Dante's Purgatorio & The 9 Levels of Purgatory Explained 

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I would like to point out to everyone that there’s at least 1 entire level of Purgatory where Dante has “PP” inscribed on his forehead.

This is such a cool story, I wish Italians were real

The idea that Dante takes a nap while Virgil and Stadius stand there like awkward NPCs is cracking me up

Inferno was Dante telling us how good of a writer he was but Purgatorio was Dante proving it to us.

"The angel wipes the pee off his forehead." Well that's nice of him.

The thought of Virgil making that entire journey back by himself makes me deeply sad.

I was raised catholic, I am not super religious now but something about god maintaining the garden every day in case humanity decides to come back home really gets to me.

This one hurts so many feels. Vergil's solemn departure hurts deep, but the line "God tends the garden of Eden to be just as it was before the fall just in case humanity abandons their sins and want to come home" made me misty eyed at work.

"Virgil walked through the fire just so Dante wouldn't have to do it alone." That's some Samwise-tier bromanship there.

How fitting that, during the Inferno video, Wendigoon scoffed at Dante's writing; Now in the Purgatorio he apologizes for being too harsh and 'repents' of his former criticisms.

The fact that the "Pre Purg" levels are pretty much just God putting people on hold is absolutely hilarious.

“Virgil walked through the fire just so Dante wouldn’t have to do it alone.” “And even though humanity left God still takes care of Eden in case we ever decide to come back home” “Standing before the garden of Eden, and in front of an infinite Love that dragged him back there, none of his desires seemed that important anymore” that’s it we don’t need any books or any other analysis videos by anyone else, nobody could explain these ideas as perfectly and powerfully as this guy. His reaction to Dante’s take on God’s Love perfectly shows what these concepts do to the human heart, I have so much respect for this guy for keeping that in the cut. As a jaded Christian, this was so important to me. Thank you.

"Dante wakes up in the back of a chariot." _Hey, you! You're finally awake!_

I personally like to call Dante "History's most critically acclaimed fan fiction writer"

love when they met Virgil's second biggest fan. i can imagine Dante holding his laughter like spongebob when patrick said 24 in school.

Dante put an inside joke in a book and people are confused for 700 years.

That part where god maintains the garden everyday in case people decide to return legitimately got me to tear up a little ngl.

I honestly love the fact that Inferno was all Dante gloating about how the people he didn't like were suffering in Hell because they took life for granted, and the ending of Purgatorio is Beatrice going "Dude, you're doing the exact same thing they were." As much as people rag on Inferno for being "Biblical fanfiction," the fact Dante wasn't afraid to cast himself off as a coward and a hypocrite says a lot about his integrity as an artist.

Wendigoon, never apologize for showing emotion! It doesn’t make you silly, I promise. Novels and entertainment are created to allow us to feel and be human.

Did anyone else almost shed a tear at the farewell of Dante and Virgil ?

"...When Dante sees this he panics and turns to speak to Virgil who isn't there anymore." i can't believe im about to cry over a 300+ year old poet fanfiction are yOU KIDDING ME

As someone who isn't really religious, I did almost get emotional at the notion of God maintaining the Garden of Eden, our original perfect home, in case we ever wanted to return. There is something very touching about that, like a father keeping his child's room ready in case they ever came to visit.

I had this on in the background, and let me just say that it's an absolute experience to zone back in just to hear "an angel wipes the pee off of Dante's forehead..."

I’m not even Christian but I felt so emotional towards the end this is a pretty story

Never has learning about Christianity seemed so comprehensible and soothing. Convinced this guy is not of this world

great vid, as always. As an italian in his 20s i will give you a bit of context about the relevance of the divine comedy in modern day italy. in every school in italy, in middle school you are introduced to Dante, then in every high school (no matter if scientific, classical, techincal, ecc) you will study every canto of the Inferno, and it takes years, and in some schools you even study the Purgatorio and the Paradiso. Also, Dante published the divine comedy in Florence in episodes, every canto was a different episode, and it got people in florence hooked, he was the original netflix! also think of it not in a litteral way, the Inferno was basically a diss track against his political enemies. Also, his version of italian (because at the time italian was not a universal language for the italian peninsula) became the foundation of modern standard italian. This stuff is the litteral backbone of italian litterature to this day. ah, also, my elementary school was called Dante Aligheri, i just remembered now while writing this, lol.

