Beatrice Character Analysis

In life, the historical Beatrice Portinari caught Dante’s eye when he was just a young boy, and he has loved her from afar ever since. In the poem, Dante describes their relationship, noting how Beatrice kept Dante on a path of holiness during their youth, but when she died, he strayed into a sinful lifestyle. From Heaven, Beatrice implored Virgil to guide Dante through the afterlife as a warning of his possible fate. In Dante’s view, Beatrice symbolizes the love of God in union with the human soul; as such, she is the ultimate unattainable lady, as conceived by the medieval poetic tradition of courtly love. When Dante finally encounters Beatrice in the Earthly Paradise, she is at the center of an elaborate procession attended by both biblical figures and mythical beings. Beatrice is veiled and speaks to Dante sternly, scolding him for straying into sin after her death. Her direct gaze, aloofness, and beauty plunges Dante into remorse and weeping. Beatrice shows Dante a vision depicting the Church’s earthly corruption and prophesies that a leader will purify and free the Church, charging him to take this message back to the world with him.