Patrick Montalto

107201252
Throughout Dantes works the Vita Nuova and Purgatorio, he has various dreams.
Each of these dreams are reflective of the overarching themes of the writing and the topics
which concern Dante himself. Dante has three dreams in Purgatorio and two in Vita Nuova.
In Purgatorio, the first Dream occurs when he falls asleep in the Valley of the Rulers
in Ante-Purgatory. The Eagle in this dream, which snatches him up with golden feathers,
hovering in the skyready to swoop is symbolic of divine rebirth through baptism. The
image of an eagle burning its feathers in a ring of fire is reminiscent of the medieval
allegory of holy renewal. In this scene, Dante and the eagle too are both aflame, and the
imagined burning washot. The imaginary heat of the dream then awakens him, this
awakening symbolic of a spiritual rebirth itself. This entire scene is a reference to
Ganymede, who was carried by Jupiter disguised as an eagle and snatched up to the
heavens as he was carried up to the highest council.
The second dream sequence in Purgatorio takes place just before dawn in the Fifth
Terrace of the Avaricious and Prodigal. Here, Dante dreams of an ugly woman who
appeared stammering, cross-eyed, splayfooted and had crippled hands and an off-
putting complexion. This disfigured woman turns out to be a siren as her crooked limbs
straighten and her speech [is] set free. She is symbolic of sensual pleasure, seducing and
captivating Dante as she made it hard for me to turn aside. She is representative of the
sins that need to be purged. The lady that comes to Dantes side to reveal the Sirens true
ugliness is symbolic of the light of reason and rational thought and wakes up Dante with
the sirens stench. The reference to Ulysses alludes to his captivation by the Sirens also,
yet Ulysses, like Dante, avoided temptation too.
The next dream sequence occurs on the Seventh Terrace of the Lustful. Dante
dreams of Leah, the symbol of the active life who uses her fair hands to weave a garland
of flowers. Her sister Rachel never leaves her mirror, and is satisfied with seeing just as
Leah is in doing. Rachel represents the contemplative life and serves to contrast Leah.
These two sisters themselves are references to the bible; Genesis in particular. This dream
sequences symbolizes how a life of service and a life of thought can both provide
satisfaction. For Dante, both aspects of life are equally important and the dualistic nature
of one being separate or more important than the other is blurred.
In the Vita Nuova, Dante has two actual dream sequences. The first is of Beatrice,
who is held in the arms of a lordly man, frightening to behold. This figure tells Dante that
he is indeed the Lord, and he witnesses Beatrice consuming a fiery object which she ate of
timidly. Her approach to consuming this object and the Lords weeping which follow are
used as foreshadowing for Beatrices eventual early death and ascension to Heaven that
was to follow.
His second dream in Vita Nuova involves a vision of the Lord once again, this time
dressed in the whitest of garments, these clean white garments symbolic of holiness. His
conversation with Dante represents how deep and spiritual Dantes love for Beatrice is, as
he urges Dante to stand up for himself against the slander that has been defaming him by
writing a certain poem so that she may understand [Dantes] true feelings.
The dream sequences in Vita Nuova and Purgatorio serve as symbols that help to
reinforce the themes of these two literary works. These symbols often deal with divinity,
morals, and the problems that plague Dante such as his love for Beatrice and the sins that
he himself must purge.