virgil leaving has me crying and throwing up in the club

As a Christian myself, ngl, hearing this summary and seeing your reaction to reading it really got to me. While like you I don’t believe in a lot of the things that Dante presents in this story, the beauty of which he tells this story and your genuine reaction I think convicted me. If I can be candid, I haven’t been living the life I should be, to put it lightly. But honestly this has been wanting me to be more intentional in my own relationship with God. Thank you so much man. You’re one of my favorite RU-vidrs and I’m happy and thankful to be subscribed to you.

Yes, Dante's writing does "improve" as he ascends to heaven. It is on purpose. Hell is characterized by unelegant, simple, unrefined expressions. Purgatory's language is more curated, more elaborated. Heaven's language is the closest it gets to pure poetry. It is more elevated and beautiful. When studying this is high school, hell was reserved for 1st year, purgatory for 2nd year, heaven for 3rd year students. That's because it gets harder and harder to analyze and understand. Specially heaven, you really need to have some sort of translation next to it. We have multiple versions of the comedy, from less "adulterated" to almost completely translated. I remember our version had the original script on the left and a modern italian translation on the right. So you're not imagining that Dante's writing gets better:D Actually glad you noticed. Hopefully the english translation was accurate enough~

The friendship between Virgil and Dante is heartwarming. The line about how God tends to the garden every day Incase humanity ever decides to come back got me. Ik it's not completely biblically accurate but still got me.

Virgil guiding others to a treasure he cannot possess.

y'know, as an italian, i never realized just how much of a "masterpiece" this whole thing was up until some random guy on youtube started explaining everything i half-remembered about the story and i had to study that damn thing

This dude has ridiculous levels of charisma, probably among the highest ive ever seen in a youtuber. Its almost impossible to not like this guy.

A couple of cool facts about the Divine Comedy: - Dante wrote it in 15 years, that is why you see a style change - The comedy is written so it rhymes in a way to recall sacred numbers multiple times, for example you have 3 sections (inferno, purgatorio and paradiso) and each of this section is described in 33 canti. - The idea behind the shape of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven is that when Satan fell he created a "Heaven" in his image, doing that all the dirt he moved went to form the Mountain of Purgatory at the other side of the world. - When Dante and Virgilio get from Hell to Purgatory they use a narrow passage (which is where all the dirt from Hell came to form Purgatory) and all that is meant to resemble the act of birth from the fetus perspective.

This video tripped me out. Towards the end where you mention Beatrice stating in the future someone known as "515" would come to defeat the vixen and the giant. I had no knowledge whatsoever regarding this before watching this series on the divine comedy. But I had a vision in a dream involving the number 515 that sent chills down my spine back when it happened, and was instantly reminded of it as soon as you mentioned it. In the dream I was inside the foyer of a church I went to as a child. I hadn't been inside the church for at least a decade at this point. It seemed to take place in the future as this church was somewhat outdated in terms of decor, but it was all updated and renovated. I was speaking to who I presume was the pastor in this foyer (was dressed like a pastor for sure) he wasn't someone I know or recognized. I don't recall the conversation at all but what I do remember is noticing a fancy wooden plaque over the doors that lead into the sanctuary that just had the number "515" written on it. I asked the pastor dude about it and he simply replied with "WE ARE THE 515" and I awoke immediately knowing I just experienced something important but not knowing what it meant at all. The best thing I could come up with was that he was referencing psalm 51:5. That seemed relevant at the time as I was deeply in sin at that point in my life. Hearing this symbolism from Dante just added a whole new layer of confusion to it Anyone with ears to hear have any ideas?

58:11 You are not lame for sharing your emotions with us! You’re passionate about the story and want to share that with us! If emotions are apart of that then its okay!

