Divine Comedy Script
Divine Comedy Script
INFERNO
Narrator: At the midpoint of his life’s journey, Dante strayed into a dark forest… the straight path lost to
shadow. More than once on the road home, he had sensed an unseen rider following him, yet when he
approached it… it vanished—leaving no trace. Dante knew such omens… and feared them. At the rise of
a lonely hill, another terror emerged—a spotted leopard, all teeth and fury, its gaze fixed upon him. Yet in
his heart, he feared not for himself… but for Beatrice, the one he loved above all.
[OC]
(SE: Nature)
(SE: Leopard sudden snarl, rustling underbrush, claws scraping rock)
Dante: away demons! (SE: Horse neighs in terror, hooves scraping dirt)
[CC]
[OC]
Flashback:
Beatrice:
They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy
They can say, they can say I've lost my mind
Dante:
I don't care, I don't care, if they call us crazy
We can live in a world that we design
Beatrice:
I think of what the world could be
A vision of the one I see
Dante:
A million dreams is all it's gonna take
1
INFERNO
Beatrice: (smiling, looking around) You were right, Dante… truly, this is a divine place. Paradise on
earth. The air, the light… It feels like God’s own blessing.
Dante: (gazing at her, not the scenery) The blessing I see… stands before me. Beatrice… will you take
my hand in marriage? Under God, will you be my wife?
Beatrice: (soft gasp, eyes shimmering) Dante… my heart is yours. But I can’t marry you, only to watch
you fall in this Crusade. I couldn’t bear it.
Dante: (takes her hands, earnest) Then bear this instead: the hope that I will return. Jerusalem must be
made Christian once more. God is with us, Beatrice—we cannot fail.
Beatrice: God be with you… but so will danger and death. I’d give up all the holy cities just to keep you
safe.
Dante: And I would walk through every battlefield on earth… if it meant I could return to you.
(They embrace, holding each other as though it’s the last time.)
[CC]
Narrator: Through three long years of war and horror, Dante’s love for Beatrice and the thought of home
— only grew stronger. On distant fields beneath a foreign sun, he fought through blood and fire, each
victory hollow without her by his side. In the quiet hours between battles, he would close his eyes and see
her face… and in that vision, find the strength to endure another day. At last, the road to his father’s villa
lay before him. But as he drew near, an uneasy stillness settled over the land… the kind that speaks not
of peace… but of death.
[OC]
(SE: Distant wind through trees, faint creak of wood, eerie silence)
(SE: Horror – low ominous rumble, muffled thud of horse hooves slowing to a stop)o.)
Dante: (tense, scanning the room) The servants… What happened? They are all butchered.
(Breathing quickens. A few hurried steps.)
Dante: BEATRICE!!! Lord… please… let her be alive! (Runs across the stage. Door slams open with a
crash.)
Dante: (horrified) In the name of God… where is—? (See the bed. Freezes. Breath shatters.) Oh…
no… no… NO! (Falls to his knees, choked sobs.)
Dante: Beatrice… my love… please… wake up… look at me… Don’t do this, not now… I came back for
you… I fought for you… (voice cracking) I should have never left you here! I’m sorry! (He presses his
forehead to the bed, sobbing.)
2
INFERNO
Dante: (crying, lifting her gently into his arms) It’s me… it’s Dante… I’m here… hold on.
Beatrice: A stranger… a foreigner… Do you remember that night before you left? What did we say?
Dante: I remember…
[CC]
[OC]
Evil:
I admit that in the past I've been a nasty
They weren't kidding when they called me, well, an evil
But you'll find that nowadays
I've mended all my ways
Repented, seen the light and made a switch
True? Yes
3
INFERNO
Dante: What—? What is this? God in heaven! (Dead people are holding Dante down) Let me go! What
is this sorcery?! Release me!
Dante: Beatrice! I’m here! (fights the dead people who’s holding him) let me go!
Dante: NO!!
Evil: I have come to collect what was promised to me. A soul meant for heaven… but has been soiled by
betrayal.
Beatrice: No! That cannot be true! Dante… Dante please tell me it’s not true! Dante, tell me, please!
Dante: You will not take her, you evil! Release her, demon!
Evil: (evil laugh) struggle, crusader! Feel the grip of the damned—feel the weight of every oath you
broke!
(the dead pull Dante harder, forcing him to kneel, making Beatrice panic)
Evil: Heaven has no place for the faithless… and he has already sealed your fate.
Evil: (laugh)
Dante: NO!
Dante: this will not stop me, nothing will stop me.
Evil: come to me, mortal, if you have the courage (cunning tone and expression)
Beatrice: Dante you lied to me, I trusted you, you've got to save me, Dante!!
Dante: I'm coming for you, I won't let them hurt you. Beatrice!!
(dante broke down kneeling while the dead ones circulates around him and chants)
Dead ones: martyr. You lost her. Martyr. You lied to her. You lost her. Never will you know her flesh again.
Virgil: (suddenly appears) It is not the Lord that brought you to this fate Dante…
Virgil: Not man, though, once I was, I lived under Augustus in the time of the false and lying gods.
4
INFERNO
Dante: Are you not Virgil? Glory of the poets? He who wrote aeneid, the treasure of Rome.
Dante: I seek only my beloved Beatrice and nothing more, but I cannot open this accursed gates (using
his sword trying to open the gates]
Virgil: have you lost all faith in God, O man has the way been so obscured? Keep his sword and race a
crucifix,
Dante: Heavenly father, if only one soul should be saved, please let it be Beatrice..
Beatrice: help! Help! Help! Dante you MUST save me! [Dante continuously opening the gates]
Dante: (breathing hard, still shaken) What… What did Beatrice do to deserve such a monstrous fate?
Virgil: she made a wager… with Lucifer himself to see your safe return.
Virgil: Lucifer bet that you will betray her love, if he was right, her soul would be his.
Virgil: you tell that to yourself, mortal… but truth is not swayed by denial.
Dante: (glares at Virgil) are you saying she died because of me?
Virgil: (almost with pity) I say only this—what you believe, and what is, are not always the same…
Dante: lies… all of it are lies… she knew me.. She trusted me! (in denial)
Virgil: (turns away) and yet… the devil holds her now…
[CC]
[OC]
(CS: SWEET MOMENT OF DANTE AND BEATRICE)
Flashback:
BEATRICE: (acts like praying while singing - pagala gala sa stage while si Dante nasa may table
nagkakape)
Dear Lord, when I get to Heaven
Please, let me bring my man
5
INFERNO
And will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I got nothin' but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
DANTE: (saw Beatrice and assures her) By all that is holy, I’ll shun all pleasures until I return. No
temptation will turn me from you.
