Statius and Virgil head out across the sixth terrace of Mount Purgatory. They’re stopped by an upside-down tree in the path. A voice in the tree warns them off, then admonishes them with examples of those who were moderate in their appetites . . . and the wonders of the classical age.
Read MoreDante and Virgil step onto the third terrace of Purgatory proper and the pilgrim is immediately struck with an ecstatic vision, the first such vision in a poem that itself may seem like one big ecstatic vision. This time, it’s Mary at the door, reprimanding Jesus and speaking in medieval Florentine.
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