Commentary Purg III 103-105

Manfred died (February 1266) some eight or nine months after Dante was born.  His question is thus groundless, notwithstanding the exertions of commentators like Tommaseo (DDP Tommaseo.Purg.III.103-105), Andreoli (DDP Andreoli.Purg.III.105), and Poletto (DDP Poletto.Purg.III.103-105), who argue that Dante, as a deeply thoughtful man, looked old for his age.  The utterly human perception that lies behind the poet's lending Manfred this question is that the great and famous are used to being recognized, and often assume that everybody has seen them, even if they themselves tend to have small recollection of the many whom they have encountered.  On the other hand, his question may also be a hopeful one, i.e., if this living soul happens to recognize him, Manfred hopes that he will cause others to pray for him -- see [Purg V 49-50], where other late-repentant souls make similar requests.