The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Purgatory, Volume 3

"Paradise" is the third part of Dante Alighieri's 14th century epic poem, "The Divine Comedy" (the other two parts being "The Inferno" and "Purgatory"). This is the 1814 blank verse translation by H. F. Cary, and has the complete set of 21 woodblock illustrations by Gustave Doré, which were originally published in 1866. This ebook version has been optimized for large-screen devices and may or may not display correctly on devices with smaller screens. It is best viewed on a large-screen tablet such as an iPad, or Android equivalent. "Paradise" is an allegory telling of Dante's journey through Heaven, guided by Beatrice, who symbolises theology. In the poem, Paradise is depicted as a series of concentric spheres surrounding the Earth, consisting of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Fixed Stars, the Primum Mobile and finally, the Empyrean. Allegorically, the poem represents the soul's ascent to God.