-
Dante's Purgatory
- A Study on Part II of the Divine Comedy
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Series: The Divine Comedy, Book 2
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Lecture
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $13.97
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Dante's Paradise
- A Study on Part III of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor Esolen who has served as your guide through both the Inferno and Purgatory will guide you through the profound and elevated poetry of Paradise. An expert who has taught Dante to college students for more than 20 years, Professor Esolen is also the preeminent modern translator of the entire Divine Comedy from the original Italian. Discover the ineffable majesty of Paradise with Professor Esolen, and complete the journey of all men who have conquered the self through the sufferings of Purgatory.
-
-
Dante comes to life
- By Kindle Customer on 01-01-22
-
Purgatory: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now of that second kingdom I shall sing where human souls are purified of sin and made worthy to ascend to Heaven’ Purgatory is the second part of Dante’s The Divine Comedy ascending the terraces of the Mount of Purgatory inhabited by those doing penance to expiate their sins on earth. There are the proud – forced to circle their terrace for aeons bent double in humility; the slothful – running around crying out examples of zeal and sloth; while the lustful are purged by fire.
-
-
Clear translation, excellent music
- By Tad Davis on 12-22-11
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Roots of Western Civilization
- The Ancient World From Gilgamesh to Augustine
- By: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this course, Prof. Anthony Esolen will examine ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and Israel, seeing the disappointment and Messianic longing in the pagan Roman poet Virgil, and the fulfilled Messianic longing among the prophets and the inspired authors of the Old Testament. You will discover the ways in which the fulfillment of the person of Jesus Christ never ceases to surprise mankind, because it never ceases to contradict what fallen man accepts as great.
-
-
Great content but...
- By C.J. Destefani on 02-06-20
-
Paradise: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Led by his guide, Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, he encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the Church. The horrors of Inferno and the trials of Purgatory are left far behind. Ultimately, in Paradise, Dante is granted a vision of God’s Heavenly court: the angels, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Brad on 09-05-11
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: John Haynes Walker
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many claim that Catholic Social Teaching implies the existence of a vast welfare state. In these pages, Anthony Esolen pulls back the curtain on these false philosophers, showing how they've undermined the authentic social teachings of the Church in order to neutralize the biggest threat to their plans for secularization the Catholic Church.
-
-
A must read
- By John on 07-17-15
By: Anthony Esolen
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Dante's Paradise
- A Study on Part III of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor Esolen who has served as your guide through both the Inferno and Purgatory will guide you through the profound and elevated poetry of Paradise. An expert who has taught Dante to college students for more than 20 years, Professor Esolen is also the preeminent modern translator of the entire Divine Comedy from the original Italian. Discover the ineffable majesty of Paradise with Professor Esolen, and complete the journey of all men who have conquered the self through the sufferings of Purgatory.
-
-
Dante comes to life
- By Kindle Customer on 01-01-22
-
Purgatory: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now of that second kingdom I shall sing where human souls are purified of sin and made worthy to ascend to Heaven’ Purgatory is the second part of Dante’s The Divine Comedy ascending the terraces of the Mount of Purgatory inhabited by those doing penance to expiate their sins on earth. There are the proud – forced to circle their terrace for aeons bent double in humility; the slothful – running around crying out examples of zeal and sloth; while the lustful are purged by fire.
-
-
Clear translation, excellent music
- By Tad Davis on 12-22-11
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Roots of Western Civilization
- The Ancient World From Gilgamesh to Augustine
- By: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this course, Prof. Anthony Esolen will examine ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and Israel, seeing the disappointment and Messianic longing in the pagan Roman poet Virgil, and the fulfilled Messianic longing among the prophets and the inspired authors of the Old Testament. You will discover the ways in which the fulfillment of the person of Jesus Christ never ceases to surprise mankind, because it never ceases to contradict what fallen man accepts as great.
-
-
Great content but...
- By C.J. Destefani on 02-06-20
-
Paradise: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Led by his guide, Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, he encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the Church. The horrors of Inferno and the trials of Purgatory are left far behind. Ultimately, in Paradise, Dante is granted a vision of God’s Heavenly court: the angels, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Brad on 09-05-11
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: John Haynes Walker
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many claim that Catholic Social Teaching implies the existence of a vast welfare state. In these pages, Anthony Esolen pulls back the curtain on these false philosophers, showing how they've undermined the authentic social teachings of the Church in order to neutralize the biggest threat to their plans for secularization the Catholic Church.
-
-
A must read
- By John on 07-17-15
By: Anthony Esolen
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- A Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Mark Vernon
- Narrated by: Mark Vernon
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
-
-
Who knew Hell could be so illuminating
- By Therese Killen on 01-07-22
By: Mark Vernon
-
Defending Boyhood
- How Building Forts, Reading Stories, Playing Ball, and Praying to God Can Change the World
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Kevin F. Spalding
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Western civilization has no more eloquent defender than Anthony Esolen, a man who has counted the cost, and paid it, of leading the way in that defense. Following on his compelling prior volume, Defending Marriage: Twelve Arguments for Sanity, Professor Esolen returns, this time in defense of boys and an experience of boyhood that is on the wane, if not extinguished in many quarters of the modern world.
