Purgatory, Canto 5

The Text of Purgatory Canto 5 (Open PDF)

Summary

ON their way up the Second Terrace, the Poets meet with a company of the Unshriven, and speak with the souls of Jacopo del Cassero, Buonconte da Montefeltro, and the lady known as La Pia (Piety), who tell their stories and ask for Dante’s help and prayers.

The Prepatory Lecture

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Questions for Reflection

• Why does Dante take pleasure in having some purgative souls gazing at him in amazement? Is this Dante’s pride and vanity inhibiting his moral progress?
• In 5.24, the purgative souls are singing the Miserere of David (Psalm 50/51). This is the second of three references to the Miserere in the Divine Comedy (see also Inferno 65 and Paradiso 32.12). What role does the Miserere play in this scene and how does it help us understand the meaning and purpose of Purgatorio? How does the use of the Miserere here help us better understand the pilgrim’s use of it in the dark wood of Inferno 1?
• Is it surprising that deathbed conversions have such a prominent place in Purgatory? What kind of penance must these late repentants pay before entering into Purgatory proper?
• Who is Buonconte (5.88ff) and what does his salvation reveal about the character of divine mercy? Does Buonconte’s salvation mean that you can sin as much as you want and assume that you can just repent at the end of your life? How might we understand Buonconte’s salvation in relation to his father’s damnation (see Inferno 27)?
• Who is Pia? What purpose does her very brief appearance in this canto serve?

Purgatory, Canto 5 © Jan Hearn

The Images

The Late-Repentant: (2) The Unshriven. This second group consists of those who were cut off in their sins by battle or murder, and so died unshriven. Since circumstances are partly responsible for their death, they occupy a slightly higher position than the Indolent, and have a prayer of their own; but they are still surrounded by the atmosphere of haste and agitation which attended their last moments

Mark Vernon's Lecture