Divine Comedy: Purgatorio Lesson Plan

In Purgatorio, why does Dante repeatedly draw upon not only biblical stories, but also classical ones?

Some students may be surprised that this is even a question. The Greco-Roman world was the light of human civilization for many centuries, they might say—why wouldn’t a European Christian like Dante Alighieri draw upon its rich mythology in his writing? There are a variety of reasons why other students might disagree with this, but one of the most compelling might be that in the Christian world (and even in the Roman Catholic world, specifically), the values and norms of the Greco-Roman world are trumped by the revealed truth of God. Students will be right to point out,...