Forese

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Dante recognizes the face of Forese in Purgatory, among the souls whose faces are hollowed by hunger. The name of Forese appears in verses XXIII 48 and XXIV 74. The authorized notes describe Forese as the son of Simone, brother of Corso and Piccarda, and indicate that Dante names Virgil and Beatrice to him, a periphrasis used elsewhere as a sign of familiarity and affection. The encounter between the two is presented as an echo and almost a contrapasso of the exchange of sonnets (the Tenzone) exchanged in life, and the cry of recognition is compared to that of the episode of the sodomites in Inferno XV. The notes also highlight the singularity of their earthly relationship, with repeated gestures by Dante toward Forese not found in other dialogues of the poem.