BEATRICE: (stepping closer, eyes steady) I gave myself to you, Dante… not from doubt, but because I
trusted your love.
(She takes a small, ornate reliquary from her robes — silver, inlaid with a single crimson gem.)
BEATRICE: Take this. It holds a thorn from Christ’s crown — a relic of suffering and triumph. Bring it
back… and I’ll know your heart returned with you.
DANTE: I will guard it with my life… and bring it back to the one for whom I would face Heaven or Hell.
[CC]
[OC]
Dante: great Virgil led me in the inferno, I beg you, please, I must save Beatrice even if it means my
death.
Virgil: I will guide you but you must put aside all division of spirit, and gather your soul against all fear.
Virgil: Then come. Nine circles await, each darker than the last, down to Lucifer. More souls are damned
than saved. Horrifying, yes—but remember this: there are far more souls damned in Hell than there are
blessed in Paradise.
[CC]
Narrator: The journey begins at the outer rim of Hell — a place without torment, yet without joy.
Here lies Limbo, the first circle, shrouded in eternal dusk. No cries of pain echo here, only the low murmur
of souls resigned to their fate. These are the virtuous unbaptized — kings, poets, philosophers — who
lived with honor, yet never knew the grace of faith. Their sentence is not fire, but endless longing, for they
will never see the light of Paradise.
[OC]
Virgil: Beyond Limbo is the fallen king Minos, judge of the damned. Here in the first circle remain only
those who will not descend—the rest are cast into the lower circles.
6
INFERNO
Virgil: Here suffer for those who did no sin, yet lacked the portal of our faith. Their punishment is the
eternal denial of paradise.
Dante: Has any soul passed through here and been saved?
Virgil: Once—only once. I saw the Mighty One claim the righteous: our first parent, Abel, Abraham… but
no soul since has been freed.
Virgil: The unblessed infants… knowing no sin, yet unbaptized. Even they find no mercy in Limbo.
[CC]
[OC]
Virgil: We’re now on the 2nd circle. The first truly punished here are those consumed by lust. You see,
souls are blown about sensuality and passion. People who symbolize the power of lust and became
needlessly here in hell. Go see for yourself.
Dante: (Virgil steps back into the shadows. A soft, seductive laughter drifts in. The wind grows
stronger. DANTE looks into the storm.) Francheska? You are…here?
Franceska: No. Close your eyes and you will see the real me.
Francheska:
You know, I'm just a fool who's willing
To sit around and wait for you
But baby, can't you see
There's nothing else for me to do?
I'm hopelessly devoted to you
Franceska: It's been a long time, you're pretty and amazing. Stay with me… let me kiss you… we can be
together here, forever.
7
INFERNO
Franceska: Haha. Stop making me laugh. This place is wonderful, full of lust. We could live here and be
happy here forever.
Dante: But—
Franceska: (confused) What are you saying, my love? If you’re not Paolo… then who? Look—look in
the mirror.
Franceska: But I love you! You love me too, right? Yes, I betrayed my husband for Paolo, but Dante… I
only gave myself to him to save my husband. Oh, are we fighting again? Please, my love… it was always
you. I love you! You love me too, right?
Dante: What you feel is not love—it’s lust. We are committing adultery, Francesca. You must wake from
this delusion.
Franceska: You said you love me! You love me and I love you, right?
Franceska: No… no… NO! I know you love me. Kiss me! Kiss me, Dante!
Dante: NO
Franceska: If I cannot have you, then none shall! You must be mine ahhhh… (shriek and laugh)
[CC]
Narrator: The air thickened as the three-headed beast spoke, each voice a different shade of
hunger—one snarled, one whispered, one lingered like a dying breath. Beyond the gate lay a land
drowned in filth and decay, where the rain never ceased and the ground was nothing but mud and bile.
The stench clung to my throat. Shadows of the damned writhed under the downpour, their bloated forms
gnawed by Cerberus’s claws and teeth. Gluttony was no feast—it was rot, the endless consumption that
devours the self long before the body follows.
[OC]
Virgil: Cerberus, old friend, may we pass through the gate you guard?
8
INFERNO
Cerberus: Virgil, these souls gave up on living with thought or restraint. Now they’re colder than winter
itself. This is gluttony—the true face of empty indulgence.
Cerberus: I just know... (dante entering seeing people over eating, over drinking and over
laughing.) -
Dante: Why is everyone so obsessed? (looks at women gorging on sweets) All they do is eat… (turns
to see others guzzling wine) …and drink.
Virgil: This is gluttony. Behind their cold, empty faces is a craving they can never satisfy.
Woman: Why not? In life, the cold never left me. Food was my warmth. That’s why I’m here.
Dante: Why so offended? Didn’t your mother ever tell you to finish chewing before speaking?
Woman: I have no mother! Nobody wanted me. I found comfort in food—it never left me, never betrayed
me.
Dante: You think it comforted you? It didn’t. It only chained you here.
Woman: Gluttony was the only shoulder I had to cry on. All I had to do was eat, drink, smoke… and I
could forget. Forget everything. Tell me, is that my fault?
Dante: You all still don’t understand… it’s not comfort you’ve found—it’s your prison.
[CC]
[OC]
Flashback: Father was counting in his Gold coins, when Dante was young
Father: 48, 49, 50, 51.. what? Where are my last 3 coins? (look at Dante).. Dante, did you take my
money?! (angry) Bella! Bella! Make it quick!
Father: Don’t play innocent with me. Are you stealing from me, woman?
9
INFERNO
Father:
Take your eyes off of me so I can leave
Wife:
I'm far too ashamed to do it with you watching me
This is never ending, we have been here before
Father:
But I can't stay this time, 'cause I don't love you anymore
Wife:
Please, stay where you are
Father:
Don't come any closer
Don't try to change my mind
I'm being cruel to be kind
Wife:
I can't love you in the dark
It feels like we're oceans apart
There is so much space between us
Baby, we're already defeated
Ay-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah
Everything changed me
Father:
I can't love you in the dark
It feels like we're oceans apart
There is so much space between us
Baby, we're already defeated
Ay-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah
Everything changed me
[CC]
[OC]
[Pagkaalis ni father and wife, lalapit na si Virgil seeing Dante frustrated because of the last scene]
Dante: I cannot stand this wretched place. Why does this place seem to hold my memories?
10
INFERNO
Virgil: We are in the fifth circle, Anger, the very air reeks of fury.
