![Bodleian, Purgatory, Belacqua](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Bodleian%2C_Purgatory%2C_Belacqua.jpg)
Belacqua is a minor character in
Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
's ''
Purgatorio
''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the ''Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Da ...
'', Canto IV. He is considered the epitome of indolence and laziness, but he is nonetheless saved from the punishment of
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
in ''
Inferno
Inferno may refer to:
* Hell, an afterlife place of suffering
* Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire
Film
* ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film
* Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker
* Inferno (1973 fi ...
'' and often viewed as a comic element in the poem for his wit. The relevance of Belacqua is also driven by
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...
's strong interest in this character.
Belacqua in the ''Divine Comedy''
Belacqua is found by Dante and
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
in
Ante-Purgatory
''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the ''Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of D ...
as he sits in a fetal position under a large rock with other souls. They are condemned to wait in
Ante-Purgatory
''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the ''Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of D ...
as long as they waited in life to repent and turn to God. Dante recognizes Belacqua, his friend, by "his lazy movements and curt speech," which causes Dante to smile, offering a comedic moment during Dante's arduous climb up the mountain of
Purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
.
The two then proceed to have a witty exchange.
Belacqua's introduction eases the friction between Virgil and Dante, the former of whom just before firmly dismisses Dante's desire for rest.
The encounter with Belacqua also slows down the action in the canto, as Dante pauses his ascent to move horizontally towards his friend.
In life, Belacqua suffered from the vice of
sloth
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their li ...
, yet Dante shows notable compassion for him in this poem of morality.
Furthermore, Belacqua's late "sighs of penance" demonstrate his
sloth
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their li ...
even in his path towards salvation.
However, it is argued that Belacqua surrenders to God's will in his refusal to ascend the mountain since he will not be accepted until he completes his time in Ante-Purgatory. In this respect, he does not indulge in sloth but undergoes a
contrapasso
In Dante's ''Inferno'', contrapasso (or, in modern Italian,''Encyclopedia Dantesca'', Biblioteca Treccani, 2005, vol. 7, article ''Contrapasso''. ''contrappasso'', from Latin and , meaning "suffer the opposite") is the punishment of souls "by ...
for his inattention to God for the majority of his life.
Virgil, however, seems unamused by Belacqua and urges Dante to move on, perhaps implying his disapproval of Belacqua's salvation, particularly since Virgil himself is damned.
The interpretation of Belacqua's representation in the ''
Divine Comedy
The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...
'' has evolved over the years, as earlier commentators interpreted his salvation as a sign of God's generosity, while modern readers more often appreciate his wit and the irony of his presence.
The name "Belacqua" was identified by early commentators as the nickname of Duccio di Bonavia, a Florentine musician, a maker of musical instruments, and a friend of Dante who had a reputation for extreme laziness. Records state that he was alive in 1299 and dead in 1302. Since Dante's visit to
Purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
is set in 1300, it is assumed that Duccio must have died by that date.
Beckett's Belacqua
Samuel Beckett, whose favorite reading was Dante, closely identified with Belacqua and his indolence.
Beckett introduced ‘Belacqua Shuah’ as the main character in his first novel ''
Dream of Fair to Middling Women
''Dream of Fair to Middling Women'' is Samuel Beckett’s first novel. Written in English "in a matter of weeks" in 1932 when Beckett was only 26 and living in Paris, the clearly autobiographical novel was rejected by publishers and shelved by th ...
''. Unpublishable at the time, Beckett tried again with ''
More Pricks Than Kicks
''More Pricks Than Kicks'' is a collection of short prose by Samuel Beckett, first published in 1934. It contains extracts from his earlier novel, ''Dream of Fair to Middling Women'' (for which he was unable to find a publisher), as well as ot ...
'', a collection of ten interrelated short stories on the life and death of Belacqua, and this was published, although a very poor seller. Beckett makes the Dante connection explicit in the first story, ‘Dante and the Lobster’: Belacqua is studying Dante. An eleventh story, ‘
Echo's Bones
‘Echo's Bones’ is a short story by Samuel Beckett that was originally written in 1933. The Europa Press published a stand alone version of the story in 1935. This edition included 25 copies signed by Becket.
The title is an allusion to the m ...
’ was unpublishable at the time. It tells of the indolent afterlife of Belacqua, trying to sit in a fetal position as much as possible and being interrupted by visitors.
In later fiction, Beckett would sometimes refer to Dante's Belacqua. The title character of ''
Murphy
Murphy () ( ga, Ua Murchadha) is an Irish surname and the most common surname in the Republic of Ireland.
Origins and variants
The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac ...
'' has a Belacqua fantasy. The narrator of ''
How It Is
''How It Is'' is a novel by Samuel Beckett first published in French as ''Comment c'est'' by Les Editions de Minuit in 1961. The Grove Press (New York) published Beckett's English translation in 1964. An advance text of his English translatio ...
'' describes one of his sleeping postures in terms of Belacqua. ''
Company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
s narrator refers to the ‘old lutist cause of Dante's first quarter-smile’ and wonders if the old lutist has made it to Paradise by now. At the beginning of ''
Molloy
Molloy or O'Molloy is an Irish surname, anglicised from Ó Maolmhuaidh, maolmhuadh meaning 'Proud Chieftain'. (See also Malloy.) They were part of the southern Uí Néill, the southern branch of the large tribal grouping claiming descent from N ...
'', the narrator, who is doing nothing but watching passers, likens himself to Belacqua or
Sordello
Sordello da Goito or Sordel de Goit (sometimes ''Sordell'') was a 13th-century Italian troubadour. His life and work have inspired several authors including Dante Alighieri, Robert Browning, and Samuel Beckett.
Life
Sordello was born in the m ...
as he crouches to avoid being detected.
General references
Dante related
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Beckett related
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References
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Fictional characters based on real people