Dude when you realize that that Virgil went through all the fire and suffering just so Dante wouldn't be alone 😢

Dude you’re the farthest thing from “a little wimp” for showing emotion. The fact you knew some of the ideas and things mentioned are extremely personal for you, yet still shared it with thousands of strangers is the least wimpy thing someone could do. And that’s why you’re my favorite RU-vidr.

The thought of God just waiting, tending the garden for us if we ever want to be by his side again…😢 totally made me cry with pure emotions. I haven’t felt this warm feeling in my chest for a long time, I was starting to give up and think I’ve just gone cold. You’ve done a great thing here, and for many more than just me I’m sure ❤

I'm not a Christian and I don't believe in any of these kind of things, but your telling of all this really touched me. I was crying alongside you even though I hold no belief in any of it and I really admire your faith and love.

Hey Wendi - Just wanted to throw it out there that you shouldn't feel any pressure to make fun of something you're genuinely passionate about. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and a nice change of pace from the countless snide media reviews on RU-vid. Also as someone who loves classic literature but struggles to read it, thank you for this series. Eagerly awaiting Paradiso.

Beatrice is all like, "what do you even have to be sad about, lol." She's obviously never seen a true bromance end.

515 is the area code of Des Moines, Iowa. Probably means nothing, but it's the best I've got.

This is my favorite because I feel like it gives people hope. Especially with the idea that we have the power to turn away from things such as addiction or crime, and get back on the right path. That means that no one is ever truly doomed to be punished forever. Love it 💙

My man Vergil walked all the way through hell guiding Dante, pulling him away from the dangers, then went all the way up through the purgatory, even going full demon hunter as his bro was being tempted, and in the very end walked through cleansing flames just so Dante wouldn't be alone, letting him know that he was now a better man than Vergil himself was. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a true display of sheer *Motivation*

Other than maybe the conspiracy theory iceberg, this Divine Comedy series is probably my favorite series of yours, and I can’t wait to see Paradiso. Keep up the good work.

57:45 I think that’s why Dante is justified in saying he’s the greatest poet. He’s the greatest because he has taken the works of philosophers, and Virgil, and used it to write his poems. He was able to run because they walked before him, and he is a better poet because he had the foundation that Virgil, St Thomas Aquinas, etc established. He’s acknowledging all the works before him and saying that they were what made his work possible. He doesn’t say he’s the greatest poet in competition with them, but in cooperation with them, that they were his teachers, and he took what they taught him and built upon it.

im obsessed with the fact that i can just watch a wendigoon version of the divine comedy that makes me so happy

I think that Dante's initial immaturity is thematically reflective of his journey through Hell, then realizing his sins and becoming modest and introspective in Purgatory, finally to the Purity and Selflessness of Soul in Heaven.

That "free will/rightiousness" bit left me in shambles, but I was simply not ready for that ending with Virgil and everything after that.

As someone who hasn’t been to church in a couple years (because of COVID), I’ve been feeling out of touch spiritually. Hearing you speak passionately about some of the themes of Purgatorio makes me want to try and reconnect with the spiritual part of my life. Thank you for making these informational videos, they are great.

Wendigoon you're gonna be a great dad one day

I think the saddest part is that Vergil was talking about how he remembered Beatrice’s eyes and how beautiful they are, and even after his whole journey alongside Dante, he never got to see them with Dante. That really hit me

Ngl, That part where Vergil reveals that he cannot go with dante anymore kinda broke me also. Knowing Vergil just prepared Dante to be better than him Just adds salt to the wounds

I love the thought of Dante’s brain going “They’re going to love this” After Inferno

42:01 I love this little moment so much, because it's so familiar. No matter where you are, spiritual journeys or just normal humans, I can just see this happening among a group of friends. It's so lovely. Thanks, dad

It's interesting how Virgil/Vergil is famous in modern times mostly because of Dantes work. It's like the ultimate shout out to your muse. So that they are remembered forever. Being remembered forever is truly the ultimate gift.