Virgil: Keep your mind, Dante. Do not dwell on past deeds here. See the souls over whom anger has
prevailed. [They see dead people crying with anger in the river of mud - need ng extra characters]
In the black sludge of the river Styx do they wish they had never been born. The fools. It is here we must
cross. (Dante and Virgil Walking Dead prisoners trying to touch Dante)
[CC]
[OC]
Virgil: The tombs of heresy. Here in the sixth circle you will find endless heretics burning in eternal fire.
Farinata: O Tuscan, who walks through this place speaking so decorously, knows that I am Farinata.
Dante: Farinata, another hated man in life. What do you want, spirit?
Farinata: know this. The damned can foresee the future but can never know the present. Your future,
dante, is filled with death and destruction. Beatrice will marry Lucifer and reign in hell, and you will be
damned with us forever. (Dante stabbed Farinata's eyes with his cross, Farinata cried in pain and
burned to death).
Virgil: the harrowing of hell. Christ’s death forever quakes this circle. We must hurry.
[CC]
[OC]
Beatrice:
In sleep, he sang to me
In dreams he came
That voice which calls to me
And speaks my name
And do I dream again?
For now, I find
The Phantom of the Inferno is there
Inside my mind
11
INFERNO
Lucifer:
Sing once again with me
Our strange duet
My power over you
Grows stronger yet
And though you turn from me
To glance behind
The Phantom of the Inferno is there
Inside your mind
Beatrice:
Those who have seen your face
Draw back in fear
I am the mask you wear
Lucifer:
It's me they hear
Lucifer: I have taken countless brides over the millennia—cleopatra, salome, and helen of troy. But unlike
them, your spirit is pure, unspoiled…
Beatrice :I will never yield to you. Kill me, tear me apart… but I will never love you.
Lucifer: Yes, such passion. You have ire inside you. After we are properly married, you will give me a
brood to carry on my legacy. You will be birthing my children for eternity, sweet soul.
[CC]
[OC]
Mother: Dante…
Mother: Come to me, Dante. Come to me, my son. (Dante was near a wood and suddenly brakes it)
Mother: Why do you break me? Have you had no pity? (dante looked at the wood and saw his
mother)
Dante: mother?
12
INFERNO
Virgil: when a soul takes its own life, minos judge it to this circle. Here it sprouts, shoots up like a sapling.
No body, only pain.
Mother:
He slept a summer by my side,
He filled my days with endless wonder...
He took my childhood in his stride,
But he was gone when autumn came!
Dante: no, mother… you don’t belong here… you died of fever… right?
Mother: I despised your father's cruelty, but I was too weak to defy him, and so I … I took my… life… you
learned your father's ways, but you are not lost. You can redeem yourself.
Mother: the pain you endure purifies you, son. Heed my words. You must look into your deepest sin to
save her
Dante: This is too cruel for a punishment, mother. God must know this is not your fault. I'm freeing you
(he draw the cross in front of his mother, and Dante's mother breaks free from the wood that covers her)
Virgil: yes, the abominable sands. It is here the damned did violence against god.
[CC]
[OC]
13
INFERNO
Prisoner: my ransom? No! You ashamed me. You're not my wife. You bastard! I’ll kill you!
Virgil: In this place, even mercy is twisted into an insult, and rescue becomes another betrayal.
[CC]
[OC]
Virgil: Now you know that you are the cause of Beatrice's suffering and are the same as the others.
Beatrice:
Hey, this is a story I hate
And telling it might make me break
But I'll tell it anyway
This chapter's about
How you said there was nobody else
Then you got up and went to her house
You guys always left me out
I still have the letter you wrote
When you told me that I was the only girl
You'd ever want in your life
I guess my friends were right
Each day goes by and each night, I cry
Somebody saw you with her last night
You gave me your word, "Don't worry 'bout her"
You might love her now, but you loved me first
Said you'd never hurt me, but here we are
Oh, you swore on every star
How could you be so reckless with my heart?
Beatrice: When you had your way to that girl, you gave me to Lucifer. It’s all because of you!
Dante: no!
Beatrice: This is where you belong, Dante. You are the greatest fraud of all. You lied to me, you deceived
me and for that you shall suffer!
Beatrice: You never loved me. It was all a lie, all of it… our whole life
14
INFERNO
Dante: Beatrice, listen to me. I braved the circles of hell for you.
Beatrice: faced your sins? Look down… look deep into the 9th circle, the circle of traitors
Dante: I wanted nothing more than to see you and beg for forgiveness
Dante: But I will live, I can absolve you. Forgive me, and free yourself (crucifix)
Bea: my cross…
(light normal)
Virgil: You have done well, my friend. And though you may not understand it now. You have perhaps
saved far more than just one innocent soul
Dante: Wait… i can’t be separated from her now… ive come this far
Virgil: You cannot claim a place with her yet, Dante. you have to face the true enemy… in the lowest part
of the 9th circle, the circle of traitors. there, you must face the king of traitors, lucifer himself. he guards
your only escape from the inferno
virgil: this is the last trial. it's for you alone. God speed my friend.
Dante: very well, Lucifer. I will make you pay for her suffering. I'm coming for you.
[CC]
Narrator: The journey ends in the pit of all pits — the Ninth Circle, where Hell itself is frozen in eternal
stillness. No flames lick the air here; instead, a lake of black ice swallows the damned, trapping them in
postures of their final betrayal. Here lie traitors to kin, country, guests, and lords, their tears frozen to their
faces, their screams sealed in their throats. At the center waits the Prince of Treachery — Lucifer —
bound yet towering, his six wings beating the cold that binds them all. In this silence sharper than any
blade, Dante beholds the heart of sin: not in passion’s fire, but in the ice of a soul that has abandoned all
love.
[OC]
15
INFERNO
lady in ice: who are you to walk the paths of hell so warmly, living man?
Lady in ice: wipe the icy tears from my eyes, and I shall tell you. the lord of hell dwells at the center of
this frozen lake. past the storms of ptolomea, deep in the center pit of judecca, there his icy wells are all
protected, and none but the mightiest may cleave a path. But can you believe me? Can you believe a
traitor?
[CC]
[OC]
Lucifer:
You'll love it when I give it to you, leave you wanting more
I know your addiction's attention, let's start a show
Is it everything and more than you were hoping for?
dante: Lucifer, i have come to escape this hell so that i may be reunited with my beloved, but not before i
rid the world with your corruption
lucifer: you will never see Beatrice again. the oath to purgatory lies through me. you are the warrior of the
weak and dying god, who's the real evil. his power wanes over the world.
Dante: silence. Your lies have no power over me, Devil. i will rend the very soul from you frozen body
lucifer: indignant fool. Come, let me devour your soul. you will remain in this pit until Creation's last
breath. Do you hear?
