Belacqua has been the subject of hundreds of commentaries over centuries as readers have grappled with who this figure is and what purpose he serves in Dante's poem.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I offer you multiple ways to interpret this most intriguing figure in PURGATORIO, a favorite character Samuel Beckett--and for me, too. I see him as a parody of the contemplative life. Which means I see Beatrice--or a parody of her--in this passage.

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

[01:25] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto IV, lines 115 - 139. If you'd like to print it off, read along, or continue the discussion with me about this episode, please go to my website: markscarbrough.com.

[03:49] Several points in the passage to suggest Belacqua is an ironic figure of some sort.

[08:02] Who was Belacqua? The answer is surprisingly unclear.

[10:15] Belacqua is a favorite character for Samuel Beckett.

[11:18] How has Belacqua been interpreted over the centuries of commentary? And how do I read this most intriguing figure?

[15:56] Pain has a temporal component in PURGATORIO--indicating that redemptive pain has a time value.

[17:38] Beatrice may well be behind Belacqua's final words. Virgil certainly seems to hear an echo of her! And perhaps invokes Ulysses as a final stroke of irony.

[20:40] The structure of PURGATORIO, Canto IV.

[22:54] A vertical reading of INFERNO, Canto IV, and PURGATORIO, Canto IV.

[24:48] A progression in PURGATORIO, Cantos II through IV: Casella, Manfred, Belacqua.

[26:28] Rereading the entire Belacqua sequence: PURGATORIO, Canto IV, lines 97 - 139.