10 questions on plot, characters, and themes. Free to take, so you can see exactly what to review before class.
1. At the beginning of the poem, why does Dante need a guide to escape the dark forest?
2. What is the main structural principle that determines how sins are punished in Hell?
3. How does Purgatorio differ from Inferno in terms of the souls found there?
4. What does Virgil's disappearance at the top of Purgatory symbolize?
5. In Paradiso, why do souls appear in different celestial spheres even though they're all blessed?
6. What does the three-line rhyme scheme of terza rima reinforce about the poem's meaning?
7. How does Beatrice treat Dante when she first appears to him in the Earthly Paradise?
8. What does the poem suggest about the relationship between sin and identity?
9. Why can Dante look directly at God at the end of Paradiso when he couldn't have at the beginning?
10. What is Satan's condition at the bottom of Hell, and what does it reveal about evil in the poem?
0 of 10 answered
How this guide is built
This guide is built from the original text to help you get oriented fast. It is designed for recall, paper planning, and getting unstuck, but it is still a paraphrased guide, not a substitute for the reading itself. Double-check anything important before you turn in formal work.