Dante: never! you are not invincible here. you are just like the other demon, like any fallen, you can be
destroyed!
Lucifer: you cannot destroy me! (bleeds) what have you done?!
Dante: I have slain you, great beast! Victory is mine (something happened to lucifer) what’s this? No…
Lucifer: thank you, Dante… I am very impressed. Many have tried, but all have failed me. Ulysses,
alexander, abilla, lancelot… truly, you are the greatest of all my minions
Dante: minion? I do not serve you! Speak without your forked tongue, serpent!
16
INFERNO
Lucifer: Beatrice? She was only a bait. It was you I wanted all along. Don't you see? I was bound by god
in this frozen pit, only my shadow self allowed to roam free. It took a mortal to release me, and it’s you…
dante…
Dante: no, it isn’t true! I already defeated you. Show me the path from hell, or I will end your miserable
existence!
Lucifer: destroy an angel of God? You arrogant gnat. Such vanity, such pride. I could have slain you the
moment you fell into hell.
(fight scene)
Lucifer: you worship god, but it was he who created evil. It was he who created me. If you knew the true
nature of God, Dante… you too would rebel
Dante: No!
Lucifer: You are nothing—a talking animal. He made you in His image, and I was to bow. I’m done with
this game. I will reclaim heaven. Beyond the inferno lies purgatory—and Beatrice. But I will escape
instead. All there shall burn, and the cosmos will fall into chaos—your doing. God will see me rule His
creation.
Dante: one can (Dante prayed) almighty god, forgive me for all of my wicked sins. I forsake my escape. I
even gave up even beatrice. I belong here, in hell, and accept my just damnation.
Lucifer: What are you doing? A repentant soul in judecca? Stop! Do not utter a word!
Dante: but grant me the power to keep your enemy here with me (cross in his chest light up) stop. I
command you
Lucifer: no!!
[CC]
[Outside the Curtain, kasi iseset-up namin yung loob ng curtain for purgatory hehe)]
17
INFERNO
18
PURGATORY
PURGATORY
(CS: PURGATORY)
Narrator: The black gates of Hell now lie far behind. Dante emerges into a world not of torment, but of
cleansing. Here rises the Mountain of Purgatory — born from the seas at the world’s farthest edge, its
summit crowned with the Earthly Paradise. Seven terraces wind upward, each one a furnace for the soul,
where sin is burned away not in wrath, but in mercy. The air is fresh, the sky washed in dawn’s colors, yet
the climb ahead will test the heart as much as any horror below.
[OC]
VIRGIL: (looking toward the horizon) Behold, Dante—the Mountain of Purification. This is where the
soul is freed of its stains. Here, man’s will learns to love what Heaven wills.
DANTE: (breathless, stepping forward) The air… sweeter than any I’ve known. No smoke, no despair.
This shore feels like hope.
VIRGIL: Hope, yes—but not rest. Only the patient and humble reach the summit. Your trials have only
changed shape.
(A distant sound of oars cutting through water. VIRGIL looks out to sea.)
(Angel will sing: An ANGEL BOATMAN appears, guiding a simple white vessel. It glides smoothly,
as if pulled by unseen current. In it are SOULS, clothed in light, singing faint hymns.)
Angels:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th'angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ was born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the angels sing! (2x)
Glory to the newborn King.
ANGEL BOATMAN: (to the souls) Come forth, redeemed by repentance! This is the shore where
burden becomes ascent. (To DANTE and VIRGIL) Two who are strangers to death… yet bear the seal of
Heaven. Who are you, travelers?
VIRGIL: I am Virgil, guided by the grace of Heaven. This man—still living—has been chosen for a greater
vision.
ANGEL BOATMAN: Then let your steps be quickened, for the climb is long and the day is brief.
1
PURGATORY
(The souls disembark and kneel, touching the shore. The boatman blesses them before exiting.)
[CC]
[OC]
VIRGIL: Noble Cato, spirit of liberty, we seek to climb by the will of Heaven.
CATO: (to Dante) And you, living one—what right have you here, when this path belongs to the dead?
DANTE: I come not by my own merit, but called from the depths of sin to witness what the soul must
endure before it is fit for the stars.
CATO: Then see you do not falter. Wash away the stains that cling to you— for nothing soiled may touch
this height.
(He gestures toward a small stream. VIRGIL leads DANTE to kneel and wash his face. The light
catches DANTE’s features as if newly brightened.)
CATO: Go, then—but remember: every step upward demands the death of an old self.
[CC]
[OC]
(The stage darkens slightly; a great bronze gate rises center stage, engraved with scenes of
repentance. Beside it stands the GUARDIAN ANGEL, radiant in white and gold. A sword gleams at
his side.)
VIRGIL: One still living, marked for grace by the Master of Heaven.
(DANTE kneels. The angel draws the sword—not to harm, but to touch the point to DANTE’s brow.
With each touch, the angel traces a letter “P.” Seven in total.)
GUARDIAN ANGEL: These marks symbolize peccata, the sins you bear. It will fade as each terrace
burns away its stain. Remember them well, for the climb will strip you of more than you know.
2
PURGATORY
GUARDIAN ANGEL: Endure, and ascend. The gate will open only once— and beyond it, there is no
turning back.
(The angel strikes the gate; a deep, resonant chord sounds. The gates swing open slowly. Golden
light spills forth. VIRGIL looks at Dante.)
[CC]
Narrator: The climb begins on the First Terrace, where the weight of pride is ground into the dust. Along
the path, Dante sees souls bowed low, crushed beneath massive stones they carry upon their backs.
Each step is an act of penance, forcing their gaze to the earth they once thought themselves above. Upon
the walls, carved in gleaming marble, are scenes of humility — kings kneeling, saints serving, the proud
brought low. No screams fill the air, only the strained breath of those learning to bend, for here, the
burden is the cure, and every stone carried is a fragment of their sin made visible.
[OC]
[DANTE and VIRGIL enter from stage left, stepping lightly compared to the souls they see.]
DANTE: (awed, almost whispering) Master… What is this place? These stones are so vast, they could
crush the spirit, and yet their faces bear not rage, but sorrow.
VIRGIL: Here begins the cleansing. These are the proud— those who in life held their heads high above
others, who gloried in their own greatness. Now they are pressed low, that their hearts may remember the
truth of their smallness.
DANTE: (looking at the reliefs) And these images? They glow as if Heaven itself carved them.
VIRGIL: They are the lessons for the soul—Mary’s humility, David’s joy before God, Trajan’s justice.
Humility outshines any crown.
OMBERTO: (straining under his stone) Step lightly, stranger… for you walk where the weight of pride
breaks the back.
