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    How to find happiness with the divine comedy - book three. the essence of true happiness. paradise
    How to find happiness with the divine comedy - book three. the essence of true happiness. paradise
    How to find happiness with the divine comedy - book three. the essence of true happiness. paradise
    Ebook175 pages1 hour

    How to find happiness with the divine comedy - book three. the essence of true happiness. paradise

    By Luisa Pinnelli

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    The theme of the third cantica is the regnum coelorum (kingdom of heaven), constituted by the righteous who have overcome their own modest ego in a universal and spiritual dimension. How are the righteous recognized, how do they tackle adversity, how do they transform it to the advantage of others, how do they act to improve the world we live in? The author examines the heavens of Paradiso from a pragmatic point of view and analyzes the celestial characters in order to discern the qualities and virtues which have always distinguished the noblest human beings. The analysis of the text favours symbol as the key to an understanding of the spheres, revealing their multiple meanings and numerous resonances; in addition, there is an exploration of the relationship between the seven planets and the Liberal Arts, already indicated by Dante in the Convivio. In this way, light is thrown on the hidden web that supports and gives meaning to the heavenly world, which proves to be much more human and palpable than we might imagine.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLuisa Pinnelli
    Release dateFeb 15, 2014
    ISBN9788868858612
    How to find happiness with the divine comedy - book three. the essence of true happiness. paradise

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      Book preview

      How to find happiness with the divine comedy - book three. the essence of true happiness. paradise - Luisa Pinnelli

      defined.

      Part One

      The sphere of the Moon (cantos II-III)

      The poet Giacomo Leopardi taught us to see in the moon the mirror of our suffering in life. But the moon has its phases and from the new moon, when it seems to be absent entirely, it gradually becomes the full moon, which can illuminate the whole sky. This enables us to appreciate how the moon might act as a mirror for suffering, which gradually changes as our conscience succeeds in confronting it and finding a justification. Leopardi himself reveals to us various aspects of the moon: at times it is cold and indifferent, at times consolatory, at times it seems like an aloof young girl, at others like a benign mother or stepmother.

      The vision of the moon in Dante's Paradiso, allowing for the difference in perspective, presents some issues that are problematic in the same way as those of Leopardi. For Dante too, the moon represents a complex and ambivalent reality and is in some way linked to suffering and consolation. Essentially, the moon has two faces: one shining and virginal, the other darker and more mysterious.

      The purity of the moon and the origin of the moon's spots

      The purity of the body of the moon seems to be proved by the fact the moon receives Dante's body while remaining intact (The eternal pearl received us in itself, as water does a ray of light and yet remains unsundered and serene / Per entro sé l'etterna margarita ne ricevette, com' acqua recepe raggio di luce permanendo unita). The invulnerability of the body of the moon conceals within a psychological consequence. Indeed, as we shall see, it alludes to the internal solidity that the lunar spirit maintains even when assailed by the brutality of the world.

      If the Moon is pure, it must be perfect and complete. So why, Dante asks Beatrice, does the moon appear from earth to be covered with dark spots / segni bui? The philosopher Averroës interpreted the moon's spots as flaws in its matter; popular superstition instead saw them as the bundle of thorns that Cain carried on his back. These two explanations pave the way for an image that is negative: the moon would appear neither to be perfect from a physical point of view, nor providential from a psychological one. This was clearly unacceptable, and Beatrice vigorously sets out to refute the error and to prove to Dante by means of a complicated explanation that the moon is perfectly intact and that the spots are simply places upon which divine light has not fallen.

      The reader will ask where the importance of this question lies, but in Paradise astronomy is not merely decorative but substantial, since a whole web of meanings derives from the astronomical element. The issue of the moon's spots is therefore not a digression at all, because in life the spirits of the moon also have spots, that is to say dark patches where divine light or grace has not fallen. On earth, in fact, for complex reasons beyond their control, they broke their vows of chastity, as we shall learn from their stories.

      The souls of the moon

      The souls of the moon have an unusual, almost diaphanous beauty. Dante thinks he is looking into a mirror and turns around, convinced that he will find someone there, making the opposite mistake to Narcissus (I fell into the error opposite to that which inflamed a man to love a fountain / dentro a l'error contrario corsi a quel ch'accese amor tra l'omo e 'l fonte), who believed his reflection in the water was real.

      Why does Dante feel it necessary to mention Narcissus with regard to the soul of the moon? Probably on earth he had imagined these souls as they looked at themselves in the mirror, engrossed in self-contemplation (the religious are often accused of selfish seclusion). But can this frigidity form part of Paradise, where God's love for his creatures reigns supreme? Absolutely not. Autistic narcissism has no place on the moon, as one soul who seems more keen to speak / vaga di ragionar than others proves.

