Commentary Par VIII 103-105

The image of an arrow striking its mark once again meets the reader's eyes (see [Par I 119] and [Par V 91]).  If one had to pick one passage in the poem that might lead a reader to believe that Dante's view of predestination verges on determinism, this tercet might be a popular selection.  Yet, once we reflect on the way Dante has held back, avoiding dangerous formulations in the previous tercet, we can sense that he is both aware of the pitfall and determined to avoid it.  For the wider meaning in Dante's use of the verb disporre ([Par VIII 104]), see C.Par.XXX.138.