1. Dante Alighieri and his greatest work Divine Comedy

2. Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) Born in Florence Held progressively more powerful positions in Florence Banished in 1302 Worked on Commedia during banishment

3. Dante During Banishment Floated all over Europe Influenced by: –French poetry –Italian vernacular One of the most learned –Especially in art of classical Greek Finished Comedy in Ravenna; died 1321

4. Divine Comedy Originally Commedia (Comedy) –Divine added in 16 th Century Not funny by any means –Traveler begins low (Hell) and ends in Paradise. A literal journey but incredibly symbolic

5. Divine Comedy Literal level: –Journey through the lands of the dead Symbolic –Spiritual pilgrimage of Christian soul from sin (Hell), purification (Purgatory), salvation (Paradise).

6. Divine Comedy 3 parts –Inferno (Hell, guided by Virgil) –Purgatorio –Paradiso (Heaven, guided by Beatrice) Inferno Inferno the most widely read section –A journey through Hell Entrance least harsh – Center most –Constructed as a huge funnel with nine descending circular ledges –Sinners classified according to the nature of their sins. “They got what they wanted” –Those who recognize and repudiate their sins are given a change to purify themselves in Purgatorio, the second of three segments in the poem. Dante feels Hell is a necessary, painful first step of any man’s spiritual journey.

7. Inferno The sinners in the nine rings of hell are guilty of one of three types of sin: –Incontinence: losing control of natural appetites and desires (sex) –Brutishness: attraction to things which repulse the healthy soul (violence) –Malice / Vice: abuse of reason, a human's most god-like quality

8. Inferno Punishments: –Adulterous lovers united forever –Suicides body separated from soul –Violent immersed in boiling blood –Gluttons wallow in own excrement –Dane Cook forced to hear his own “jokes” –Innermost layer Judas, Brutus, Cassius

9. Canto XXII – Violent against people and property

10. Canto XVIII – Panderers and seducers

11. Canto XXVI – Fraudulent advisors (Odysseus)

12. Canto XXXIII – Traitors

13. CantoRegionSinPeoplePunishment Canto 12 Circle 7Violent Against neighbors & fellow men; murderers, war makers Alexander the Great Attila the Hun Submerged in hot blood, Guarded by centaurs, who shoot any soul which attempts to rise Canto 26-27 subcircl e 8 Fraudulent advisers Ulysses/ Odysseus Concealed in flames Canto 34 Round 3 Traitors to lords and benefactors; those who set out to destroy the rightful God Judas, Brutus, Cassius At the center of the Earth, completely submerged in ice. The three ultimate traitors are held in Lucifer's three mouths. Lucifer's three wings send forth freezing blasts of impotence, ignorance and hatred.

14. The Corrupt Salvador Dali Watercolor 1961

15. Set-up of Comedy Sacred numerology –3, 9, 10 100 cantos (square of perfect 10) Each division has 33 cantos 9 (3x3) circles or spheres in each realm Written in tercets (3 line stanzas) Italian rhyme scheme terze rima (third rhyme) –Aba, bcb, cdc…

16. Homework Read reading 2.20 From Dante’s Divine Comedy –Don’t skip the intro Take Cornell Notes on reading – see handout, but take notes in notebook. Possible quiz, definite discussion tomorrow.