In Canto 1 of Paradiso, Dante classifies light as a hierarchical attribute that administers order in the universe. Dante defines light as “The glory of Him who moves all things penetrates through the universe and shines forth in one place and less elsewhere.” (Canto 1, lines 1-3). Dante perceives light as a manifestation of God’s glory. Dante implies that the unequal distribution of light in the universe is responsible for the nature of Paradiso, Purgatorio, and Inferno. Dante deliberately used the world “penetrate” to point out the physical limitations that explain why some domains receive more sunlight than the other. For example, Paradiso is closest the heavens hence it “receives most of his light.” (Canto 1, line 4). Purgatorio is further away from heaven hence, it receives comparatively less sunlight. Since the inferno is at the core of the earth, light can’t penetrate the surface and hence the inferno receives no sunlight. The degree of light that each place receives classifies the domains based on how close the souls are to God physically and spiritually.

Dante uses light imagery to display his new status among the ranks of souls. Dante claims that in heaven “our intellect goes so deep, that the memory cannot follow it.” (Canto 1, line 7-8). Light provides individuals with clarity which enhances their intellect. Dante claims that “The lantern of the world rises to mortals to divers outlets,” (Canto 1, lines 37-38). Even though the “lantern” is a metaphor for the sun,  the light in a “lantern” is small and eventually extinguishes. Dante implies that mortals can only comprehend  a fraction of God’s grandeur and his inner-workings of the world before they die. Dante deliberately uses the word “divers outlets” to further reiterate that the condemned human civilization  can only experience God’s presence through small outlets. Comparatively, Dante narrates that “I fixed my eyes on the sun beyond our wont.” (Canto 1, line 54). Unlike the other mortals who have to avert their gaze when they look at the sun from a far distance, Dante directly looks at the sun up-close in heaven with Beatrice. Dante subtly distinguishes his status from the rest of the mortals because he can see the full sun hence, he knows more about God’s inner-workings than the rest of the universe. It also implies that he’s closer to God than the rest of the mortals. Moreover, by watching the sun with Beatrice, he puts himself on the same level as her. Though, Dante attempts to humble his character by claiming that “I did not endure it long, yet not so little that I did not see it emitting sparks all around,” (Canto 1, lines 58-59). The phrase is an oxymoron because while he admits to his mortality in comparison to Beatrice who continues to look on, he also claims that he saw it long enough to comprehend its nature that’s unknown to most mortals. Hence, he says that he is a mortal however, he claims to know more than the average mortals, revealing his inner desire to transcend his own mortality.

Dante wants to become a part of the light because he wants to be a savior for the world. Dante appeals to Apollo to make him “a vessel of your [his] power.” (Canto 1, line 14). Apollo is the Greek God of sun and light. He rides the chariot across the sky to make day. Dante wants to be a vessel for God’s light and this reflects his desire to be a savior for this world. He believes that humans have strayed from God’s path, hence, he communicates his journey in the epic to metaphorically bring God’s light back into people’s lives. He also states that “O divine power, if you lend so much of yourself to me that I make manifest the shadow of the blessed kingdom that is stamped within my head” (Canto 1, lines 22-24). He deliberately uses the word “shadow” because only light can create shadows. He wants God to bestow him with enough knowledge about Paradiso that he can communicate that information with the world, hence be a “shadow” of the heavenly kingdom. When he sees the sun, he also claims that “And as a second ray will spring forth from a first, mounting upward like a pilgrim that wishes to return home.” (Canto 1, 49-51). Dante uses a simile to compare the light to a “pilgrim” however, Dante is the pilgrim on this journey, hence he’s comparing himself to the light. While the word “home” is ambiguous, it can have 2 meanings. The ray is “mounting upward” and since heaven is both upward and the origin of the rays, it can mean that the rays want to return to heaven. This can reflect Dante’s desire to be a part of heaven and God’s glory. However, it can also mean that Dante wants to return to Earth as a ray of God’s light. In this sense, his desire to be Apollo’s “vessel”, the “shadow” of heaven’s Kingdom, and the  “second ray,” show that he wants to return to Earth with information about the divine world that he can communicate with his people so that they can mend their ways while they still have time.