OMBERTO: In life, I thought my name and my father’s name made me greater than other men.
I would not bow… so now I am bent forever, until my heart bends freely.
3
PURGATORY
DANTE: (quietly) I have felt pride in my own verse… in my own mind. Perhaps my back is straighter than
it should be.
VIRGIL: Wisdom, Dante, is not in never standing tall—but in knowing when to kneel.
OMBERTO: (looking up with difficulty) Remember, living one: the dust is our beginning, and to the dust
we return. When you bow to lift another, you are closer to Heaven than any throne can bring you.
[CC]
Narrator: The path narrows upon the Second Terrace, where the air carries a strange, hollow stillness.
Here dwell the envious, their eyes bound in strips of white cloth, stained with slow seeping blood — for in
life they found joy only in the misfortune of others. They lean upon one another as they walk, guided not
by sight but by the soft voices of those beside them. From the wind, a chorus of blessings drifts —
prayers for the prosperity of others, a cure to the poison they once nursed in their hearts. In the darkness
of their blindness, they learn to see with the soul.
[OC]
(DANTE and VIRGIL enter from the path below. DANTE takes in the sight, visibly unsettled.)
DANTE: Master… their eyes—! It is bound in a cruel thread, as if sight itself were stolen from them.
VIRGIL: Sight, Dante, was the snare of their sin. These are the envious—those who looked upon the
fortune of others and could not rejoice. Now their eyes are shut, until they can see only through the heart.
DANTE: (to one soul nearby) Spirit—how do you endure such darkness?
SAPIA: Endure? I once looked at the ruin of others and thanked Heaven that they had fallen. When my
city suffered, my heart was glad. Better to walk blind forever than to carry such poison in my soul again.
SAPIA (leneth): Every blessing I give, I stitch a wound closed in my heart. Only when love is whole will
these threads fall away.
(Another soul, unseen before, speaks from the shadow — her voice thin, almost trembling.)
SECOND SOUL (Reina): Traveler… will you tell my sister I pray for her joy. Tell her I am glad she has the
fortune I never had.
4
PURGATORY
SECOND SOUL: It does not matter, what matters is the blessing reaches her.
VIRGIL; Dante, mark this well: envy blinds the soul before it blinds the eyes. To climb higher, you must
learn to rejoice in another’s light as if it were your own.
DANTE: (softly, troubled) Then may my heart be cleansed here as theirs is cleansed…
(The chorus of souls swells for a moment, their blessings filling the air like a fragile hymn. A faint
golden light edges the path upward, breaking the monotony of grey.)
VIRGIL: Come — the next terrace waits. But carry their blessing with you, or you will not stand the heat of
what comes next.
(They exit upstage toward the golden light. The chant fades to silence.)
[CC]
[OC]
VIRGIL: (voice steady) Stay close, my son. This smoke is born of wrath—the breath of anger left
unchecked.
DANTE: (coughing, squinting) I cannot see… only darkness. Each step feels as if I walk blind into the
void.
VIRGIL: Such is wrath—it blinds the eyes of reason and smothers the light of the soul. But here, these
souls learn to breathe peace. Listen.
[Sound Effect: Soft, disembodied voices begin to rise from the smoke, chanting in harmony:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."]
VIRGIL: Yes. The punishment is not meant to destroy, but to purify. In darkness, they recall the light.
Look—visions approach.
[Stage Projection: Through the swirling smoke, three illuminated tableaus appear, glowing as if
painted in living gold:
1. Christ on the Cross, saying: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
2. Saint Stephen, kneeling as stones rain down, praying for his murderers.
3. A woman in a public square, facing an enraged mob, her calm words turning their weapons
aside.
5
PURGATORY
DANTE: (awed) Even as they suffered, they gave only peace… I, who have met anger with anger, see
my own folly.
[From the haze, a figure emerges—MARCO LOMBARDO, eyes clouded by smoke but voice clear.]
MARCO (Glai): You are not dead. Your voice is warm with breath. Who comes alive into this purging?
DANTE: A traveler still in flesh, guided by my master, seeking the road to Heaven. Tell me, kind
soul—why is our world so full of evil? Is it the stars that bind us to sin?
MARCO: (steps closer, voice firm) No star compels the will. The heavens may incline, but the heart
chooses. God set you free—each soul shapes its own destiny.
DANTE: Yet corruption spreads everywhere. Where does it go, if not from fate?
MARCO: When law is bent by those who rule, when shepherds seek power more than virtue, the flock
strays. But still—blame not the sky, nor destiny. Blame the will that turns from God.
DANTE: (quietly) Then man is his own ruin… and his own hope.
MARCO: Exactly. Freedom is your greatest gift and your greatest burden. Anger, like fire, may burn the
world to ash—or, tempered, it may burn away injustice. Rule it, or else it will rule you.
VIRGIL: The terrace has done its work. Another ‘P’ is gone from your brow.
MARCO: Remember me not for my anger, but for the peace I sought at last.
[DANTE and VIRGIL walk toward the light, disappearing into the brightness as the stage dims.]
[CC]
[OC]
DANTE: (blinking) After the choking darkness… This place is open and bright. Yet—what are those
rushing forms?
VIRGIL: The souls who once slept through their duties. Here they run without rest, burning away the rust
of their delay.
6
PURGATORY
VIRGIL: Yes. Zeal is the medicine for sloth. They feed their souls with stories of swift obedience.
[A soul slows just enough to speak — THE ABBOT OF SAN ZENO, breathless but smiling.]
DANTE: I am still alive. My guide and I climb toward Heaven. Tell me, good abbot—what brought you
here?
ABBOT: Negligence. I had the charge of many but acted too late, too little. Now I run for every hour I
once wasted.
ABBOT: Hope is the gift of this mountain. Our punishment ends, for we know our goal is sure. But each
step here teaches: time is a treasure, not to be wasted.
VIRGIL: See how they burn with desire. Sloth is not just inaction—it is a refusal to love. Love moves both
feet and heart.
DANTE: And I… (sigh) how often have I lingered in comfort when I should have hastened toward the
good?
ABBOT: Then learn from our running. For every moment you delay, another step will be demanded.
[The abbot is swept forward by the rushing crowd, disappearing in a blur of movement.]
VIRGIL: Come, my son. This terrace teaches swiftness; even we must not linger too long.
[CC]
7
PURGATORY
[OC]
DANTE: (whispering) They lie as though crushed by the weight of the world.
VIRGIL: In life, they clung too tightly to earthly treasures—whether by greed or wastefulness. Now they
are bound to the earth they worshipped, learning to look upward only when the soul is free.
ADRIAN: (hoarse but dignified) You—still breathing—what mercy brings you here?
