Summary Of Dante's Vita Nuova And Purgatorio

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Dante’s works Vita Nuova and Purgatorio includes his own experiences with many dreams throughout the course of his journey. These dreams are not simply just extensions of his experiences, but rather they pose important symbolism of his works. Although the content and the actual symbolism of each dream are different, there are parallel allegorical aspects between them. The main symbolic similarity of each dream is that they foreshadows and bridges Dante’s current situation and upcoming undertakings.
The first dream in Purgatorio consists of Dante imagining that he is snatched by an eagle and taken through a series of torturous expeditions. Dante’s describes the dream as being “…terrible as a thunderbolt it fell, and swept me up into the sphere of fire. There it seemed that the eagle and I burned, and the imaginary flames so scorched me that I broke straight out of my dreaming sleep” (Purgatorio IX, 29-33). The flight of the eagle foreshadows the actual physical location of Dante during his dream as he is carried by Lucia to the entrance of Purgatorio. The anguishing description of h...

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