17. Paradise IV, VI, X

Dante in Translation (ITAL 310) This lecture deals with Paradise IV, VI and X. At the beginning of Paradise IV, the pilgrim raises two questions to which the remainder of the canto is devoted. The first concerns Piccarda (Paradise III) who was constrained to break her religious vows. The second concerns the arrangement of the souls within the stars. The common thread that emerges from Beatrice s reply is the relationship between intellect and will. Just as Piccarda s fate reveals the limitations of the w