The physical world determines placement in the afterlife to forever reside and never leave. Never come back and live once more as another entity, but continue to either reap the benefits of a well-lived physical world or be tormented as time ceaselessly strolls along. Scholar William Franke put it best with the world of the dead is not just one in a series of episodes befalling the protagonist but rather the final and definitive experience that reveals the true meaning of all possible experience and thereby the meaning of the world as a whole, meaning that Dante’s journey uncovers all the world of the afterlife as a whole and all of its secrets and stories. The reason why Dante embarks on this journey is because of Beatrice, Virgil says to Dante “a spirit, worthier than I, must take you (Beatrice)/I shall go back, leaving you in her care”, meaning that Beatrice will uplift Dante above the walls of purgatory and into the heavens, so that Dante may not experience the tortures Virgil reveals to him as they journey nine levels below of each offenses suffering and punishments (Inferno Canto II Ln.
The physical world determines placement in the afterlife to forever reside and never leave. Never come back and live once more as another entity, but continue to either reap the benefits of a well-lived physical world or be tormented as time ceaselessly strolls along. Scholar William Franke put it best with the world of the dead is not just one in a series of episodes befalling the protagonist but rather the final and definitive experience that reveals the true meaning of all possible experience and thereby the meaning of the world as a whole, meaning that Dante’s journey uncovers all the world of the afterlife as a whole and all of its secrets and stories. The reason why Dante embarks on this journey is because of Beatrice, Virgil says to Dante “a spirit, worthier than I, must take you (Beatrice)/I shall go back, leaving you in her care”, meaning that Beatrice will uplift Dante above the walls of purgatory and into the heavens, so that Dante may not experience the tortures Virgil reveals to him as they journey nine levels below of each offenses suffering and punishments (Inferno Canto II Ln.