At first glance it may not seem that Dante's Purgatory has freedom as its central theme. However, most of its premises relate to that of freedom and free will. Free will is the dictionary form of freedom; therefore, they can be interchangeable. As human beings, God has given all of us the choice to do what we desire, whether good or bad, and this ability to choose is that of free will. Dante's journey through the afterlife is ultimately a search for freedom, and this essay will address how the theme of free will is presented. The first example of freedom in Purgatory can be seen in Canto I; Cato challenges Dante and Virgil by asking whether divine law has been broken because Dante is still a man and yet has traveled the entire path of Hell (46-48). Furthermore, Virgil says to Cato, regarding Dante: "May you welcome him - he goes / in search of freedom, and how dear this is to him, / the man who renounces life for it knows well" (Purgatorio, Canto I, 70 -72). That is, Virgil tries to beg Cato to allow him and Dante to continue their journey, and explains that Dante is a man in search of freedom. Furthermore, according to Verschoyle, this appeal is that of Virgil trying to show Cato that Dante is currently engaged in the pursuit of freedom (184), and any man seeking freedom should not be hindered. Dante's journey through Hell would be meaningless if he could not climb Mount Purgatory to reach the Earthly Paradise; therefore, his quest for freedom, through all these trials and tribulations, ultimately appeals to Cato through that of love. In Canto XVII, Virgil provides in-depth insight into the two types of love. As stated by Morgan “Dante learns natural goodness…… in the middle of the card……d, he learns to forgive himself, and he must understand what is wrong with using love in the wrong way. So, through his journey, he learned that he can, on his own, make the right choices of love through his free will because God has given us the will to choose. Works Cited Morgan, Gerald. “Natural and Spiritual Movements of Love in the Soul: An Explanation of “Purgatory,” XVIII. 16-39.” The Modern Language Review 80.2 (1985): 320. JSTOR. Network. April 1, 2014.Puchner, Martin. "Purgatory." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2012. 512-534. Print.Triggiano, Tonia Bernardi. "Dante's Heavenly Lessons: Educational Economics in Paradise". Essays in Medieval Studies 26.1 (2010): 15-26. MUSE project. Network. April 1, 2014.Verschoyle, H.S. “Dante's Quest for Freedom.” Hermathena 13:30 (1904): 184-212. JSTOR. Network. April 1. 2014.