In the present study, the 4th canto of Dante's Purgatory provides a rich basis of literary topoi for comparision with Beckett's, comprising the following motifs: unity vs. multiplicity of human soul(s), body and its shadow represented as sundial, observation of sun, counting steps and time; incessant walking vs. Bellaqua's crouching, and the importance vs. impossibility of human wish for advancement in both material and spiritual world.