Canto 21 Presented by Ella Bostick Summary Dante

Canto 21 Presented by Ella Bostick

Summary Dante and Virgil are walking in the ring of avarice. They are very confused by the earthquake that occured in the previous canto and what caused it when a soul appears “as. . . Christ appeared”(21. 7 -8) to the two apostles on the road to Emmaus. They converse with the soul and explain once again how it is possible for Dante to be there even though he is still alive. Then they ask the soul about the earthquake. The soul explains that “Purgatory is free of any change”(21. 43) and that no matter what happens on earth, purgatory is not affected. However, when a soul has completed his punishment in the ring, there is an earthquake. Virgil asks the soul who he was in life, and he replies that his name was Statius attributes all his success to Virgil’s influence on him so when he finds out that he has been speaking to Virgil he tries to touch him. Comically, Statius falls to his knees and tries to hug Virgil’s feet but forgets that they are only shades and “treat[s] Shadows as if they had solidity”(21. 135 -136)

Characters The only new character we meet in this Canto is Publius Papinius Statius (Statius for short). He was a roman poet who lived after the time of Christ (45 -96 A. D. ). Statius was famous for his works the Thebaid and the Achillead (unfinished) but is now better known for the lyric poems he wrote in the Silvae. Statius recognizes that all of his works build off of Virgil’s Aeneid. He considers the Aeneid to be “the divine flame that kindled” him and he even says that he would “spend an extra year” in Purgatory if he “could have lived where Virgil lived” (21. 95, 21. 100 -101). These are big words from a soul in Purgatory whose one true desire is to get to heaven.

Themes Incorruptibility of Purgatory Statius tells us that “Purgatory is free of any change”(21. 43). A few things change in Purgatory, such as souls coming and going but Purgatory itself doesn’t go through changes like earth does. Esolen tells us that Purgatory is “a realm free of sin, and thus free of the decay and death that are the effects of sin”(pg. 465). Thus even though the earth is affected by rain and snow and sleet and hail and even earthquakes, Purgatory is unshaken by it all. Man’s Innate Thirst for Knowledge Dante speaks three times in this Canto about the “natural thirst that never drinks it’s fill”(21. 1). By natural thirst Dante means that it is a good and innate part of man, not a twisted part of him (like unnatural love). Esolen tells us that this is the thirst for knowledge (pg. 226).

Stylistic Elements Simile: Statius is described using the simile “as in the gospel Luke has written Christ appeared to two men on the road after he had arisen from the tomb, A shade appeared” (21. 7 -10) Dramatic Irony: As Statius finishes his speech by talking about Virgil the great poet, Dante looks at Virgil who asks Dante with “a silent glance”(21. 104) not to tell Statius who he is. Dante knows who Virgil is but Statius does not. The Irony doesn’t last long however, as Dante needs to work on his poker face.

Sando Burk’s modern take on Purgatory

Statius talking to Dante and Virgil labeled with S M and V

Works Cited Alighieri, Dante. Purgatory. Translated and edited by Anthony Esolen. New York, Modern Library, 2004. Artist Uncredited, P. Papinio Stazio. Birk, Sandow. Purgatorio. 2005, Columbia University, https: //digitaldante. columbia. edu/image/birk-illustrations/ de Boninis, Boninus. Untitled. 1487, Columbia University, digitaldante. columbia. edu/image/digitized-images/ Esolen, Anthony, translator and editor. Purgatory. By Dante Alighieri, New York, Modern Library, 2004. Works Consulted Ahc. “Purgatorio. ” Purgatory Proper (Cantos X-XXVII) | Purgatorio | School of Languages, Cultures and Societies | University of Leeds, 21 Sept. 2018, ahc. leeds. ac. uk/discoverdante/doc/purgatorio/page/4.

Questions forum 1) Do you think that Dante’s “natural thirst that never drinks its fill” is really for knowledge? Explore some other ideas and support with the text 2) Dante uses simile to compare Statius to Christ. How is Statius like Christ? 3) Statius tells Dante that an earthquake occurs when a soul is released from their punishment in any particular ring. Why an earthquake?