Dante paints a very beautiful picture of heaven in Paradiso. Heaven is divided into ten realms that are held within the constancy of The Empyrean, the fastest sphere, which lies beyond space. The Empyrean, which is the tenth heaven, is representative of perfect and everlasting love, which renders it unchangeable (Canto 1 123). The Great Wheel, also known as The Primum Mobile, is the largest sphere that lies within The Empyrean; it encompasses the eight heavens, which are fixed onto separate planets (Canto 1 76-78). Once a soul enters Heaven, their earthly actions are judged by God, then they are placed into a level of heaven in accordance with His judgement. The moon is home to the inconstant; the souls who failed to keep their holy vows. Although these souls reside on the lowest station of heaven, they feel no envy, but feel peace in God’s will (Canto 3 85-87). The second sphere, Mercury, is where the seekers of honor reside. While these souls were active in their pursuit of the good, they were motivated by a desire for personal honor, which is considered the least of all good motives (p.636). Venus is the final resting place of the amorous, the souls of those who were nearly lost to …show more content…
Dante’s interpretation of heaven reveals some obvious catholic influences, such as the belief that one must work their way into heaven; however, there is merit to the fact that every soul will be rewarded based on their deeds. Consequences are still very much existent in heaven; however, these consequences are accepted with a heart of gratitude as opposed to discontent. It’s very interesting how the first three spheres focus on the sins of the soul rather than the good deeds, when every soul has sinned in life. In a way, this illustrates the fact that according to Dante, these souls made it into heaven by the skin of their