"Che Son La Pia": PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 130 - 136
Dante the pilgrim has heard two dramatic speeches from characters whose deaths were full of Sturm und Drang. Now, a quiet, lone voice comes forward to tell an elliptical, enigmatic tale of her violent...
9 Aug 202333min
The Struggle For A Son's Soul: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 85 - 129
We come to the second monologue in PURGATORIO, Canto V. This time, we're on the other side of the battle of Campeldino with one of Dante's enemies. And we're on the other side of INFERNO, with a son w...
6 Aug 202336min
The Strangely Beautiful And Poetic Death Of Jacopo Del Cassero: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 64 - 84
The frenzied souls had spoken in unison, in monophony. Now they begin to differentiate, to enter into polyphony with each other.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we hang out on the first minor ledge of Pur...
2 Aug 202332min
In A Rush For Peace: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 37 - 63
The pilgrim Dante and his guide, Virgil, have passed beyond the lazy souls and on to a group that's in a frenzy: running, calling out, speaking in one voice. The change is marked and important to unde...
30 Juli 202332min
The Prisoners Of Hope: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 22 - 36
We come to a second scene, certainly sequential, almost contemporaneous with the previous scene among Belacqua's cohorts.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we come to one of the great contrasting moments in...
26 Juli 202320min
Distractions And The Demands Of Writing About Purgatory: PURGATORIO, Canto V, Lines 1 - 21
Dante the pilgrim has had his last words with Belacqua and begins his journey on up the mountain. Or at least, laterally along the mountain of Purgatory.But those negligent souls with Belacqua are not...
23 Juli 202322min
Mobs On The Mountain: A Read-Through Of PURGATORIO, Canto V
We've reached the end of the first narrative arc of PURGATORIO. Dante the poet brings the first five cantos to a close with a very quiet, almost disturbing decrescendo: a small voice, a woman's voice,...
19 Juli 202313min
Belacqua Redux: PURGATORIO, Canto IV, Lines 97 - 139
We've talked about Belcqua as a parodic, ironic, or comedic figure in PURGATORIO. But is there a way to interpret his character as more straightforward? What if Dante the poet intends him to be a warn...
16 Juli 202315min