30:30 you are in fact correct to say that his writing "improved": as a matter of fact, he planned to "upgrade" his writing style throughout the whole book, as he "traveled" up to heaven. you see, in medieval times, there used to be two versions of "italian" as we know it now, caused by the fact that not everyone was able to study-and Italy wasn't unified yet, so the languange would divide itself: they used to speak either "volgare" and latin, the first one being the "language of the poors" (for example, what a poor medieval farmer would know, so kind of the basic and more simple speech) and the second well..it's latin (if you were a priest or high up in the social ranking-or just rich enough to be able to study, you would know latin). Dante obliviously knew latin as well and so he planned to have a writing style/write the dialogues in three different ways: inferno would have the most basic speech (with lots of swears and cursing too), meanwhile purgatorio would have had a more high up level of speech, not latin yet but sort of a midway, something that a well taught person would know but still be able to be understood even by some of the "lower socially ranked" people. then up to paradise, it gets to straight up latin and just has reeeally complicated words/expressions. ideally, the closer you get to God, the harder it gets to comprehend. hope this was useful :)

I love how so many times characters were like "dude you can't be here, you're still alive" and then Dante and Virgil are like "uh yeah I can God said so" and then they're like oh ok carry on

You forgot to mention how when Beatrice first speaks to Dante, that's the first and only time in the entire book where he's called by his name, so if the name of the author would've been lost in time we would've known it thanks to that line

No, your reaction is right. I'm not a Christian at all, but I see incredibly deep meaning and beauty in this story.

Another important aspect of the Divina Commedia: Dante's use of words varies between Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, going from more "vulgar" choosing of words in Inferno to an "elevated" use of the language in Paradiso.

My boyfriend's best friend was in a terrible car accident yesterday and it's seriously so freaking hard to think about this world without him I know my boyfriend won't be the same and I keep thinking about death and mortality a lot...I hate that death exists...it's such a hard traumatizing thing to deal with a pain we all experience in some way...I'm just hoping for the best and I was brought to tears hearing about Eden...how we can come home when we are ready...I just hope everything will be okay and this isn't the end for this man who has helped my boyfriend more than anyone in the world...these videos are helping me during this time when I don't know what to do with myself thank you for everything you do. ❤

I swear Wendigoon has had more character development making these videos than Dante or any other character in Dante’s Inferno or Purgatorio. He went from making fun of everything in Inferno (rightfully so) to apologising for his comments and explaining how Dante’s works are actually very symbolic and well thought out. Very interesting and entertaining to watch back to back. Well done Wendigoon, very cool 😎 👍👍

I love when Im like “I hope Wendigoon continues this series” and then he delivers!

Huh, I think this is the first time I've ever truly understood the appeal of faith and religion. Like, obviously I've always understood, on a more abstract level, that it brings comfort and direction and a sense of purpose to many people, but seeing this guy getting emotional about the end of Purgatory finally made it really "click" for me. This was an incredibly moving and enlightening video even for somebody who's never been religious at all.

Today I got to listen to Inferno and Purgatorio, cant wait to listen to Paradiso while doing my other cleaning job tomorrow!!

I know I’m super late to this, but I’ve finally got around to watching and I just wanna say one thing, seeing you get emotional, wendigoon, just gave me sooo much more respect for you (as if it wasn’t there already). It’s takes a person of huge strength to show their weaknesses, and even bigger to record it and show it to millions of people. You are so strong and uplifting. Love you dad

You should make a video about Revelation... I'd love to see you explaining it

Me: "Man, wendigoon's summary of Dante's Inferno was amazing. I wonder if he has done Purgatorio?" *video uploaded 45 minutes ago, literally as I was watching the Inferno summary.* That was definitely a sign, and I subscribed because of it

I love the part when Dante says, “well this is like purgatory” and then starts Danteing everywhere

Wendigoon I love how enthusiastic you are about everything, and being able to see you get emotional over the beauty you see in the literature truly is powerful. Great video as always!!

I just thought one cool thing: Paarthurnax a dragon from Skyrim that says "What is better? To be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" is actually living through purgatory. Cool bonus point is that he resides at the top of the mountain.

