Summary of Canto # 2, Purgatorio

The second canto begins with a moving description of the dawn. A “whiteness” appears at sea, which Virgil slowly begins to recognize as an angel. When he does, he orders Dante to “bend [his] knees!” The angel, we learn, is piloting a ship carrying the souls of the saved; they sing the Psalm of the Exodus as they arrive at the shore. When they dismount, the dead souls are amazed at Dante’s living body. A single soul comes towards Dante. Although not yet sure who the soul is, Dante tries to embrace him, but his arms wrap around nothing; each of the three times he tries to embrace him, he fails. Soon he recognizes him as his friend Casella. Dante asks him to sing, and when he does, all around are “spellbound.” Yet Cato appears to chastise the souls for their idleness. At his words, the crowd scatters like doves frightened from food.