Steatius Kneel To Virgil

In Canto XXI of Dante's Purgatorio, we meet Statius, a Roman Christian poet in the circle of the Avaricious. He has just completed his penance, leading to a conversation with Dante. Describing how he became a poet, Statius says that Virgil's Aeneid inspired him, praising that author. Dante reveals Virgil, and Statius moves to kneel to him. Virgil, however, prevents him from doing so. Because a soul in Purgatory is not permitted to sin, we must conclude that Statius was not wrong in kneeling, though it might seem that way. Because Statius kneeled to Virgil in appreciation for his good work, his intent was not to take away glory from God, but pay just homage to Virgil. Previously, Dante established that the Adversary cannot enter Purgatory. …show more content…
And if it is an error to kneel to Virgil, it is surely a grave error, because of what it would entail. Not only did Statius kneel, but he openly declares,
“So you may find | the measure of love that warms me to you | when for it I lose all else from my mind, | forgetting we are empty semblances | and taking shadows to be substances.” (11.133-137) His love for Virgil is overwhelming, making him forget the way things really are. Did Dante make a mistake and forget what he said, then? Can souls sin in Purgatory? It is far more likely that instead, this seeming conflict is meant to illuminate some truth that can be deciphered from the rest of the text. Much of the answer lies in the next Canto. In Canto XXII, Virgil asks Statius how it was that he fell into Avarice if he had truly loved his poetry so much. Statius replies by explaining that his sin was not a lust for treasure, as Virgil assumed, but the opposite; wasting. He also explains that what turned him from greater sin was “pondering those lines in which you [Virgil] cry,” (22.38). In fact, if he had not read those lines, he would be “in the grim jousts of the Infernal night.” (22.42). Virgil's work saved Statius from hell. He goes on to say that Virgil acted “as one who leads through a dark track | holding the light behind – useless to [him], | precious to those who followed at [his] back.” (22.70-72) Despite being ignorant of the full truths of …show more content…
The various peoples the Apostles converted certainly loved them a very great deal. Statius even relates these two saying that his words agreed with “those messengers | the Everlasting Kingdom had sent forth.” (22.77-78) In fact, when considering these “messengers”, Virgil's admonishment might seem familiar. In Scripture, when an angel appears to a human, they often fall down on their knees. They are struck with the Glory of God that shines through the angel, and kneel. The angel will say, “Get up!” and explain that they are simply a messenger of God. Virgil's command to Statius mirrors this