Paradiso
(Dante)
Dante
As with all the parts of the Divine Comedy, Dante is the hero of the journey. While other characters come and go, Dante is always there.
In Paradiso, we get a lot less of Dante than before.
In Inferno, Dante was a shaking, scared little man that too often sympathized with the sinners instead of understanding God’s justice. In Purgatorio, Dante show compassion and learns humility.
Now, in Paradiso, Dante is constantly amazed and full of questions. However, we don’t hear the poet ask most of those questions because everyone he talks to can simply read his thoughts. All too often, whoever he’s with simply state’s Dante’s doubts and then answers them.
That said, Dante is a man full of questions in this part. He asks more things that he did in the two previous parts put together, and his curiosity is never left unsatisfied.
Another interesting aspect of Dante’s character in Paradiso is that he is continually overwhelmed by everything he sees and hears. Several times he’s either blinded or nearly blinded by the lights of the Heavenly Spheres. He even faints once because of some singing!
As Dante progresses through the spheres of Heaven, his mortal mind and body must adjust to the awesome sights and sounds of the blessed souls that live there. In the final Canto, when Dante finally sees a representation of God, he is so overwhelmed that his mind and memory literally fall apart.
Beatrice
We know Beatrice from the previous part of the Divine Comedy. As far as anyone can tell, Beatrice was a real person in Dante’s life, even though he says they met only twice. After just those two meetings, though, Dante was completely in love with her.
So, in Heaven, Beatrice was he guide. She also acted like his teacher, explaining things to him, telling him where to go and when to stop. She even had to give the poet permission to speak, whether to ask a question or to give and answer to someone else’s question.
The most noteworthy quality of Beatrice, though, is her beauty. With every new level of heaven, she becomes even more beautiful and radiant.
In fact, for the first few sphere’s Beatrice refuses to smile toward Dante, saying that he won’t be able to bear her smile yet. It’s not until he’s been further purified is she able to smile in his presence.