and his guide, Virgil, have apparently been walking all along beside incredibly rough terrain--which seems to bring out Virgil's sarcastic streak.[06:55] The clear difference: Virgil looks down; Dante looks up.[07:41] Dante sees human souls on the left. Many commentators believe Virgil and Dante are still following a hellish (leftward) direction.[10:16] Dante uses the language of revelation (after Virgil's discussion of the limits of human reason).[12:05] Virgil gets back on familiar ground as the guide because of Dante's revelation. Who's really the guide here?

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Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.