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Walking With Dante

Walking With Dante

De: Mark Scarbrough
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Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then walks across the known universe. New episodes every Sunday and Wednesday.Copyright 2026 Mark Scarbrough Arte Cristianismo Espiritualidad Historia y Crítica Literaria Ministerio y Evangelismo
Episodios
  • At Long Last, Matelda: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 103 - 123

    At Long Last, Matelda: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 103 - 123
    Apr 5 2026

    The procession continues away from Lethe and farther into the Garden of Eden until they come to a dark, frigid spot that stops them . . . a curious moment in this innocent landscape.

    And it gets more curious as we discover rivers named and then renamed before we come to the most difficult naming of them all: Matelda, the fair lady who has been with us since PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII.

    We'll talk cosmology, geography, and even poetic rhyme sequences before we turn to the thorny question of exactly who Matelda is.

    Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I offer you lots of answers without giving any final solution to this most enigmatic figure.

    Please consider underwriting this work with a one-time contribution or a small monthly stipend which you can set up at this PayPal link right here.

    Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

    [01:26] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 103 - 123. If you'd like to read along or continue the discussion with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.

    [03:25] Cosmological references that help set (and even bookend) PURGATORIO.

    [06:24] Stopping the procession at a dark, frigid spot (somehow in Eden!).

    [08:56] The Tigris and Euphrates rivers: how and why?

    [14:27] A beautiful rhyme sequence that encodes the fall into Eden.

    [17:10] Matelda: the difficult and long-standing interpretive questions about who this fair lady is.

    [31:06] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 103 - 123.
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    33 m
  • Images, Schools, Obscurities, And The Promise Of Clarity: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 79 - 102

    Images, Schools, Obscurities, And The Promise Of Clarity: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 79 - 102
    Apr 1 2026

    After her final discourse in PURGATORIO, Beatrice and Dante enter into a brief conversation in which he admits he already has images stamped into his brain but he doesn't know what many of them mean, particularly those from her.

    She, on the other hand, launches into her final condemnation: the school he followed was too debased to capture the truths she has in hand.

    But she doesn't end there. She also promises greater clarity ahead. Thank goodness!

    Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the conclusion of her discourse and discover the ways Dante may be signaling us that the rational mind is not enough to understand theological truths.

    Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

    [01:18] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 79 - 102. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me about this passage, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.

    [03:15] Questions about brain impressions, perhaps derived from the figurae of Joachim da Fiore.

    [09:22] Beatrice's condemnation of the school Dante followed . . . and the questions about which school does she mean.

    [17:38] The question of whether Dante fully experiences Purgatory.

    [21:02] The hope of greater clarity ahead.

    [22:57] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 79 - 102.
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    25 m
  • In Which Pilgrimage Becomes Crusade: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 61 - 78

    In Which Pilgrimage Becomes Crusade: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 61 - 78
    Mar 29 2026

    Beatrice concludes her monologue at the end of PURGATORIO with some dazzling metaphoric pyrotechnics, a slam on Dante's intellect, and a redefinition of this journey across the known universe. It's not just any old pilgrimage. It's a crusade.

    Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at the final images of her speech and discover its larger, structural details . . . which point us directly ahead to PARADISO.

    Consider defraying the many costs of this podcast with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend by using this PayPal link right here.

    Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

    [01:11] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 61 - 78. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.

    [03:03] Fun calculations to discover how long Adam (and Eve) stayed in Limbo.

    [07:52] Beatrice's assertions about the writing and reading of texts.

    [13:33] References to the river Elsa and to Pyramus.

    [17:10] A badly mixed metaphor that leads into questions of interiority.

    [21:14] Rereading all of Beatrice's final monologue in PURGATORIO: XXXIII: 31 - 78.

    [23:49] Four structural notes on this monologue.
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    29 m
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Mark is slowly walking us through the comedy, elaborating and reflecting on each canto, line by line, highlighting subtleties, issues to ponder, and controversies. The divine comedy is an amazing poem, reflecting both the catholic vision of the afterlife and Dante's own modifications to this - often being close to being heretical (and in some parts clearly being so). Mark handles the text with great care, focusing on an exact translation to examine Dante's intentions and hidden meanings. If you enjoy reading the comedy (and once one has, it seems most never stops re-reading it, making it a part of ones life), you will thoroughly enjoy Mark's slow and methodical treatment of all the details. The podcast is in many ways the university course you wanted to take on Dante but likely never did - but with the benefit of not being bounded by time constraints, allowing your professor to elaborate to their hearts content on all the details they enjoy - and make you enjoy - in this great work.

Such a pleasant walk

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Mark is brilliant and eloquent, and takes you carefully through the world of Dante. He gives you all the preliminaries you need to understand the material, while keeping it light and entertaining. If you've ever wanted to learn more about Comedy without being bored to tears, listen to the first few episodes and I guarantee you'll be hooked.

Perfect for Anybody Looking for a Deep Dive

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I feel so fortunate to have found Walking with Dante and Mark’s passion for this work of art. Thank you!

P.S. The background sound effects are perfect!

What a blessed find!

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