»Referances to the Dante's Paradiso.«

At this forum, I've read some comparisons between the setting of the final fight between neo and Smith and the third circle of hell from Dante's Inferno. So when I did a search for this, I was surprised that nothing on it came up.

When I first saw the Matrix Reloaded, on the bit just before Neo sees the Architect, he steps through a door and for a moment you see a load of stars/spheres. I instantly saw an allusion to Dante's Paradiso, and was convinced once I knew who neo was takling to.

For those who don't know, In Dante's Paradiso (the third part of The Divine Comedy) Dante, having travelled through Hell (Inferno) and Purgotory finally reaches Paradise. Within the story, Dante reaaches the peak of the mountain that is Purgotory, and looks to the Heavens, which is apparantly split into many stars.

In the story, Dante is to traverse through these stars or spheres, which represent different layers of Heaven, those souls that are least sinful exist in the most distant of the spheres. He acknowledges that this vision of Heaven is the one that his human eyes permit him to see. Thus, it is Dante's own perception of Heaven, that his mind has created as a defense against the incomprehension to which heaven naturally adheres. Sound familier?

In any case Dante ascends from one level of Paradise to the next until he reachs the final sphere (The Empyrean) where he encounters God. It is a place that is supposedly beyond the physical plane of existance, where only God can grant access. When I realised that Neo was talking to what effectively was God, I was sure that the alussion was intentional. When he 'meets' God, Dante learns the true meaning behind human nature and reaches a new level of comprehension. Neo learns something similar at the end of M2.

Another one to note, is the fact that in Dante's Paradiso, the Empyrean where Dante finally confronts God, is supposedly made up of three rings that represent the Holy Trinity. These rings are said to exist within each other, but at the same time to defy comprehension, as they also appear the same size. I think this is similar to the concept of the TV Neo's seen within the Architect's 'Empyrean' at the end of Reloaded.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Do you know any other allusions or similarities between the Matrix and the Divine Comedy? Oh and BTW, does anybody have a picture of the stars from the M2 becuase I can't find one anywhere. Thanks.

This one?

You might enjoy my M4 (you can download it from my signature).

It's called Matrix: Inferno. And it's part of a (indefinitely unfinished) Trilogy the sequels to which are titled Matrix: Purgatory and Matrix: Paradise.

It's about a hero who is guided in her journey through the depths of the Matrix by a character who sometimes goes by the name Virgil.

I think you might enjoy it

CaptPostMod wrote:

You might enjoy my M4 (you can download it from my signature). It's called Matrix: Inferno. And it's part of a (indefinitely unfinished) Trilogy the sequels to which are titled Matrix: Purgatory and Matrix: Paradise. It's about a hero who is guided in her journey through the depths of the Matrix by a character who sometimes goes by the name Virgil. I think you might enjoy it

LOL. I just might

And thanks for the image Th3 P4th. Don't know how you found it, but nice one! That's the one I meant.