The Architecture of the Comedy

day 2245 · interactive diagram · hover to explore
Inferno
organizing principle: intellect
geography: real — you are where you belong
Purgatorio
organizing principle: love
geography: real but temporary — you pass through
Paradiso
organizing principle: capacity
geography: declared metaphor — a teaching aid
literaltemporalfigurative
Space moves from real geography (you are stuck) through temporary passage (you pass through) to declared metaphor (Beatrice says: souls don't live here, they appear here for you).
intellectdesirecapacity
The organizing principle shifts. Hell sorts by how much mind went into the sin. Purgatory sorts by what kind of love went wrong. Paradise sorts by how much light a soul can hold.
centripetalascendingcenterless
Hell converges on Satan frozen at the center. The mountain climbs upward, shedding weight. Paradise has no privileged position — the Point is everywhere and nowhere, the Rose infinite.
“...e quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.”
“...puro e disposto a salire alle stelle.”
“...l’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.”
The word doesn't change. What changes is what it means.