James Chua

Dante’s Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy, one of Dante's most well known works, is split into three sections, each split

into 33 Canti, which are similar to verses, only certain are chosen for brevity.

Inferno

Ah, it is hard to speak of what it was

that savage forest, dense and difficult,

which even in recall renews my fear

Purgatorio

and what I sing will be that second kingdom

in which the human soul is cleansed of sin

becoming worthy of ascent to Heaven

Paradiso

I was within the heaven that receives

more of His light; and I saw things that he

who from that height descends, forgets or can

Not speak;

https://pixnio.com/architecture/statues/gargoyle-statues

Gargoyles, a popular art form in Medieval Europe, were made to scare off evil, playing into the purposes of Inferno

Biographic Information:

• Dante was born in 1265 in Florence, Italy.  Being born into Roman Catholic beliefs, and was

the reason for references to certain Italian/Roman seats of power.

• Dante was also very interested in Roman and Greek culture, one of which was the ancient

empire of Italy, and incorporated many elements of each in The divine Comedy.

• Dante’s encounters with Beatrice are the reason why so much passion was put into Paradiso,

since he had a “relationship” with her.

• Dante, after his exile of being an opposing party member in Rome during another’s rule, didn’t

believe in the cause, and gave him time and reason to work on literary work.

• Dante wrote another piece called La Vita Nuova, which is attributed to Beatrice, whose death

interrupted one of the Conzones, or songs.


Poem Analysis: The Divine Comedy is the journey of the poet, Dante, being lost in a forest, and having to go through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven with Virgil, another poet. Inferno was first written in 1304 by Dante Alighieri , with the poem reaching the end in 1321. Which, explains the religious topics that the poem writes about, religion was strictly enacted during this time, with many holy monarchs and religious fears. His depiction of hell is simple and straightforward, a “savage forest, dense and difficult.” Anyone against what is practiced during that time is to suffer in Hell for all eternity, with some figures, Pope Boniface VIII, Virgil, and even Ulysses from The Iliad, a way to bridge real figures with stories, all linked with Hell. Hell became what it is defined today, with it's systems and punishments explained. The second Stanza, or Canto, describes the forest that is Hell. Purgatorio is one of the more interesting areas, since it’s a place that houses people that challenge God philosophically, or “where the human soul is cleansed of sin,” being a another chance to heaven," Since Dante enjoys philosophical concepts, he has put a very in-between place, complete with rites and famous scholars have made Purgatory seem lost, and abandoned, but not without hope. The last part, which involves finding truth and God himself in “the heaven that receives more of his light,” is the good revelry of Christian value. The message may not be the deepest poetry epic, but it’s influence and context are the most important part of what the Canti represent, and the rise of human emotion with Beatrice.
The Divine Comedy was written in 1304, around the time of The Renaissance, a period of religious, artistic, and political reform. Events in the poetry epic were mainly inspired by Beatrice, one of Dante’s unrequited loves, in which he never spoke to other than a couple encounters, due to her death. Beatrice was made into the guide for Dante since Virgil is considered a pagan, and became the eventual guide for Heaven. The backdrop of love, along with being in heaven, was passionate, and became one of the inspiring pieces behind the Renaissance, As the last Canto states “See Beatrice—how many saints with her, They join my prayers! They clasp their hands to you.” it’s no coincidence that lots of art was made for certain moments in Inferno and Paradiso, the two most descriptive parts. Especially due to the description of power in Inferno, with a treacherous Pope being in hell, it was a slight move towards aristocratic families rising to power, partaking in art and having much more power than the Pope or the government. At the time of writing, particularly around his earlier works, La vita Nuova, he believed in writing in the Vernacular, or the common language that everyone speaks in, instead of Latin, which was the norm for writing back then. Combined with the three line scheme that he invented which helped it easier to read, quote, and easier rhythm, served to promote Dante’s work to be much more well known to the common, and educated people of Italy.
Dante’s Divine Comedy is a not just a story of religion, but a story that helps to realize many facets that are derived from it, from philosophy to human emotion, this poetry epic is one of the inspirations of a transition in human thinking.