Paradiso Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. How does Dante describe the indescribable? Consider the role of speech and silence in Paradiso.
  2. Can both fate and free will exist simultaneously? Explain.
  3. How do the blessed souls reflect the idea that God's love is the source of everything?
  4. According to Dante, at what point does man have to stop relying on reason and trust blind faith? What kinds of things cannot be explained by reason?
  5. What is Dante's relationship to Beatrice? How does his obsessive love for her color his behavior?
  6. What does God look like to Dante? Is this what you expected? What do you think the answer to the mystery of the Incarnation is? Why don't we get to see it?
  7. In your opinion, does Dante succeed in his poetic mission?