Purgatorio: Ante-Purgatory Cantos 1-5 with Dr. Donald Prudlo

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Donald Prudlo, the Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, discuss the Ante-Purgatory, the foot of Mount Purgatory (Cantos 1-5).

Check out our guide on Dante’s Purgatorio (out soon!)

Visit Dr. Jason Baxter’s website and use “Ascend” in the promo code for 20% off his Purgatorio audiobook.

Thanks for the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College for their support!

The conversation with Dr. Prudlo and Deacon Garlick on Cantos 1–5 of Purgatorio opens with the dramatic shift from the despair of Inferno to the hope and refreshment of Purgatory.

In Canto 1, Dante and Virgil emerge from Hell onto the shores of Mount Purgatory at Easter dawn, where Dante humbly invokes Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry, signaling his project as “the Christian epic” (Dr. Donald Prudlo). They meet Cato the Younger, a pagan suicide saved by special grace, who embodies the four cardinal virtues and serves as Purgatory’s guardian. Prudlo emphasizes the shock: “Cato the pagan, the suicide is going to heaven. And we have got to confront that or we’re going to miss so much of what Dante has to tell us here” (Dr. Donald Prudlo). The ritual of washing with dew and girding with the humble reed contrasts the broken plants of the suicides in Hell and symbolizes the beginning of true humility and ascent.

Cantos 2–5 introduce the late-repentant souls and the mountain’s structure. In Canto 2, an angelic boat ferries souls singing “In exitu Israel de Aegypto,” a psalm of liberation that Prudlo calls “a multifaceted song” evoking Exodus, baptism, and community (Dr. Donald Prudlo). Casella’s song of Dante’s own poetry enchants the group until Cato rebukes their idleness.

Cantos 3–5 explore excommunicated sinners like Manfred (“even under a curse like mine, no one’s ever so lost that eternal love cannot come back, as long as hope has any sprouts of green” – Manfred via transcript) and the slothful Belacqua, who banters with Dante like old friends. Prudlo highlights the power of last-minute mercy and intercession: “Mary is the last refuge of sinners” (Dr. Donald Prudlo). The cantos teach that Purgatory is a place of communal hope, where grace reaches even the unlikely, and purification begins with humility, prayer, and rightly ordered love—setting the stage for the active ascent through the terraces.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Dante’s Purgatorio

04:42 The Importance of Reading Purgatorio

08:02 Themes of Emancipation and Freedom

10:57 The Role of Cato in Purgatorio

13:49 Cato’s Significance and Political Implications

17:00 Cato as a Precursor to Christ

19:51 Dante’s Literary Techniques and Inspirations

22:56 Contrasting Ulysses and Dante

25:36 Cato’s Death and Its Symbolism

28:52 The Nature of Purgatory and Salvation

31:51 Cato’s Virtues and Their Relevance

34:49 The Relationship Between Cato and Christ

37:48 Conclusion and Reflections on Purgatorio

50:03 Understanding Cato’s Role in Purgatorio

52:43 The Heartbreaking Choice of Cato

54:39 Rituals and Purification in Purgatory

01:00:18 The Arrival at Purgatory

01:06:34 The Significance of Water in Salvation

01:12:09 Virgil’s Role and the Nature of Guidance

01:24:57 Manfred: A Case of Late Repentance

01:29:38 The Role of Intercessory Prayer in Purgatory

01:34:00 Understanding Mount Purgatory and Its Significance

01:40:15 The Character of Belacqua and Themes of Friendship

01:45:22 Late Repentance and the Nature of Mercy

01:54:16 Mary as Intercessor and the Nature of Salvation

02:00:25 The Concept of Divine Justice and Mercy

02:07:53 Final Reflections on Dante’s Purgatorio

Keywords: Dante, Purgatorio, spiritual growth, Cato the Younger, community, freedom, liberty, friendship, baptism, Easter, Dante, Purgatory, Virgil, Divine Comedy, late repentance, intercessory prayer, Mary, salvation, medieval theology, mercy.