Dante our pilgrim and his guide, Virgil, have come across a flock of sheep-like souls at the very bottom rung of Mount Purgatory. They've fallen in with them, going in front, when one of these humbled souls steps out and gives the first great monologue of PURGATORIO.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we encounter Manfred, the self-proclaimed King of Sicily and Emperor Frederick II's illegitimate son. This passage is strange and unexpected, about as strange for Dante's audience as the appearance of Cato was for us.

We'll only cover the first "half" of Manfred's speech in this episode. Here are its segments:

[02:22] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto III, lines 103 - 120. If you'd like to read along, print it off, or drop a comment to continue the conversation, please go to my website, markscarbrough.com.

[04:14] Who is Manfred?

[09:14] Who is the Empress Constance? And who is Manfred's daughter, mentioned in the passage?

[10:50] The big surprise is that Manfred is not in hell!

[13:12] What is the pilgrim Dante's reaction to Manfred? Why would Manfred (dead in 1266 CE) expect Dante to recognize him?

[17:27] Why does Manfred smile?

[19:49] Why are Manfred's wounds still visible?

[24:40] A structure analysis of the middle part of PURGATORIO, Canto III.