I'm not Christian, but the ending where virgal leaves dante really got to me. That hurts man

I loved how much you loved parts of this story. It's great to see someone truly passionate about the things they do.

Bro, just an amazing job with these videos. I took this journey with you across all three videos and enjoyed each and everyone. Your humor, candor, thoughts, and obviously feelings when comes to the ideas, concepts and imagery makes this very difficult piece of literature come to life. So thank you. I’ve even now watched your paradise lost video and the emotions you put out are really just amazing.

"All physical items can be lost but spiritual goodness cannot" I like this concept.

I came for the disturbing movie iceberg. I stayed for the wholesome sobbing Christian boy. Love you windibro. Keep it up. 11/10

I was right there with you in the bit about Eden. Such a beautifully tragic thought to imagine God tending to a garden He created to enjoy with His favorite creation, in hopes that they will choose to return. There’s so much to unpack there.

I appreciate you for your ability to empathize with the characters in this story. You are hands down my favorite storyteller. I do not necessarily share your faith, but your values and virtues are evident to all. Keep up the good work, and never apologize for your empathy.

Right now I’m reading Dante’s inferno and trying to get through the divine comedy because of you! Thanks!

The idea that Dante went "By the way, the inheritor of the Christ is gonna kick ass." is absolutely glorious.

These two videos are my favorite of your work I've seen so far. Big fan of the coles notes version and your genuine passion for the topic

Yeah man, I’m so glad to get an idea of what’s included in these popularly mentioned stories through your summary. Side note, you’re amazing.

“I guide others to a treasure I cannot possess.” - Virgil

Virgil and Dante have one of the best bromances in history.

Your eloquence when it comes to Catholic teachings and theology and how it has changed (and even stayed the same) over the centuries is magnificent. As a practicing Catholic, it's just nice to see someone explain the teachings of the church vs. Dante's writing and not bash. I can't put it into words, but I know how mainstream people feel when you just say the word Catholic or Christian. Recently stumbled upon your videos so I wanted to tell you great job and keep it up!

This was amazing man! Thank you so much for this! 🙏

It is so refreshing to see a RU-vidr of such high level be able to profess his faith and be able to be open about his emotions and not just be a tough guy. Wendigoon you are awesome my dude!

As someone who’s taking a university classics course, I deeply enjoy this series. I shared this video with my professor (a classicist from Italy) and she loved it and recommended it to the rest of our class. We all hope you continue and finish The Devine Comedy!

There's a great symphony about the Divine Comedy and Purgatorio is my favorite piece. I would highly recommend a listen.

Even coming back for my third watch through of this series, a year later, I can say for certain, you earned that gold plaque buddy. And as always, you're so welcome for watching, and thank you.

Even as an atheist, I do find myself incredibly moved by the same moments that you did. It really was beautiful. I would absolutely love for you to cover Paradiso, your interpretations and commentary are wonderful and entertaining!!

No worries about being sappy. Feeling emotions over fictional characters is not a sin, I think. Virgil really is one of those ultimate bros. Looking forward to the third and final segment.

You killed this ! I can sit for hours and listen . Don’t apologize for your emotions. This just shows us how humble you are .

Such a beautiful video. I dont know how else to describe, so I just want to say thank you so much for all the videos you make, I dont think anyone else could make me binge watch 4.5 hours of a 700 year old poem collection, but you just have such a great way of explaining and you are so well spoken that I am immediately hooked with pretty much all of your videos. Despite not being Christian, seeing the importance of these topics and ideas to you made me a little teary eyed, especially at the idea of God tending to the garden of Eden every single day in hopes we will once come back. Its like God loves us and has faith that we will overcome our sins and return to him.

Each level of Purgatory just sounds like absolute hell. No pun intended.

I actually love that u got so emotional abt this and I literally cried while u were describing it lol. So many people intellectually distance themselves from old old literature like this & seem to forget that it was written by actual human people & ive never understood that. To see you actually acknowledging the beauty and humanity of such a mythic story is so refreshing

I watched your paradise lost video this weekend and I’ve come to the realization…you’re a sucker for poetry wendigoon. These stories are really beautiful man. I’d cry too.