PURGATORIO, Episode 106. Sapía, Part Four--The Coda

A coda to our episodes with Sapia, one of the most complex and intriguing souls in all of Dante’s COMEDY. Is this passage incredibly uneven or textured with a great deal of irony? How does it reflect back to INFERNO, Canto XIII? And how does it set us up for the canto ahead, PURGATORIO XIV?

Mark ScarbroughJune 9, 2024Purgatorio XIII, Sapia, Purgatory, Purgatorio, The terrace of envy, envyComment

PURGATORIO, Episode 105. Sapía, Part Three: Rhetorical Games Reveal Both The Penitent And The Pilgrim: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, Lines 133 - 154

Dante the pilgrim (and even Dante the poet!) may have met his match with Sapia on Purgatory’s second terrace, the ledge of the envious. She manipulates him into a confessional moment, then either turns that confession into flattery or comedy, all to get what she wants: a refurbished reputation back among the living. She’s caught in the human dilemma: neither good nor bad but a wild mix in-between.

Mark ScarbroughJune 5, 2024Purgatorio XIII, Purgatorio, Purgatory, The terrace of envy, Sapia, Envy, DanteComment

PURGATORIO, Episode 104. Sapía, Part Two--Blasphemy Among The Penitents Of Envy: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, Lines 112 - 132

Dante the pilgrim gets more than he asked for: Sapia’s incredible monologue, a master stroke of rhetoric, part honesty, part manipulation, all wrapped around one of the most blasphemous lines in all of COMEDY. The terrace of envy is full of surprises . . . none bigger than this woman who matches wits with Dante.