DANTE: I climb this mount to be cleansed and guided to Heaven. Who are you?
ADRIAN: Pope Adrian was my name. Yet my heart was chained to gold and honors, forgetting the
poverty of Christ.
DANTE: You are a Holy Father and you’re bound like this?
ADRIAN: All are leveled before God. Power and wealth turn bitter at death. True treasure is where moths
and rust cannot touch.
HUGH: And beware of dynasties built on greed. I, Hugh Capet, father of kings, saw my bloodline fall
deeper into avarice than I ever imagined.
VIRGIL: (quietly, to Dante) Each voice here is a warning: the more you cling to earth, the less you can lift
your eyes to Heaven.
DANTE: (softly) Then let my hands never bind themselves to what I cannot take beyond the grave.
STATIUS: Hail, travelers! I am Statius, poet of old, once chained by avarice, now freed. And if you permit,
I shall walk beside you, for I too would greet the summit.
[CC]
8
PURGATORY
[OC]
[aarte si Dante na para bang masakit din ang tiyan niya sa gutom kase nadadamay lang siya]
DANTE: Virgil… they… they look as though they’ve not eaten for years.
Virgil: They haven’t. Nor have they drunk a drop. This is the terrace of the Gluttonous — those who treat
their bellies as God. Here, their hunger and thirst burn, unending.
[One soul stumbles toward them. His eyes glimmer with desperate joy, not at Dante, but at
something behind him. Dante turns — but sees nothing. The soul collapses, clawing at nothing.]
Dante: (lumuhod sa soul) What are you reaching for? There’s nothing there.
Soul: There is… a feast… bread, wine, fruits beyond imagining… I can smell them… feel them… *(he
gasps for air)* …but they vanish the moment I touch them.
Virgil: (pulling Dante away) They see visions sent by Heaven. Their longing burns away the excess that
ruled their lives.
[As they walk, Dante notices others — some gnawing at invisible morsels, others staring at
phantom goblets. A woman kneels, cupping her hands as if to drink, but water trickles through
her fingers like sunlight.]
Virgil: Yes. Here, they learn the value of what they once abused. They crave not for survival, but for
indulgence — and it is that indulgence that is denied them, until their souls are light enough for Paradise.
Forese: Poet…!
[Dante turns and sees a man so gaunt his bones cast shadows. Yet his eyes are bright with
recognition.]
Forese: Like death? It is the price of my gluttony. My mouth once knew only excess… now it knows only
thirst. Yet my soul rejoices — for every pang brings me closer to the blessed table.
[They clasp hands briefly, and Dante feels the frailty of his old friend. Forese’s grip is weak, yet
warm.]
9
PURGATORY
Forese: When you return to Florence… tell my wife… her prayers hastened my journey. Tell her… I wait
for her…
Dante: I will.
[yung mga soul sa background parang tanga na tulala sa hangin na kala mo may food from thin
air]
[CC]
[OC]
Dante: (panting) This place… it’s like walking through the heart of the sun.
Virgil: Here is where those who were ruled by lust are purified. They must walk through these flames,
burning away their desires.
Virgil: The fire will not let them rest. Only when they face it without fear will they be free.
Beatrice: Dante…
Beatrice: I came to you before in Heaven’s light. Now I am here to remind you—love is holy only when it
rises beyond the flesh.
Beatrice: Desire is not evil, Dante. But when it becomes your master, it burns you from within.
Virgil: Yes. Only then will your heart be ready for what comes next.
10
PURGATORY
Beatrice: Trust, Dante. The fire will hurt, but it will not destroy you.
BEATRICE:
If you dance, I'll dance
And if you don't, I'll dance anyway
Give peace a chance
Let the fear you have fall away
Beatrice: You see now? The fire was never your enemy.
[They walk through together, the fire slowly fading behind them as they reach the terrace’s end.]
[CC]
11
PARADISE
PARADISE
PARADISE
[CS 1: SPHERE OF THE MOON — CELESTIAL LIGHT]
Narrator: Dante has journeyed through Heaven, the realm of God’s light, a place impossible for a mortal to
fully remember, much less describe. Nevertheless, he calls upon God for help in writing as much as He can.
Dante and his beloved, Beatrice, begin their journey a few days after Easter Sunday. From the Earthly
Paradise at Purgatory’s summit, the two are lifted skyward by a kind of heavenly gravity. Dante finds that he
can withstand brief glances at the blazing sun (the lights of Heaven representing God), but usually he must
resort to gazing at the eyes of Beatrice (who represents indirect revelation of God). However, even that is
sometimes too much for his vision to handle.
NARRATOR: Beyond the shadow of the Earth, where the silver glow of eternity softens the edge of time,
Dante follows Beatrice into the gentle radiance of the Moon’s sphere. No wind stirs here, no shadow falls —
only a luminous calm, as if Heaven itself holds its breath. She turns to him, her eyes reflecting the light of
countless stars, and in that gaze he feels the weight of every step, every trial, every longing that brought him
here. The Moon, first jewel of Paradise, cradles them in its pale embrace, whispering a truth older than
creation: that love, pure and steadfast, is the force that lifts mortal souls into the eternal.
[OC]
DANTE: Beatrice, Is this… the Moon? (*looking around*)
BEATRICE: Yes—this is the first Heaven. It tells how God shapes creation.
(SE: SALVATORE BY LANA)
PICCARDA:
All the lights in Miami begin to gleam
Ruby, blue and green, neon too
Everything looks better from above my king
Like aqua marine, ocean's blue
Ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah
Cacciatore
La da da da da
La da da da da
Limousines
Ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah
Ciao amore
La da da da da
La da da da da
Soft ice cream
1
PARADISE
PICCARDA: (notices Dante and Beatrice and bows her head) Welcome, traveler. I am Piccarda, once a
woman of earth, now at peace in this sphere.
Dante: Why here, in the Moon’s cloudy realm?
Piccarda: In life, my will wavered—I did not hold fast to my vows. For that inconstancy, I dwell here. Yet… my
joy is perfect. My will is one with God’s, and I desire nothing beyond what He grants.
Dante (thoughtful): So even here, far from the highest light, your heart is full?
Piccarda (smiling): Far? No, Dante. Near. Always near. For in Heaven, all are in God’s presence.
[Piccarda fades; Dante turns to Beatrice.]
Dante (*wondering*): But if all souls dwell in the highest sphere, why do I see them scattered through the
heavens?
Beatrice (gently placing a hand on his shoulder): Your mortal mind could not yet bear the fullness of the
Empyrean. So they appear in forms and places suited to your understanding. In truth, they all reign where God
is.
