Casella, We Love You But Hardly Know You: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 88 - 105

We've come to the heart of the second story sequence in PURGATORIO, Canto II. Here, Dante tries to hug one of the souls off the angels boat and discovers an old friend, Casella.

Casella has some surprising news about souls, their journey to the afterlife, and his own hesitations. All from a soul we hardly know.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at some of the interpretive knots in this early, crucial episode in PURGATORIO.

Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:24] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 88 - 105. If you'd like to read along, print it off, or drop a comment, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com.

[03:15] Who is Casella? Some source evidence, some information from the early commentators, and the problems with all of that.

[08:09] Dating problems in the passage. When did Casella die? How long did he wander around the land of the living?

[12:03] More dating problems in the passage: Pope Boniface VIII's Jubilee Year of 1300 and its plenary indulgences.

[12:57] The ghost story in the passage.

[17:50] Love: the great thematic of PURGATORIO, a part of Dante's historical moment.

[21:53] Why is this passage so murky? Some tentative speculations.

[26:25] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 88 - 105