I found this image in the World of Dante under the Resources tab. The website is dedicated to be a multi-media research tool for the study of the Divine Comedy. I believe it is in the public domain since the main purpose of the website is to show the public Dante’s Divine Comedy and works. This website also allows its users to interact with poems in various ways. The image above is Beatrice visiting Virgil in Limbo made by Gustave Doré in 1890 (Dante).

In Canto 2, line 70 Beatrice is introduced, “I am Beatrice who cause you to go; I come from a place where I long to return; love has moved me and makes me speak” (Inferno); dialogue spoken by Virgil himself.  Beatrice means “She who makes blessed”. She also represents divine grace, accommodation, mediation and revelation (Inferno). In the lines 76-78, it is the first reference in which Dante gives allegoric dimension to her. “‘O lady of power, through whom alone he human race rises above all the contents of that heaven whose circles are smallest, so pleasing to me is your command that obeying….” Moreover, Beatrice plays a big role in making Dante feel better about his journey to the underworld because he does not feel worthy compared to a hero like Aeneas or the Apostle Paul. She is the one who sent Virgil to help Dante. This happened when Virgil was approached by a beautiful young woman (Beatrice) who was sent from heaven and explained she needed his help with Dante. Dante had been in love with Beatrice when she was alive so to know that she will be involved gives him reassurance.

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