      Piccarda Donati

      Dante asks her about her identity and the state of the first sphere, to which she swiftly and promptly replies, revealing her identity and her monastic past: Our love shuts not its doors against just will... In the world I was a virgin sister. If you search your memory, my having grown more fair will not conceal my name and you will recognize me as Piccarda / La nostra carità non serra porte a giusta voglia... I' fui nel mondo vergine sorella; e se la mente tua ben sé riguarda, non mi ti celerà l'esser più bella, ma riconoscerai ch'i' son Piccarda. Note the spirit of love open to every legitimate desire.

      Piccarda then explains to Dante why, together with the other blessed souls, she is in the sphere of the moon: the reason lies in the fact that in life neither she or the others were able to carry out their vows completely. Here, too, there is a play of light and shade: on one hand, these souls are beautiful and benevolent, on the other, however, it is as though they are stained by their failings with regard to their vows. Dante then questions Piccarda further: But tell me, do you, who are here content, desire to achieve a higher place, where you might see still more and make yourselves more dear / Ma dimmi: voi che siete qui felici, disiderate voi più alto loco per più vedere e per più farvi amici? He is trying to ascertain if there is any kind of regret, a hint of unhappiness, perhaps a touch of envy for the souls in the higher spheres. Essentially he wishes to understand whether Cain has after all left some small trace in the psychology of the spirits of the moon, which might be clouded by a kind of perennial dissatisfaction.

      Piccarda explains that the soul in this sphere is content with what it has and does not wish for more. If it wished to be higher, it would signify going against God's will which is impossible in Paradise, where harmony reigns and there is a feeling of reciprocity (And in His will is our peace / E 'n la sua volontade è nostra pace). Dante is persuaded and understands that everywhere in heaven is Paradise, even if the grace of the highest Good does not rain down in equal measure / come ogne dove in cielo è paradiso, etsi la grazia del sommo ben d'un mondo non vi piove. Even though the rain of Divine grace does not fall evenly, happiness is everywhere.

      Contemporary accounts tell of how this beautiful young woman had dedicated her soul to God and taken a vow of chastity, entering the convent of the Franciscan Order of the Poor Clares as she wished to avoid the marriage that had been arranged for her by her brothers to a Florentine nobleman. Upon discovering this, her brother Corso Donati, who was in Bologna at the time, hurried to the convent, seized her by force and made her marry against her will. Shortly afterwards, the poor woman became ill and died. Piccarda, beautiful and kind, was afraid of the world and took refuge in a convent in order to live in accordance with the perfect rule. Terrified of marriage to a man (who she feared would be as brutal as her brother), she sought refuge in the arms of the invisible bridegroom, Christ. But the world snatched her back again. The impact was too strong and was to cost Piccarda her life. Piccarda appears to be the reincarnation of Abel, Cain's victim, just as she was Corso's.

      In her account, many words are devoted to her religious experience (Saint Clare, symbol of perfect life / perfetta vita, the rules of her Order indicate an ideal norm, the habit / l'abito that alludes to exemplary behaviour, the sweet cloister / dolce chiostrathat indicates her separation from the world, the invisible bridegroom that is Christ); very little mention is made of her abduction and forced marriage. Rule is emphasized rather than custom, the blameless way of life far surpasses the erroneous behaviour of men, more used to evil than to good / a mal più ch'a bene usi. The failure to be faithful to her vows is not Piccarda's fault, but that of the world she lived in. Hence a veil of merciful discretion is used to cover up the sad affair. It could be said that in Paradise, Piccarda has reconsidered the whole experience and is no longer affected by it. Is this perhaps a confirmation of the purity of the soul of the moon, which is not overwhelmed internally by the evil it has suffered?

      But in less literal terms, what might Piccarda's experience signify? The cloistered nun protected by her veil is an image of notable symbolic significance: her marriage to Christ indicates the virtual union with the divine element existing in human nature, the cloister is a place which is safe and separated from the real world, the veil is an obstacle to seeing the world as it really is, blurring its contours, softening its colours, diminishing its emotional impact.

      What are the typical situations in which our life appears to be forged in this way? Undoubtedly, the first cloister in life is childhood. In that confined space governed by a constant maternal presence and marked by the comings and goings of the father figure, inconstant but reassuring in its punctual return, everything is calm and safe. We, too, are suddenly torn from our childhood, when we perceive the end of Eden in the dissonance of looks, voices, gestures that no longer speak to us of love, but of hate, bitterness, tiredness, boredom. At this point, the child becomes a castaway, beginning his odyssey into the real world. That suffering returns at intervals throughout our lives and once again makes us feel like castaways.

      This enables us to understand that whoever experiences the dualism between the perfection of a protected world and the aggressive violence of external reality comes into contact with the archetypal soul of the moon. The first soul in the moon is thus undoubtedly the innocent child, who pays heavily for the ways in which he is torn from his own childhood, whether violently or otherwise. At times a child, too, can withdraw into himself in response to

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