Beatrice Character Analysis in Purgatorio

In life, the historical Beatrice Portinari caught Dante’s eye when he was just a young boy, and he has loved her from afar ever since. In the poem, Dante describes their relationship, noting how Beatrice kept Dante on a path of holiness during their youth, but when she died, he strayed into a sinful lifestyle. From Heaven, Beatrice implored Virgil to guide Dante through the afterlife as a warning of his possible fate. In Dante’s view, Beatrice symbolizes the love of God in union with the human soul; as such, she is the ultimate unattainable lady, as conceived by the medieval poetic tradition of courtly love. When Dante finally encounters Beatrice in the Earthly Paradise, she is at the center of an elaborate procession attended by both biblical figures and mythical beings. Beatrice is veiled and speaks to Dante sternly, scolding him for straying into sin after her death. Her direct gaze, aloofness, and beauty plunges Dante into remorse and weeping. Beatrice shows Dante a vision depicting the Church’s earthly corruption and prophesies that a leader will purify and free the Church, charging him to take this message back to the world with him.

Beatrice Quotes in Purgatorio

The Purgatorio quotes below are all either spoken by Beatrice or refer to Beatrice. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Purgatory and the Heavenward Journey Theme Icon

Risen from body into spirit-form,
my goodness, power and beauty grew more strong.
Yet I to him was then less dear, less pleasing.

He turned his steps to paths that were not true.
He followed images of failing good
which cannot meet, in full, their promises.

Related Characters: Beatrice (speaker), Dante

Page Number and Citation: 302

Explanation and Analysis:

When Dante arrives in the Earthly Paradise at the summit of Mount Purgatory, he finally meets his beloved Beatrice face to face. Beatrice had been the object of Dante’s ardent love on earth, and following her death, she became for Dante the symbol not just of all things good and holy, but of God’s loving union with the human soul. Seeing from Heaven that Dante had fallen into sinful habits and was bound for damnation, Beatrice originally sent Virgil’s soul to rescue Dante by leading him through the afterlife. When Dante finally sees her again, however, the reunion isn’t quite Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non invento

Beatrice Character Timeline in Purgatorio

The timeline below shows where the character Beatrice appears in Purgatorio. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Spiritual Power vs. Earthly Power Theme Icon

...enter Purgatory? Virgil nudges Dante to reverently kneel and explains to the man, Cato, that Beatrice’s prayers led him to guide Dante through the afterlife, even though Dante’s still living. Virgil... (full context)

...account God’s justice and love. Anyway, Dante will understand all of this after he meets Beatrice above. Hearing this, Dante is encouraged to climb more quickly. (full context)

...an angel sits on the stair, holding a blindingly bright sword. After Virgil explains that Beatrice has sent them on this journey, the angel welcomes them to enter. (full context)

...good. Though Dante remains puzzled, Virgil promises that Dante will understand better once they’ve met Beatrice above. They press onward. (full context)

...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... (full context)

...that they’re so close to God. Besides, this is the last barrier between Dante and Beatrice. The sound of Beatrice’s name softens Dante’s resistance. (full context)

...himself “in a vat of boiling glass.” Virgil keeps encouraging him by reminding him of Beatrice. Eventually, through the darkness, they hear an angel singing, “Come, blessed of my Father!” Emerging... (full context)

...candlesticks, which guide people in pure white robes. The people are singing a blessing to Beatrice. In their train come four six-winged animals with beautiful feathers. (full context)

...for weeping at Virgil’s absence. At the sound of his name, Dante turns and sees Beatrice, still veiled, looking sternly at him. All are happy here, she tells him—what right did... (full context)

Beatrice addresses the angels above, explaining that Dante’s grief and guilt for his sin are fully... (full context)

Weeping and overcome, Dante stammers out a confession that, indeed, after Beatrice’s death, he was distracted by “mere things of here and now” and failed to pursue... (full context)

...drawn, still dripping, to join the dancing Four Virtues. These ladies guide him over toward Beatrice, who is standing by the gryphon. When Dante looks at the beast being reflected in... (full context)

Overwhelmed, Dante cannot stop staring at Beatrice until his gaze is forcibly turned aside by the Graces. When his dazzled eyesight recovers,... (full context)

...sleep by the beautiful hymn, and Matilda awakes him sometime later. She shows him that Beatrice is sitting at the base of the newly flowering tree, guarding the chariot; the rest... (full context)

...softly, the Virtues and Graces chant the Psalm, “O God, the heathen are come.” Then Beatrice speaks in Latin, quoting from the Gospel of John “a little while, and ye shall... (full context)

Then the whole group continues on their way, but after a little while, Beatrice gives Dante a piercing glance, knowing he has questions. Finally, Dante pulls himself together to... (full context)

Beatrice Character Analysis

Beatrice Quotes in Purgatorio

Canto 30 Quotes

Beatrice Character Timeline in Purgatorio