“Dante and Beatrice Ascending”, Giovanni di Paolo, 1444-50, Parchment/Body Color  

In this illustration, depicting Paradiso, Dante and Beatrice have just left Earth from the top of the mountain of Purgatory. They and are flying towards heaven together. While they ascend, Beatrice’s eyes are “fixed on the eternal wheels” (1.64). Through bright and serene colors Giovanni di Paolo illuminates the ascension into the fiery light described in Canto 1 of Paradiso.

Beatrice, Dante’s spiritual guide, must explain the situation to an awestruck and perplexed Dante. She tells the pilgrim that the universe is a hierarchy of being and Heaven awaits them. This portrayal of the physical structure of the universe expresses the balance of theology and science during the Middle Ages. Beatrice describes to Dante his departure from Earth saying, “It would be a marvel in you if, free from impediment, you had remained below” (1.139-140). In other words, Beatrice tells Dante that because he has fully completed his purification process in Purgatory the only natural next step is the ascent to God.

Canto 1 sets the tone for the themes Dante the poet will convey throughout Paradiso. The Canto begins with “The glory of Him who moves all things penetrates through the universe and shines forth”, meaning God’s light is everywhere in his universe. The entire focus of Paradiso concentrates on God. God is the main subject from the start of the Canto, not Dante the pilgrim. Continuing, Dante describes the difficulty of conveying all that he sees on his way to Paradise. Dante states, “I have seen things that one who comes down from there cannot remember and cannot utter” (1.5-7). It is compelling to note the distinction in Dante the poet’s use of language in Paradiso versus in Inferno and Purgatory. We see already in the first canto of Paradiso Dante has trouble putting into words what he sees. Dante calls upon Apollo, the god of poetry, to help him explain what he sees in Paradise.