- 1
What does Virgil mean when he tells Statius, "You are a shade; it is a shade you see"?
Some students might take this as confirmation that shades cannot physically interact with one another. For other students, however, Virgil’s remark might seem like an admonishment: the focus of Statius’s attention should be on achieving Heaven, and not embracing a pagan like Virgil. Ultimately, there is no correct answer to this question—even Dante scholars are not in agreement about its meaning!
- 2
In all of The Divine Comedy, only Arnaut Daniel is portrayed as speaking in his own native language (Provençal). Why do you think this is?
Attentive students will probably note...
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