Forese in Dante's Divine Comedy In Purgatorio 23 of the
Divine Comedy, Dante encounters Forese on the sixth terrace of
Purgatory, where the gluttonous are punished by being forced to starve for food and drink while passing past them, similar to the punishment of
Tantalus. Dante barely recognizes Forese's emaciated face, and his friend's state causes him great grief. He expresses surprise at Forese's salvation - he had died five years before - and at his quick advancement through the terraces of Purgatory. Forese praises his wife Nella, whose prayers have allowed him to pass quickly through Purgatory, and in contrast maligns the provocatively-dressed Florentine women and predicts that more restrictive dress codes will soon be enforced in
Florence, in a manner reminiscent of Christian moral
invective of the fourth-century
Church Fathers. Curious to know how Dante came to be here, Forese asks after Dante's life since his own death. Dante refers to their friendship and their joint indulgence in sinful behavior when they were younger, probably including the composition of the vulgar and insulting
tenzone detailed below. Forese is described as being associated with his immoral family name, who are known to be infamous for their ways with money. There is an excerpt from Nella's mother in the
tenzone in which she describes how upset she is that Forese has wasted Nella's dowry. His wife is described as being constantly cold, since Forese cannot please her in bed. == References ==