hBjcDQfnMguRXVnjTNgM Mark Scarbrough's WALKING WITH DANTE: The Climax Of Virgil In COMEDY In PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 124 - 142 - Walking With Dante

Episode 214

The Climax Of Virgil In COMEDY: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, Lines 124 - 142

Published on: 5th October, 2025

We have come to the climax of Virgil's in COMEDY: the apex of his character, the moment when he is what he should have been all along, a poignant and fitting summit for this most difficult figure in the poem.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we stand at the top of the final staircase on Mount Purgatory and take our first steps into the Garden of Eden with the pilgrim who is ready to continue on his own, with crown and miter in hand, thanks all to Virgil, the best guide he could have had.

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

[02:11] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 124 - 142. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[04:45] The climax of Virgil's natural talent and learned skill for the soul's journey across the known universe.

[14:19] Our first glimpse at the top of Mount Purgatory beyond the stairs.

[17:50] The entrance to the Garden of Eden--and a theological problem about Satan.

[21:27] The pilgrim, with crown and miter from Virgil.

[30:24] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVII, lines 124 - 142.

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About the Podcast

Walking With Dante
A passage-by-passage stroll through Dante’s DIVINE COMEDY with Mark Scarbrough
Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.
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About your host

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Mark Scarbrough

Former lit professor, current cookbook writer, creator of two podcasts, writer of thirty-five (and counting) cookbooks, author of one memoir (coming soon!), married to a chef (my cookbook co-writer, Bruce Weinstein), and with him, the owner of two collies, all in a very rural spot in New England. My life's full and I'm up for more challenges!