Episode Details

Ever since INFERNO, Canto I, we've never fully understood why Dante woke up lost in that dark wood.

Now, in the Garden of Eden, Beatrice brings him to the point where he can voice what he did wrong. He can finally offer his confession.

It was all about her all along. And maybe about what he wrote. And maybe about another woman who caught his eye. Or maybe all of it at once.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the moment in PURGATORIO in which Beatrice finally brings the pilgrim to his full confession.

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Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:12] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 22 - 48. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode's entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[03:16] An easy outline of this passage.

[04:27] Recasting Dante's faults into metaphoric language.

[09:18] Dante's confession.

[12:40] Beatrice and the formal form of "you."

[14:34] Her acceptance of Dante's confession, leading him to contrition.

[18:15] Beatrice: allegory v. realism.

[23:15] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 22 - 48.