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Canto 17
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Purgatorio, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Purgatory and the Heavenward Journey
Love, Sin, and God
Free Will
Spiritual Power vs. Earthly Power
Time
Summary
Analysis
Dante asks Virgil to explain love further. Virgil explains that the human mind tends toward things that give it delight. The mind internalizes an image of such things, and the mind’s “bending” toward these images is called love. When a mind is captured by what it loves, that’s called desire, and desire pursues what’s loved until it attains it, which then yields joy. Virgil explains that, given this process, it’s clear why all loves aren’t praiseworthy.
This is Virgil’s second discourse on love. Whereas the first focused on how love works, this discourse focuses on love’s origin. The basic point Virgil is making is that the object of love must be something external to the self—something outside of a person which draws them towards it by desire.
Active
Themes
Dante understands Virgil’s words but is nevertheless confused. If love is drawn by an object outside of a person, then why does the person who accordingly pursues that object of love commit either right or wrong? Virgil says that Dante will have to wait for Beatrice to better reveal this. In short, though, he explains that there’s an innate power within a person that helps the will distinguish between good loves and bad. A person has the power to restrain love that ignites within them—it’s called freedom of the will.
Dante essentially asks why, if an object of love attracts a person from outside of themselves, a person can be held responsible for following that desire. Virgil admits that this is a tricky philosophical problem that’s beyond him. However, in essence, each person possesses free will, which gives them the power to follow or resist the urgings of love.
Active
Themes
After this exchange, Dante suddenly sees a multitude of people running towards them. The two at the forefront are tearfully shouting examples of zeal, like Mary hurrying to see Elizabeth. The rest of the crowd urges one another on, saying that time mustn’t be lost “through lack of love.” After the crowd passes by, Dante eventually dozes off.
