The souls in Purgatory have a common characteristic: they are all humble. They discard their pride and put aside the divisions that reign in the living world. Instead, they treat every person they encounter as if that person must be much greater and holier than them. They are reduced to begging Dante to convey messages to the world of the living and to pray for him. This kind of humility and goodwill towards other people is in stark contrast to the reality of the world of the living in Dante's time, where the living ran around like fools in search of money, power, and self-glorification. It is this contrast between the world of the living and purgatory that leads Dante to chastise and lament the evil, corruption and division of Italy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayIn Canto V of Purgatory, the third class of late repentance, those who have met a violent death await their moment to begin their ascent up Mount Purgatory (Pur. IV,130-132). When Virgil and Dante come across this group of souls, they find these souls singing the Miserere, begging God for forgiveness, even though these prayers cannot help the souls themselves (Pur. V, 22-24). As Virgil and Dante make their way through the crowd, multiple souls approach them asking Dante for information and prayers, also telling him who they were in the world of the living and how they died. In addition to asking for prayers, Jacopo del Cassero tells Dante how he died, describing his bloody death by saying: “Azzo d'Este had me killed (his hatred for me went well beyond all limits of reason)” (Pur. V, 73 -81). Another soul, Buonconte da Montefeltro, also describes his death by saying: «I made my way with my throat open like a wound, fleeing on foot, and bleeding from the pain» (Pur. V, 97-99). He suffered those fatal injuries while engaged in battle over a political dispute. However, he managed to humble himself moments before his death and invoke Mary to guide him to heaven. Another soul approached Dante implying that his death involved her fiancé when Maremma gave her to death since "he knows who started it when he put his gem on my finger, swearing faith" (Pur. V, 134-135).In Canto VI, Dante makes his way through the crowd, being approached by one soul after another who tells him how they died. He meets Benincasa, a jurist killed "by the vengeful hands of Ghin di Tacco" (Pur. VI, 13-15). He sees Federigo Novello killed in battle by one of the Guelphs (Pur. VI, 17), Count Orso who was brutally murdered by his cousin, and Pierre de la Brosse, whose soul was “torn from the body... by hatred and envy » (Pur VI, 20-21). These encounters culminate with Virgil's encounter with a soul from Mantua, just like Virgil, named Sordello (Pur. VI, 72-75). Both Virgilio and Sordello, despite having never met before, embrace each other in a brotherly embrace as if they were both family. All these souls show extreme humility. They belittle themselves, are reduced to begging and begging Dante to listen to them. In the world of the living such people, counts, politicians, soldiers and rich businessmen, would never dare to be reduced to begging, yet here in purgatory they recognize that it was pride that drove them to sin. Furthermore, because they repented late in life and did not humble themselves before God at an early age to ask for forgiveness, they also see their pride as the reason why their stay in purgatory was prolonged. Their lack of humility in the world of the living ultimately earned them nothing and cost them dearly. Dante sees all this and is moved with righteous anger against Italy. In theliving world, many politicians and members of the clergy are concerned with acquiring more power, pride, and prestige. In seeking these things, they do not care about other people. They are willing to kill, torture, betray, and cast aside anyone who gets in their way. The result of this type of attitude generates perpetual conflict between cities and within cities. In their greed and ambition, everyone competes against each other and this competition turns into violence rooted in pride, greed and ambition. Yet ultimately everyone must face death. When they die, all the power, pride, and money they have earned remains in the world of the living while their soul goes to the afterlife to be judged. In the eyes of God, the pursuit of money, power, and prestige on earth is a waste of precious time. Only when these politicians and clergymen are dead do they realize that, in their pride, they wasted their time on earth and ruined the lives of many for no good reason. Dante sees how many humble souls in Purgatory were killed in this senseless struggle and how now many of them, like Virgil and Sordello, embrace each other after death when they would not have done so while alive. Dante is irritated that Italians fail to put aside their differences and prioritize what is important. He complains about Italy as a “house of pain… brothel of shame!” (Pur. VI, 78) in which “no one within your borders knows rest from war, and those enclosed by the same wall and moat, they also are at each other's throats” (Pur. VI, 82-84 ). Italy has become accustomed to such violence, as evidenced by the souls Dante encounters while walking through the crowd and the way they are killed. Jacopo del Cassero was killed when he thought he was safe and Benincasa was killed in his own courtroom. In any case, the victims thought they would be safe from violence and attacks, but instead they became victims of the fact that there is not a single place in Italy that can be considered peaceful. Their killers were so brazen and bloodthirsty that they were not afraid to go to places that were not technically at war. Their pride led them to kill these men. These priests are called to be above earthly concerns and the ambition of money, power and prestige. They are called to "render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" (Mt 22:21). They are called to act on behalf of the poor and to be their defender. They are called to serve the poorest of the poor and to be servants of God and his people. They should act as ombudsmen by challenging and balancing politicians' ambitions. But instead of standing up for what is right and challenging those in power, they themselves seek power and try to take control of political affairs. Priests, whose very vocation to holiness requires them to be humble, instead seek money, power and prestige for themselves. They bring shame to the position they hold. It is impossible for Italy to become more peaceful if the very people who are supposed to be peacemakers, the clergy, are also the ones leading and encouraging the continued violence in this power struggle. Furthermore, these clergymen who are neglecting their duties towards God and the Church may do so because the person who should rule the body politic, the Emperor “O great Albert” (Pur. VI, 97) has abandoned Italy. Dante accuses Albert of having neglected his duty to govern Italy because he himself seeks "greater riches" (Pur. VI, 103) in Germany, allowing "the garden of the Empire" (Pur. VI, 105) to be devastated. Wherever one goes, Italy is wounded, suffering (Pur VI, 110), and in mourning (Pur VI, 112) and Dante lays the blame at the Emperor's feet. If.