-
-
One of Esolen's best works, yet
- By B Pelton on 08-13-20
-
Nostalgia
- Going Home in a Homeless World
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alone among the creatures of the world, man suffers a pang both bitter and sweet. It is an ache for the homecoming. The Greeks called it nostalgia. Post-modern man, homeless almost by definition, cannot understand nostalgia. If he is a progressive, dreaming of a utopia to come, he dismisses it contemptuously, eager to bury a past he despises. If he is a reactionary, he sentimentalizes it, dreaming of a lost golden age. In this profound reflection, Anthony Esolen explores the true meaning of nostalgia and its place in the human heart.
-
-
Deep and thought provoking.
- By Holly Stockley on 04-24-19
By: Anthony Esolen
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
-
-
Divine Comedy
- By Tbaley on 05-27-15
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- By: The Great Courses, Ronald B. Herzman, William R. Cook
- Narrated by: Ronald B. Herzman, William R. Cook
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professors Cook and Herzman provide you with an illuminating introduction to one of the greatest works ever written. One of the most profound and satisfying of all poems, The Divine Comedy (or Commedia) of Dante Alighieri is a book for life. In a brilliantly constructed narrative of his imaginary guided pilgrimage through the three realms of the Christian afterlife, Dante accomplished a literary task of astonishing complexity. In these twenty-four lectures, as you follow Dante on his journey, you'll learn how medieval literature offers insights into fundamental questions.
-
-
The Commedia for Modern Readers
- By Patti on 08-25-13
By: The Great Courses, and others
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
Strange New World
- How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution
- By: Carl R. Trueman, Ryan T. Anderson - foreword
- Narrated by: Carl R. Trueman
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How did the world arrive at its current, disorienting state of identity politics, and how should the church respond? Historian Carl R. Trueman discusses how influences ranging from traditional institutions to technology and pornography moved modern culture toward an era of “expressive individualism.” Investigating philosophies from the Romantics, Nietzsche, Marx, Wilde, Freud, and the New Left, he outlines the history of Western thought to the distinctly sexual direction of present-day identity politics and explains the modern implications of these ideas.
-
-
Read and reread
- By Daniel on 04-04-22
By: Carl R. Trueman, and others
-
Kristin Lavransdatter
- By: Sigrid Undset, Tiina Nunnally - translator
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 45 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a young girl in 14th-century Norway, Kristin is deeply devoted to her father, Lavrans, a kind and courageous man. But when as a student in a convent school she meets the charming and impetuous Erlend Nikulaussøn, she defies her parents in pursuit of her own desires. Her saga continues through her marriage to Erlend, their tumultuous life together raising seven sons as Erlend seeks to strengthen his political influence, and finally their estrangement as the world around them tumbles into uncertainty.
-
-
A grand listen
- By Chicago & Indiana Scientist/Gardener/Hiker on 07-05-17
By: Sigrid Undset, and others
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
Solid performance
- By John on 11-19-16
By: John Milton
-
Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Inferno is the first part of The Divine Comedy, Dante’s epic poem describing man's progress from hell to paradise. In it, the author is lost in dark woods, threatened by wild beasts and unable to find the right path to salvation. Notable for its nine circles of hell, the poem vividly illustrates the poetic justice of punishments faced by earthly sinners. The Inferno is perhaps the most popular of the three books of The Divine Comedy, which is widely considered the preeminent work in Italian literature.
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Inferno of Dante: Translated by Robert Pinsky
- By: Dante Aligheri, Robert Pinsky - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dramatic, intense, and gripping, The Inferno of Dante is an astonishing masterpiece that no listener can afford to miss. Robert Pinsky, the distinguished American poet, preserves the burning clarity and universal relevance of this 13th-century literary masterpiece in a triumphant new translation for our times. Line by line, canto by canto, Robert Pinksy affirms The Inferno as a powerful living classic for today’s listeners.
-
-
Just the Inferno, Raw and Powerful
- By Bruce on 08-13-13
By: Dante Aligheri, and others
-
The Latin Mass Explained
- By: George J. Moorman
- Narrated by: Kevin O'Brien
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everything needed to understand and appreciate the traditional Latin mass! Extremely informative, yet very easy to listen to! This book explains prayer by prayer, what happens at the Latin Mass and why. Why is the Mass in Latin, the use of silence, bells, specific colors, etc. - and how we participate. Reviews are very enthusiastic! Ties in beautifully with Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio opening the door to the universal celebration of the Latin Mass.
-
-
Everyone should read.
- By ChiefIndi on 04-27-21
Publisher's Summary
We know what happens in Hell.... But what about Purgatory?
