Beatrice chastizes Dante for crying over disappearance of Virgil by: Flaxman, John

Source: The World of Dante

Beatrice has finally arrived, in the most grandiose manner, appearing from “within a cloud of flowers that from the hands of angels” (Canto 30, 28-29). Dante trembles with emotions of love as he finally gets to see her after his long journey. As Dante turns to Virgil for comfort, he finds that his guide has disappeared. Overcome with sadness, Dante begins to cry. Seeing this, Beatrice tells our traveler to stop crying, because here is where mankind is happy. Although I can see where Beatrice is coming from, I do not see any wrong in Dante expressing very natural emotions of losing a well trusted friend who had guided him through literal hell. In the image depicted above, we can see Dante on his knees, with one hand on his face wiping his tears as Beatrice stands above him. We see figures in the background, who all seem to be frolicking and having the time of their lives. They seem very happy, like Beatrice tells Dante to be too. Their emotions are drastically different from how Dante feels due to the disappearance of Virgil. Beatrice’s posture is very straight poised, depicting her as “regal and haughty” (Canto 30, line 70) like described in the canto. She does not bend over to comfort Dante. Instead, she stands looking at him from above. Her treatment towards Dante was slightly surprising because in Inferno she seemed very gentle and empathetic, leaving heaven to find a guide just for him. She later tells angels that Dante has strayed from his path in life after her death, and in Canto 31, we learn that he had been lustful and tempted by others. Beatrice is disappointed in Dante, and her attitude towards him is understandable.

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