Love and unity is theme I find intriguing in Paradiso. Dante meets many glowing souls, orbs of light, "fifteen stars that animate the heavens in different quarters, with such brilliancy that it overcomes all thickness in the air", the heavenly rotating orbs, "in unison their glory should shine forth". Everything seems to be singing, constantly in a revolving motion, and so on. Obviously this is a very different setting from hell, which was cold and windy and bleak, though there seems to be fire of some kind in two if not all three levels of The Divine Comedy.
Of love there is much discussion-in telling the story of the Father and Son, the "splendor of the Word, Which in His love our Father brings to birth", love from and to Beatrice, and Dante who ultimately realizes His even fuller love for God as Beatrice fades from sight "My love absorbed itself so much in Him, that thoughts of Beatrice were all eclipsed". This quote is interesting in context of all the light discussion. How could something even be eclipsed in this place where only light exists? This love must have been even greater.
p.s. Abbie George
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