The First Soul in Paradise, Piccarda Donati: PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 34 - 57

Dante meets his first soul in Paradise, the former nun Piccarda Donati. We’ve already encountered her in COMEDY through her brother, Forese, among the gluttons on Mount Purgatory. And she is also a refraction of an infamous figure, Francesca in INFERNO V. Piccarda’s speech is like the moon itself: mottled with dark and light.

Paradiso Cantos I - VIIMark ScarbroughSeptember 13, 2026Piccarda, The moon, free will, vows, moon spotsComment

Of Natural Instincts and Their Natural Ends: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 115 - 142

If Dante has a question about how his body can transit other bodies in the universe, Beatrice doesn’t answer it. Instead, she launches into a discussion of our natural instincts and how they lead us to our natural ends, unless we swerve from what’s intended for us or find our pleasure elsewhere.

Paradiso Cantos I - VIIMark ScarbroughAugust 12, 2026Beatrice, instinct, natural love, heaven, free willComment

Here are the episodes for the opening cantos of PARADISO. The podcast is currently into Canto III. Because of the way my website is coded, the episodes appear in reverse order. Sorry about that. Scroll through the list to find earlier (or the earliest) episode.