At last, Beatrice explains how you can make up for broken or unfulfilled vows: Just give back 150% of the original worth of the thing vowed.
But what happens when the thing vowed can't be valued . . . or breaks every scale.
Her answer ropes in both the one who vows and the church who can offer an out to the vow.
In other words, Dante is setting the terms of canon law.
Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this tough passage about vows, free will, and the out for what you've broken.
Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:
\[01:15] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto V, Lines 34 - 63. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, [markscarbrough.com](markscarbrough.com).
\[03:56] An examination of the small, gritty details in this difficult passage about making up for broken or unfulfilled vows.
\[17:32] Food as crucial imagery in PARADISO.
\[20:36] Three ways out of unfulfilled vows: the eternal light in all things, God's consent, and Beatrice's 150% accounting scheme.
\[23:14] Dante's possible attempt to make up for his broken vow to Beatrice.
\[24:53] Vows and the possible threat of the Avignon papacy.
\[28:09] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto V, lines 34 - 63.
Mark ScarbroughHost