Search results
Drink from a river of light
- Leaving the material spheres behind, Beatrice and Dante enter the Empyrean, where God, the angels, and the saints reside beyond space and time. Beatrice instructs Dante to drink from a river of light so that his intellect will be able to grasp what he sees here.
www.litcharts.com/lit/paradiso/summary
Upon his arrival in the Empyrean heaven, Dante says Beatrice's loveliness was such that he is now defeated and unable to even attempt a description of it--so he spends a full eighteen verses (30.16-33) describing his inability to describe what he saw!
- Gallery
Empyrean 159k : John Flaxman Mary, Queen of Heaven 229k :...
- Gallery
Dante and Beatrice enter the Empyrean, which is where God, the saints, and the angels reside; it is above the nine heavenly spheres, but beyond both space and time.
After ascending through the sphere of fire believed to exist in the earth's upper atmosphere (Canto I), Beatrice guides Dante through the nine celestial spheres of Heaven, to the Empyrean, which is the abode of God.
When he approached the summit of Mount Purgatory in Purgatorio, Dante suddenly turned to see that his faithful guide, Virgil, was no longer at his side. Now, in the Empyrean, something similar happens, as Beatrice returns to her rightful place in order to resume her praise of God.
While Dante is taking in “the general form of paradise” (“La forma general di paradiso” [Par. 31.52]), he is surprised by the unexpected change of his guide. He turns to share his experience with Beatrice.
Beatrice’s last words deal with Dante’s grandiose political vision. Emperor Henry VII’s throne in Paradise awaits him (he died in 1313), because “he shall show Italy the righteous way — but when she is unready”: “a drizzare Italia / verrà in prima ch’ella sia disposta” (137-38).
People also ask
How did Beatrice guide Dante to the Empyrean?
What happens to Beatrice in the Empyrean?
Why does Dante pray for Beatrice in the Empyrean?
How do Dante and Beatrice see God?
What does Beatrice show Dante?
Why does Dante Ask Beatrice a question?
As they slowly ascend to the Empyrean, Beatrice shares with Dante the story of creation and the history of the angels, while also touching upon the creation of the universe. Once they reach the Empyrean, Dante and Beatrice have ascended to a realm beyond physical existence, which is where God resides.
