Dante Alighieri and The Divine Comedy

Dante was an Italian poet during the Middle Ages. He wrote a large poem called The Divine

Comedy, a masterpiece of literature. The Divine Comedy isn’t funny, like the word

comedy would lead us to think. Back then, it also included works that ended happily.

In the story, Dante journeys through Hell; so, the story is his version of Hell and its sections.

Biography of Dante

born in Florence, Italy, in 1265

exiled from Florence in 1300

political party was overthrown

The Comedy

It is unknown when Dante began writing his masterpiece The Comedy, a long poem.

A long time ago, a comedy meant writing that began in sorrow and ended in joy.

Dante just called his work The Comedy. Later Italian writers called it The Divine Comedy.

When he finished

It appears that he had finished the first of its three parts by 1314.

He finished the last part only shortly before his death in 1321.

Brief Plot

begins with Dante in a dark wood. Trying to find his way out he climbs up a

mountain, but it driven back by three beasts who block him.

In fear, he runs toward an approaching man to ask for help.

The man is Virgil, his guide through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.

Virgil tells Dante that he has been sent by Beatrice (a woman who Dante loved) to guide him through his spiritual journey.

Dante follows Virgil, who conducts him through Hell, a funnel-shaped region in the earth, with a series of levels that form narrowing circles on which various kinds of evil deeds are punished, down to the center.

They reach the end of the funnel and the directions for up and down are reversed.

Here, they enter a tunnel which leads them out on the other side of the earth, opposite of Jerusalem.

They are at Mount Purgatory, and they climb it.

At the summit of the mount, they find Eden, the earthly Paradise.

In Paradise, Beatrice, Dante’s lover, accompanies him to Heaven.

Once he gets to Heaven, he sees all of the hosts (angels) of Heaven, and he is given a vision of the glory of God.

This is where the poem ends.

The Divine Comedy is composed of over 14,000 lines.

Those lines are divided into three canticas (or hymns), Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise.

Each cantica is divided into 33 cantos (or a large division of poetry).

3 is a very prominent number in this work.

Dante’s Hell

located inside the earth There are nine circles or levels in the shape of a

funnel. Each circle is smaller than the one above and

contains a different class of sinners. Lesser sins are punished in the top circles. As sins become worse, the punishment gets

worse, and the circles narrow. Lucifer is in the center of the lowest circle (frozen

lake) along with the worst sinners.

Greek Influence

The five rivers of the Greek underworld appear in the work. four in The Inferno Lethe as the transition from Purgatory to Paradise

Charon acts as a ferry operator and refuses Dante because he is not dead.

Minos (son of Zeus and Europa), is transformed into a bull-monster.