Dante (looking upward): Then may my eyes and soul grow ready for that sight.
Beatrice: And so they shall. Come, Dante—the journey continues.
[They rise, vanishing into light.]
(SE: ASCENDING SOUND)
[CC]
2
PARADISE
Dante (quietly): And why, of all ways, did God choose the atonement through the Cross?
Beatrice (with radiant joy): To show God’s love—nothing reveals it more than this—that the Creator would
bear the weight of His creation’s sins.
[Dante bows his head, awed, as the light around them begins to swirl upward.]
Beatrice: Come, Dante. Greater mysteries await beyond this sphere.
[They ascend, the golden glow giving way to new brilliance.]
(SE: ASCENDING SOUND)
[CC]
3
PARADISE
Dante (looking around with wonder): The light here is softer… yet it stirs something in my heart.
Beatrice (smiling): You have entered the sphere of Venus, where love shines in its truest form.
Charles Martel (approaching): Dante, my friend! Even in this blessed place, your presence is a joy to me.
Dante (grasping his hands): Charles! No words can express the delight I feel at seeing you here. Tell
me—how does God’s will guide us to our place in life?
Charles Martel (thoughtfully): God’s providence works in many ways—through the angels, the stars, even
the inclinations of the soul. Each of us is shaped and guided for a purpose, though often by indirect paths.
Dante: So even when life seems uncertain, His hand is steady?
Charles Martel (nodding): Always. Our gifts, our desires, our journeys—all are part of His design.
[Charles fades gently into the rose-hued light. Two joyful figures approach: Cunizza, graceful and
laughing softly, and Folco, whose presence is warm and inviting.]
Cunizza (playfully): Ah, poet, in life I was led too often by the fires of passion. But here, that fire burns only for
God.
4
PARADISE
Folco (smiling): And I too, once consumed by earthly love, now rejoice in love’s highest form—pure, eternal,
and unchanging.
Dante (reflecting): Then even our wayward desires can be transformed in Heaven?
Cunizza: Indeed. For here, every longing is fulfilled in the One who made us.
Folco: Earthly love was only the shadow. Here we dwell in the light itself.
[They step back into the glowing chorus of souls, their joy echoing like music.]
Beatrice (turning to Dante): Now you see, Dante—love in Heaven is not denied, but perfected.
Dante (softly): Then I am ready to rise to whatever love God has yet to show me.
[They ascend once more, the rose light fading into the brilliance of the next sphere.]
[CC]
Dante (shielding his eyes, then adjusting): The light here is not only bright—it feels like truth itself.
Beatrice (gently): You are in the sphere of the Sun, Dante. Here dwell the souls whose wisdom illuminated
the Church.
[A figure in brilliant white approaches, his presence calm and filled with authority.]
Thomas Aquinas: Welcome, seeker of light. I am Thomas Aquinas, once a friar of the Dominican order. But
today I speak not for my own, but for another: Francis of Assisi.
Dante (curious): You honor one outside your order?
Aquinas (nodding): Francis shone like the sun in his devotion to poverty. His life was a sermon that no wealth
could silence.
[Around them, other radiant souls nod in agreement. Aquinas steps back into the circle of light, and
another figure steps forward, clothed in a warm, golden glow.]
St. Bonaventure: And I am Bonaventure, a son of Francis. Yet today, I praise Dominic—the fiery founder of
the Dominicans. His zeal for truth tore down the walls of heresy and restored the Church’s foundations.
Dante (reflecting): Two founders, two lights—each praising the other.
Bonaventure (with gravity): Yes. For both labored to draw the Church back from the snares of wealth and
error. But their successors… too often they stray from the path.
Dante: Then their work remains unfinished.
Aquinas (from the circle of light): It is the task of every age, poet—to guard truth and live humbly before
God.
Beatrice: Here, wisdom and humility shine together. Remember what you have seen, for the climb is far from
over.
(SE: soul hymns)
[The circle of souls glows brighter, their harmony like a hymn without words. Dante turns to Beatrice.]
5
PARADISE
[OC]
(SE: WARM AND CALM SOUND)
Dante (in awe): The light here burns like a warrior’s heart.
Beatrice (softly): This is the sphere of Mars, where dwell the souls who fought valiantly for the faith.
[Dante looks upward: Across the vast red sky, points of light arrange themselves into the shape of a
great, radiant cross.
(SE:HEAVENLY SOUND)
(*Jesus will walk slowly around the cross and take the cross with him while exiting*)
6
PARADISE
[The cross of light brightens once more, and Cacciaguida steps back into it, fading into glory. Beatrice
turns to Dante.]
Beatrice: Your path grows harder, but so too does your purpose. Come—the climb continues.
[OC]
(SE: WARM AND CALM SOUND)
Dante (looking upward in wonder): The air feels different here—calm, yet filled with purpose.
Beatrice: This is the sphere of Jupiter, where the just and righteous reign in eternal harmony.
Dante (awed): A living constellation… an eagle woven of souls!
The Eagle (its voice resonant, carrying both kindness and command): Dante, you have sought the truth of
justice. Hear now the voice of those who loved it above all else.
Dante:Tell me, then—how is it just that souls who never knew Christ are condemned?
The Eagle (solemnly): Mortal mind cannot plumb the depths of divine judgment. Know this: hypocritical
Christians—who knew the truth and betrayed it—suffer a fate more bitter than those who never heard His
name.
Dante (thoughtful): So God’s justice is hidden not because it is dark, but because it is too bright for our eyes.
The Eagle (nodding): Just so. And hear me out, pot—the injustice of your rulers cries out to Heaven. Kings
and princes who bear the cross yet defy Christ are carrion beneath this sky.
[The Eagle’s gaze grows fierce, its feathers flashing like lightning.]
The Eagle: Let the world know: God’s justice is no respecter of crowns.
[The constellation begins to dissolve, its stars returning to their courses. Dante turns to Beatrice, still
gazing upward.]
Beatrice: You have heard the voice of the just. Remember it, for the climb nears its height.
[CC]
7
PARADISE
[OC]
Dante (whispering): The air here is so still… even the music of Heaven is silent.
Beatrice (softly): We have entered the sphere of Saturn, home to the souls of the great contemplatives. Their
peace is too deep for song.
[Before them rises a great ladder of pure light, reaching upward beyond sight. Souls ascend and
descend upon it, moving with graceful purpose.]
Dante (gazing upward): Beatrice, what heights must that ladder reach?
[A tall, radiant figure descends toward them.]
Peter Damian (with gentle gravity): It climbs to the very heart of God. I am Peter Damian, once a servant of
the Church, now a dweller in this peace.
