Purgatorio, Canto 2


VIDEO VERSION

AUDIO VERSION



OVERVIEW

Fr. Stephen Gregg is Choirmaster, Our Lady of Dallas Cisternian Abbey and teaches English, Fine Arts, Latin and Theology at the Cistercian Prepatory School. He is also pursuing a doctorate in English at the University of Dallas. 

Reflection Questions:

  • Dante and Virgil tarry by the seashore. What spiritual disposition are they showing here? 
  • How do souls arrive at the shores of Mt. Purgatory? How does their arrival contrast with the “mad flight” of Ulysses in Inferno 26?
  • What biblical story do the souls sing about as they arrive at Purgatory? What does their song suggest about the character of the purgative journey they are undertaking?
  • How is Dante’s presence among these souls a distraction from their moral responsibility (2.75)? 
  • The pilgrim meets his old friend Casella. How do we see Dante reverting to nostalgia rather than pressing on with the moral and spiritual demands of the movement (2.106-123)?

DETAILS

  • Fr. Stephen Gregg
  • University of Dallas
  • Run Time 11:06