9 Levels of Purgatory (Dante's Purgatorio)
Purgatorio ("Purgatory" in English) is the second section of the Divine Comedy, which is an
epic poem written by the great Italian poet, Dante. It follows after Inferno and tells the story
of his climb up Mount Purgatory, accompanied by another Italian poet by the name of
Virgil, who serves as his guide. The climb is supposed to teach him lessons about Christian
life and God's love and purify him of his sins before continuing on his journey to God.
First Stage (Stubbornness) Second Stage (Repentant)
This is the last part of Ante-Purgatory. In
This stage is at the very base of the this terrace, they encounter deceased kings
mountain and is part of what is known as who were negligible during their rule,
Ante-Purgatory. In it, the two poets people who never repented while alive,
encounter the souls of those who delayed and people who suffered violent deaths but
their Christian life because of their managed to repent at the last minute. That
stubbornness to obey God’s laws. They are following evening, Dante falls asleep and
to remain in here for a time period that is wakes up at the gates of Purgatory Proper,
thirty times longer than the period which after having a dream that an eagle carried
they exhibited stubbornness. They run into him during the night. The gates are
Manfred of Sicily who tells them that a guarded by an angel, and he carves
soul’s time in Purgatory can be reduced Dante’s forehead with the letter “P” seven
with prayers from Christians who are in times. The angel informs Dante that he is
good standing with God in the world of the about to go through the seven terraces of
living. Purgatory (each representing a sin among
the seven deadly ones) and one of the P’s
will be erased as he progresses through
each terrace as he climbs Mount
Purgatory. He then opens the gates.
Third Stage (Pride)
Fourth Stage (Envy)
This terrace that the poets enter first is full
of those that were prideful during their
earthly lives. The walls of the terrace have This terrace is filled with the souls of
sculptures with examples of humility, envious penitents. Their earthly lives were
which is the opposite of pride. The spent desiring what made other people
prideful never get a chance to see these happy to the point they would even harm
sculptures, since their backs are arched them in order to deprive them of this. Soon
due to the huge weights they must carry as they enter the terrace, they hear voices
using their backs as their sins get purged. that speak examples of generosity, which
Dante bends over to converse with the is the opposite of envy, and later on, they
souls and learns lessons from them. When also hear the voices speak examples of
Dante reaches the exit of the terrace, an envy. The penitents wear gray cloaks and
angel removes the first “P” from his cannot see where they are going because
forehead, and the poets move on to the 2nd their eyes have been closed and sewn with
terrace. iron wire. As they leave the terrace, the
second “P” is removed.
Fifth Stage (Wrath) Sixth Stage (Sloth)
Next, the poets enter the third terrace, The next terrace contains the souls of
which is filled with souls of wrathful those who were slothful in their earthly
penitents. Dante begins to have visions of lives. Virgil explains Purgatory’s structure
gentleness, which is an example of the to Dante and how it is determined by love.
opposite virtue of wrath. The wrathful The wrathful are forever preoccupied with
forever wonder in a cloud of black smoke, running around the terrace without rest,
which is a manifestation of the anger that since they never had zeal (the opposite of
clouded their mind and blinded them when sloth) in their earthly lives, especially
they were alive. The souls in this part of when it came to acting out of love. All
the poem do not shout out any examples, example given in this terrace from the
but Dante does have a conversation with voices is the air are of zeal. Later that
Marco Lombardo about free will. Dante evening, when Dante falls asleep, he is
also has visions about punished wrath. haunted by nightmares of a siren, a
When they meet an angel, another “P” is manifestation of gluttony, lust, and greed.
removed and Dante and Virgil exit the On the next day, the fourth “P” is removed
terrace. and the poets leave the terrace.
Seventh Stage (Avarice) Eighth Stage (Gluttony)
Dante and Vergil enter the terrace of the The next terrace contains the souls of the
Avaricious and Prodigal. Their gluttonous, and the poets witness their
punishment is to lie on the floor, face painful punishment: they experience
down, with their hands and feet bound excruciating hunger and thirst while there
together. The souls are being punished and are plenty of trees with fruit around them.
purged for desiring material goods with The souls experience this because they can
extravagance, greed, or ambition. As the never reach the trees. The voices in the
poets travel through the terrace, it is trees give examples of temperance, which
shaken by a mysterious tremor, but Dante is the opposite of gluttony. Dante runs into
does not ask Virgil about it, even though his friend Forese Donati and his
he is curious. They run into the Roman, predecessor Bonagiunta Orbicciani (who
Statius, and he explains the mysterious turns out to be poetic and has nothing but
tremor to Dante: it happens when a soul is kind words for one of Dante’s poems, “La
ready to move on from purgatory, and he, Vita Nuova”). As the three poets exit the
Statius, was the soul that caused the sixth terrace, an Angel removes the sixth
tremor. He joins them on their journey. It “P”.
also turns out that Statius is an admirer of
Virgil’s work. The next angel they run into
removes the fifth “P” from Dante’s
forehead.
Ninth Stage (Lust)
As they continue to climb Mount
Purgatory, Dante contemplates how the
penitents in the terrace of the Gluttonous
can be so thin but yet be souls. Statius
takes this opportunity, and Virgil gives
him the go-ahead, to explain how the body
and soul are related. In the terrace of the
lustful, the penitent souls must run through
a great wall of flames. As they run through
it, they call out examples of chastity,
which is the opposite of lust. Everyone
must run through the wall before they
leave, including Dante. Dante is hesitant
because he is afraid. Virgil tells him that
Beatrice, the love of his life, is waiting for
him in the Earthly Paradise. This is enough
to convince Dante, who goes through the
flames. They all fall asleep shortly after
that and in the morning, they all proceed to
the Earthly Paradise and the final “P” on
Dante’s forehead is removed.