Dante: Then tell me—who is destined to ascend its final rungs?
Peter Damian (raising a hand): Do not ask, poet. The mystery of predestination lies far beyond the reach of
mortal thought. To seek it is to stare into a light that will blind you.
[He steps aside as another luminous figure approaches.]
St. Benedict (with quiet sorrow): I am Benedict, who built communities of humble prayer. But now, the
monasteries overflow not with holiness, but with gold, feasts, and idle comfort.
Peter Damian (his voice rising with rare force): The ladder is empty of many who should have climbed it!
Corruption has driven them to the ground.
[Other contemplative souls echo the lament, their voices ringing out, breaking the sphere’s stillness.
The sudden vehemence startles Dante. The voices fade; the ladder glows silently once more. Dante
and Beatrice prepare to ascend.]
Beatrice: Come, Dante. Beyond Saturn lies the vision of the stars.
(SE: ASCENDING SOUND)
[They rise, the ladder of light slowly vanishing into the distance.]
[CC]
8
PARADISE
[OC]
Dante (with quiet awe): I can bear your light… longer than before.
Beatrice (warmly): You are rising, Dante—in sight, and in soul. But now you will be tested.
[She turns toward a figure of great dignity and power—St. Peter, clothed in the light of his office.]
Beatrice: Peter, examine this pilgrim in his faith.
St. Peter (stepping forward): Dante, what do you believe?
Dante (firmly): I believe in one God, eternal and unchanging, the Creator of all—truth taught by Scripture,
confirmed by reason, and revealed through grace.
St. Peter (nodding): And why do you believe?
Dante: Because the Word of God is sure, and its witness in the lives of saints and prophets cannot lie.
[Peter smiles faintly and steps back. Another figure, bright with the joy of pilgrimage, approaches—St.
John.]
St. John: Tell me of your hope. What sustains it?
Dante: The hope of Heaven and of friendship with God.
St. John: And your love, poet—what is its summit?
Dante (without hesitation): Christ Himself, who draws me through Scripture, philosophy, and the very
goodness of God. All love flows toward Him as rivers to the sea.
[John nods in approval and withdraws. A third figure now approaches, ancient yet ageless—Adam.]
Dante (awed): Father of us all… tell me—how long did you dwell in Eden?
Adam: For but a short time, yet enough to lose what could not be regained except through Christ. Four
thousand years I waited for the One who would open Heaven’s gate.
[Adam steps back. The stars blaze brighter. A great hymn swells, sung by all the hosts of Heaven.]
[Suddenly, St. Peter glows fiery red, his joy turning to righteous anger.]
St. Peter (thundering): But see what has been done to my Church! The papal throne, once a seat of truth, is
now a den of greed and filth! The shepherds have become wolves!
St. Peter: Write what you have seen. Speak against the evils of your day, and let no fear bind your tongue.
Dante (resolute): I will. By the light I have seen, I will.
[CC]
9
PARADISE
Dante (looking around, bewildered): Here… there is no sun, no star—only the rush of movement.
Beatrice (her voice carrying a quiet majesty): This is the Primum Mobile, the outermost sphere. From it
flows the motion of all heavens; time begins here.
Dante: Then this sphere commands all others?
Beatrice: Yes. God’s light moves the angels, the angels turn this sphere, and it sets creation in motion.
[She gestures upward, and in vision Dante sees nine vast circles of radiance, each faster and more
brilliant than the last.]
Beatrice: These are the nine orders of the angelic hierarchy: [Beatrice will read a scroll]
—The Seraphim, nearest the burning love of God.
—The Cherubim, radiant in perfect knowledge.
—The Thrones, firm in divine justice.
—Then the Dominions, Virtues, and Powers, who govern creation.
—And beneath them, the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, who watch over the nations and the souls of
men.
Dante (in awe): Each one bound to a sphere, each sphere bound to the will of God.
Beatrice: So it’s been since creation. Humanity fell not from ignorance, but from turning away from Him.
[Her expression hardens slightly.]
Beatrice: Too many waste their gifts on hollow disputes, neglecting charity and truth. Such talk is empty wind
Dante (thoughtfully): Then true wisdom is to love, not just to know
Beatrice (with a gentle smile): At last, you see. Beyond this sphere lies the Empyrean—where time ends and
only God remains
[The rushing brightness swells, drawing them upward toward a light without limit.]
[CC]
10
PARADISE
[Dante kneels, cups his hands, and drinks. Instantly, his vision sharpens. The river transforms into a
vast amphitheater of radiant souls, arrayed in countless tiers—together forming a perfect white rose.]
Dante (awed whisper): Every petal… a soul… each one burning with joy.
[He turns to share the wonder with Beatrice—only to find her seated far above, enthroned among the
blessed, smiling at him with serene love.]
Dante (softly): She is home… and I am to go on without her.
[A gentle hand touches his shoulder. St. Bernard stands beside him, robed in light.]
Bernard: Beatrice has brought you to the threshold. Now, I will guide you the rest of the way. Look—there, at
the heart of the rose.
[Dante sees a figure whose radiance outshines all others—the Virgin Mary. Around her, angels circle
like living flames.]
Bernard (kneeling): O Virgin Mother, purest joy of humankind, pray that this pilgrim may see the One he
seeks.
[The Virgin’s gaze turns toward Dante—gentle, welcoming. Bernard’s voice rises in quiet urgency.]
Bernard: Now, Dante. Look into the Light.
[Dante lifts his eyes. At first, he sees creation itself—every star, every soul, every moment—held within
the boundless embrace of God. All diversity joined in a single, perfect design. Then, in a heartbeat of
eternity, he beholds the Holy Trinity: three circles of equal brightness, sharing one substance, the
second circle glowing with the face of Christ, both God and man.]
Dante (voice breaking): All my desire, all my will… They move now with Him.
[The light overwhelms all thought, all memory—yet joy remains, filling him beyond measure. Fade to
white.]
Narrator: And so, at the journey’s end, the pilgrim’s eyes beheld what no mortal tongue can truly speak—the
source and summit of all things. In that Light, every star, every soul, every breath of creation found its place in
perfect harmony. Three circles shone as one, eternal and indivisible—the mystery of the Trinity unveiled. And
in that vision, his heart and will were made one with the divine. Memory faded, thought was stilled… but joy
endured, vast and endless, as the soul rested in the embrace of God.
FADE OUT — END OF JOURNEY
[CC]
(SE: A WHOLE NEW WORLD by
I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?
I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride
11
PARADISE
Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world
Don't you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath - it gets better
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be
A whole new world
Every turn a surprise
With new horizons to pursue
Every moment red-letter
I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you
12
PARADISE
13