A JOURNEY TO THE AFTERLIFE IC CENA CERVETERI A JOURNEY TO THE AFTERLIFE BY TEACHER MS. DI MAIO

WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

THE DIVINE COMEDY It is an EPIC POEM written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and 1321 It is considered the preeminent work of the Italian literature One of the greatest works of world literature

GLOSSARY FORM Comedy Epic poem Cantica Canto Allegory Retaliation CONTENT Cosmology Politics, history Astronomy Philosophy Christian theology Maths Scientific issues

WHAT IS IT ? For all the topics it discusses The Divine Comedy can be considered as a synthesis of the knowledge of the Middle Age

THE TITLE Originally it was simply Called Comedia but later it was christened Divina by Giovanni Boccaccio

It describes Dante's travel through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven WHAT IS IT ABOUT? It describes Dante's travel through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven At a deeper level it represents ALLEGORICALLY the soul's journey towards God

TIME OF THE STORY Written in the first person, the poem tells of Dante's journey through the three realms of the dead, starting from the night before Good Friday to the Wednesday after Easter in the spring of 1300

First verses Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark For the straightforward pathway had been lost

Starting of the journey Dante is 35, lost in a dark wood, assailed by beasts(a lion, a leopard,a she-wolf), unable to find the right way to salvation, he is rescued by Virgil and they start their voyage

Dante's guide through Hell and Purgatory is the Roman poet Virgil

Beatrice She represents the Ideal woman of the courtly love tradition She guides Dante through Heaven She represents the Ideal woman of the courtly love tradition

THE STRUCTURE It is divided into 3 parts called canticas: INFERNO (HELL) PURGATORIO(PURGATORY) PARADISO (PARADISE)

CREATION OF HELL AND PURGATORY AND PARADISE

Hell It is divided in 9 circles containing the damned followed by Lucifer at its bottom

CHARACTERS IN THE HELL:ULYSSES Hero taken from the Odyssey that Dante sets in the eight circle of the hell where are situated the bad advisors since he deceived his friends many times and led his mates in a tempest causing their death He is wrapped in tongues of fire

PURGATORY Mount Purgatory is divided in 9 rings where penitents are expiating their faults, followed by the Garden of Eden at its summit

TERRACES IN THE PURGATORY The core of classification is love: the first 3 terraces related to perverted love directed to harm others, the fourth relates to deficient love, and the last three to excessive or disordered love

EDEN Allegorically it represents the state of innocence before the fall from grace of Adam and Eve

PARADISE Paradise is divided in 9 celestial skies followed by the Empyrean which contains the true essence of God

PARADISE

THE VISION OF GOD Dante finally comes face- to-face with God himself who appears as 3 equally large circles occupying the same space, representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

A QUICK REVIEW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CPug2geRSs

EXERCISES Answer the following questions: 1-When was composed The Divine Comedy? a-before 1330 b-after 1330 c- the date is uncertain 2-In which language is it written? a- Latin b-English c-Vulgar Italian 3-The Comedy is divided in 3 sections that are called : a-canticas b-cantos c-songs 4-The dark forest is an allegory for : a-ignorance b-sin c-religion 5-Where is the dark forest gatewat to hell? A-somewhere in Sicily b- near Jerusalem c-in Rome 6-Who is placed at the centre of the earth? a- Lucifer b-Cerberus c-the Minotaur 7-How many rings is Purgatory divided in? a-7 b-9 c-11 8-How is Purgatory represented? a- as an amphytheatre b- as a steep mountain c- as a spit of land that juts into the sea 9-Who is the personification of perfect happiness and love that Dante meets at the end of Purgator?a-Emelda b-Beatrice c-Eve 10-How many concentric skies does Paradise consist of? a-7 b-9 c-11

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES WITH THE WORDS GIVEN EPIC-JOURNEY- THREE- ETERNAL-REPENTANTS- BLESSED-HELL(2)-PURGATORY(2)-HEAVEN(2) 1-THE DIVINE COMEDY IS AN POEM WRITTEN BY DANTE, ITALIAN AUTHOR OF THE MIDDLE AGES, TO TELL HIS INTO THE REALMS OF THE DEAD 2-HE COMPLETES HIS JOURNEY IN DIFFERENT KINGDOMS WHICH ARE 3-IN HE MEETS THE SOULS OF DAMNED TO PUNISHMENTS 4-IN HE ENCOUNTERS THE SERVING THEIR SENTENCES 5-IN HE MEETS THE SOULS OF THE ONES AND HE SEES GOD