Dante's Purgatory
A Study on Part II of The Divine Comedy
DVD

By: Anthony Esolen, Ph.D.

Item No. C50301
ISBN: 9781618900227
Publication Date: 2012
Binding: DVD
DVD Price: $89.75
ORDER HERE - ORDER INFORMATION

We Know What Happens in Hell...But What about Purgatory?

Dante's Inferno revealed some titillating details about the punishments inflicted on sinners - but in a way, we already knew what happens to people in Hell. What we don't know is what happens to people who end up in Purgatory. In this second part of The Divine Comedy, Dante probes the mysteries of that strange and often misunderstood place between earth and Heaven.

Climb the Mount
Purgatory is a place to work through - no one gets stuck there forever. The souls in Dante's Purgatory must climb up seven terraces on Mount Purgatory before they can reach Heaven. On these terraces, Dante and Virgil find:

The prideful who are forced into humility by heavy loads of stones on their backs
The envious whose eyes are sewn shut to prevent them from seeing the goods of others
The wrathful climb through choking smoke which represents the blinding nature of anger
The slothful engage in ceaseless activity to overcome their former laziness
The covetous who must lie face down on the ground for their attachment to earthly goods
The gluttonous must starve in sight of unreachable fruit hanging from trees above them
The lustful are purified by running through a wall of flame which represents God's pure love

Along the way, they are cleansed from the stains of sin by punishments which are like, and very unlike, those suffered by the sinners in Hell. Here, the suffering souls glorify God and rejoice in their suffering because they know it prepares them for the eternal bliss of Heaven.

A Real Place
Virgil and Dante discover the astonishing spiritual reality of Purgatory as they climb through the terraces on Mount Purgatory. Dante created a poetic vision which might be the best imaginative representation of Purgatory ever written. While his poem might not reflect the actual nature of Purgatory, his insights can help us understand it better.

Your Expert Guide
A celebrated translator and teacher of Dante, Professor Esolen interprets and describes the rich theological insights discovered by Dante on his journey up the mountain. Join Dante, Virgil, and Professor Esolen to continue the journey begun in the Inferno which will culminate in the ineffable beauty of Paradise.

About The Author
Professor Anthony Esolen holds a Doctorate in Renaissance English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Professor of English at Providence College, located in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the translator of the celebrated three-volume Modern Library edition of Dante's Divine Comedy (Random House). He is a Senior Editor for Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, and his articles appear regularly in First Things, Catholic World Report, Magnificat, This Rock, and Latin Mass.

Roman Catholic Books and DVD Videos

St. Catherine of Siena By: F. A. Forbes

Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914) By: F. A. Forbes

Mother of Charity By: Velar Italian Saints

A Man Born Again: A Novel Based on the Life of St. Thomas More By: John Edward Beahn

A Man Cleansed by God: A Novel Based on the Life of St. Patrick By: John Edward Beahn

A Rich Young Man: A Novel Based on the Life of St. Anthony of Padua By: John Edward Beahn

A Man of Good Zeal: A Novel Based on the Life of St. Francis de Sales

The First 500 Years - The Fathers, Councils, and Doctrines of the Early Church - DVD

Dante's Inferno - A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy - DVD - By: Anthony Esolen, Ph.D.

Dante's Purgatory - A Study on Part II of The Divine Comedy - DVD - By: Anthony Esolen, Ph.D.

Catholics in the Public Square - A Study in Conflict and Influence - DVD - By: Bradley Birzer, Ph.D.

Race With the Devil: My Journey from Racial Hatred to Rational Love - By: Joseph Pearce

Less Than a Minute To Go: - The Secret to World-Class Perfomance in Sport, Business and Everyday Life - By: Dr. Bill K. Thierfelder