Pisistratus

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Pisistratus is mentioned by Dante in Purgatorio, where he is cited in the context of the examples of clemency proposed by Virgil. His figure is linked to an episode transmitted by Valerius Maximus among the acts "of humanity and clemency," in which the Athenian tyrant responded with extraordinary gentleness to his wife, who had asked him to have a young man killed for kissing their daughter in the street. This story is recalled in Purgatorio XV to illustrate the sweet and gentle attitude of the mother in the second example, contrasted with the harshness of the preceding episodes. The words spoken by the mother in the Purgatorial scene conclude with a direct reference to the name of Pisistratus, following the reading Pisistràto of the verses. The figure, placed by Dante within the framework of the pagan exemplary tradition, serves to characterize the tone of sweetness and love that defines the inhabitants of Purgatory.