Dante Alighieri ( ) The Inferno

T. S. Eliot quote “Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them; there is no third.”

Basic Biography Born to an old aristocratic family of declining influence Betrothed at 11 or 12 to secure good family alliance Beatrice!

Beatrice Met and fell in love with when he was 9 and she was 8 She died at 25 Inspiration and symbol of love and faith

Education and Politics Well educated in science, literature, music Held various political positions in Florence Had lifelong devotion to city

Florence Divided city: Guelfs (supported Papacy) versus Ghibellines (HRE) Guelfs defeat Ghibellines in 1289 White Guelfs: merchants, bankers, manufacturers Black Guelfs: what was left of feudal aristocracy and workers

Florence (cont) Conflict becomes bloody when Dante (white Guelf) is involved in city government Blacks take control Dante (then out of town) learned of his sentence of banishment and death Dante wanders from court to court rest of life

The Divine Comedy c1315 Written during banishment 3 parts: The Inferno (33 cantos) The Purgatorio (33 cantos) The Paradiso (33 cantos) +1 introductory canto = 100 cantos 3 regarded as the perfect # in middle ages

Structure Tercets: 3 line stanzas Terza rima: aba, bcb, cdc, etc. 3 day journey begins on Good Friday in 1300 and ends in Paradise on Easter Sunday Trinity, three women--3!

The Inferno Guide is Virgil--shows conflict of his values 9 circles of hell divided into 3 parts Sins of Incontinence (lacking self-restraint) Sins of Violence Sins of Fraud Symbolic Retribution: as they sinned, so are they punished

Medieval View of Life Period of trial and suffering Preparation for afterlife Only there could man find happiness

Dante’s view of life Gloried in his talent Man should seek earthly immortality by world actions here One foot in medieval times; one foot looking forward to the Renaissance

The Divine Comedy Can be read on several levels:

1. Literal Man gets lost in the wood of Error on Good Friday. He is met by the spirit of Virgil (Dante considers him incarnation of highest knowledge attainable by human mind) Inferno: Virgil conducts him through Hell to free him of the temptation to sin. Power of God the Father Purgatorio: purify soul of the capacity of error, wisdom of Christ, hope for salvation Paradisio: Beatrice (represents Divine Revelation) conducts him through Paradise to God

2. Allegorical journey Progress of the individual soul towards God Recognizing sin--rejecting and awaiting redemption--achieving salvation

Allegory Extended comparison/metaphor Characters, objects, incidents, descriptions carry one or more meanings in addition to literal Narration, dramatization: Dante represents himself as Everyman and all of mankind

3. Progress of Political and Social Mankind towards peace on earth Characters drawn from Roman history, mythology, Italian contemporary history

Canto One Dante goes astray from straight road Feels he is too involved with worldliness Needs to get to the true path of Christianity

Canto One Symbols Dark wood: symbol of his error, possibility of sin Animals: symbol of worldly sin Virgil: symbol of human reason Beatrice: symbol of Divine love

Canto Two Why Dante is worthy of this journey and chance of salvation Beatrice rescues him--sent by Virgin Mary and Saint Lucia

Questions How does Dante feel about the damned? Where does he express his feelings? Where do they change? Where does Dante need help?