Dante's Inferno revealed some titillating details about the punishments inflicted on sinners - but in a way, we already knew what happens to people in Hell. What we don't know is what happens to people who end up in Purgatory. In this second part of The Divine Comedy, Dante probes the mysteries of that strange and often misunderstood place between Earth and Heaven.
Climb the Mount
Purgatory is a place to work through - no one gets stuck there forever. The souls in Dante's Purgatory must climb up seven terraces on Mount Purgatory before they can reach Heaven. On these terraces, Dante and Virgil find:
• The prideful, who are forced into humility by heavy loads of stones on their backs
• The envious, whose eyes are sewn shut to prevent them from seeing the goods of others
• The wrathful, who climb through choking smoke that represents the blinding nature of anger
• The slothful, who engage in ceaseless activity to overcome their former laziness
• The covetous, who must lie face down on the ground for their attachment to earthly goods
• The gluttonous, who must starve in sight of unreachable fruit hanging from trees above them
• The lustful, who are purified by running through a wall of flame which represents God's pure love
Along the way, they are cleansed from the stains of sin by punishments which are like, and yet unlike, those suffered by the sinners in Hell. Here, the suffering souls glorify God and rejoice in their suffering, because they know it prepares them for the eternal bliss of Heaven.
A Real Place
Virgil and Dante discover the astonishing spiritual reality of Purgatory as they climb through the terraces on Mount Purgatory. Dante created a poetic vision which might be the best imaginative representation of Purgatory ever written. While his poem might not reflect the actual nature of Purgatory, his insights can help us understand it better.
Your Expert Guide
A celebrated translator and teacher of Dante, Professor Esolen interprets and describes the rich theological insights discovered by Dante on his journey up the mountain. Join Dante, Virgil, and Professor Esolen to continue the journey begun in the Inferno which will culminate in the ineffable beauty of Paradise.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
More from the same
What listeners say about Dante's Purgatory
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eclectic Reader
- 05-06-19
Wonderful lectures!!!
I am a Protestant believer and after reading three different translations of The Divine Comedy (including Professor Esolen's), I was having an especially difficult time understanding and sympathizing with Dante's Purgatory. How should I approach this poem about existence in a place many Protestants believe is a mistake in theology? Professor Esolen's lectures helped tremendously.
His lectures skillfully integrate literary explication and analysis, theology, history, biography, philosophy, cultural criticism, and personal observations and insights. And he does this smoothly, clearly, and enthusiastically (I would LOVE to take his classes; these lectures, I suppose are the next best thing). You might expect this breadth of knowledge and subtle understanding from someone who has translated the Comedy, but that he can lecture about the poem so gracefully, earnestly and persuasively is amazing (think about the lectures you might have had to sit through in your college experience).
The lectures were especially valuable because Professor Esolen is able to explain how to understand Dante's spiritual journey in the light of Roman Catholic beliefs and showed me the faultiness of some ideas I had about them. But even if you have no interest in religion, Professor Esolen's lectures will help you understand the people, places, events, history and ideas in the Comedy and how they weave together in this great work.
The day I finished listening to the lectures on Purgatory (I listened to them in two days and KNOW I will be listening to them again many times--more slowly--as I reread the poem), I ordered the lectures on Inferno and Paradise.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mom
- 06-04-19
great course to understand Purgatory
great insight into truly understanding Purgatory...not at a merely academic level but the spiritual level which Dante was writing for...not with modern slant or sensationalism. If you've never read The Divine Comedy, this is a marvelous companion to bring it to life (unlike the more academic Great Course and my least favorite modern Scholar course).
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GBO
- 03-27-22
Excellent and inspiring!
Dr. Esolen does a magnificent job taking a complicated work and making it truly accessible to all. Like most people, I’m most familiar with the Inferno, but give this course a listen and I’m betting that the Purgatorio will become your new favorite. The insights provided are truly inspiring — it is the “most earthly” of the canticles and the one that is most applicable to our lives today. Listen with your ears and your heart, and you’ll see how this poem can truly change your life.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-20-21
Excellent lecture
well done and thorough lecture...very much enjoyed it and gained a great deal of insight into Purgatory...
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 07-09-21
Dr Esolen is a marvelous guide
Dante is difficult. poetry is difficult for me. I love the adventure. There is zest in the telling of the story. it is us.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Todd Hauter
- 07-04-20
Esolen is my Virgil
So grateful these courses are on Audible. Anthony Esolen is marvelous. I've enjoyed how he unpacks Dante's beautiful work.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Curt
- 01-26-20
Remarkable.
Purgatory is another beautiful part of the Divine Comedy, and I can think of no better person to present a commentary on this amazing work than Anthony Esolen. Wonderful scholar and excellent teacher. For those pursuing the heights of human literature, this is a must listen. Everyone no matter what level of education can draw a rich reward from this. It is more than worth the time investment.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- markj
- 06-06-21
Excellent
Anthony Esolen is a wonderful teacher - for anyone who loves Dante this is essential listening.