Analysis of Dante’s Divine Comedy

Analysis of Dante’s Divine Comedy

Exploring Dante’s Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy, or ‘La Divina Commedia,‘ is a narrative poem by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. He was a thinker and theologist included with religion and political issues in medieval Florence, his hometown. He started writing The Divine Comedy in 1308 and finished it in 1321. Dante’s experience with his great love, Beatrice occurred in 1274, and her influence on his life and work is unquantifiable. He immortalized her in La Vita Nuova (1292) and The Divine Comedy, guaranteeing that her heritage would survive via his words.

In the Middle Ages, authors mostly wrote poetry in Latin. Consequently, only the educated could access them. Dante Alighieri chose to disregard this custom and create The Divine Comedy in a much more primitive variation of the Italian language– the Tuscan dialect. As a result,  many people consider the work a comedy due to the fact that a comedy is a work that manages to clarify the ideas of an ordered universe. In a word, The Divine Comedy is considered one of the most important items of world literature. Many writers and artists were so greatly inspired by it that, subsequently, they produced their own masterpieces.

The Three Main Components

As Analysis of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, is about the writer’s trip towards God via Inferno -Hell, Purgatorio -Purgatory, and Paradiso -Heaven. Each component consists of thirty-three cantos. This division shows the medieval theology specific to Christianity. The objective of Dante’s Divine Comedy was to reveal to people the horrors their spirits would undergo if they did not comply with God’s commandments and did not live righteously.

There is a great deal of symbolism about numbers throughout the story. The number 3 is among the most typical and crucial ones. In Inferno, the first part of The Divine Comedy, we come across three beasts, a three-headed canine– Cerberus, and a three-faced Satan. Dante Alighieri picked the number three because of its relevance in Christianity: there is a Holy Spirit, God– the Father, and Jesus (the 3 godheads). An additional number significant to The Divine Comedy is seven. There are seven deadly sins and seven balconies in Purgatorio. Finally, the author uses the number 9  for the nine circles of Hell and the 9 spheres in Heaven.

In this article, Classroom Essays psychology essay writing service will take an in-depth look at all of the parts of the rhyme, paying major focus to Dante’s Inferno book. We will evaluate the major characters and their significance to the plot. At the same time, you may also want to discover symbolism and efficient means to use it in your writing.

Dante’s Divine Comedy Summary

Let’s go through a quick review of what is the Divine Comedy about. In Dante’s Inferno, he finds himself lost in the woodland. Virgil assists him on his journey, accompanying him throughout Inferno and Purgatorio. He comes across the horrors within Inferno and goes through its 9 circles. We will take a more detailed cHell at each of the circles of hell, establish their specifics and distinctions, and look at Dante’s Inferno– Satan himself.

Purgatorio belongs to The Divine Comedy in which Dante and Virgil travel with the 7 mountain balconies, each standing for a deadly sin.

In Paradiso, the main personality’s beloved Beatrice guides Dante through the 9 celestial spheres of Heaven. The last part of Dante’s rhyme differs from Inferno and Purgatorio in that the protagonist experiences virtues, not sins. Consequently, the poem wraps up on a delighted note, which offers an explanation for why is it called the divine comedy.

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Inferno Summary

 

The first part of The Divine Comedy begins with Dante’s shed in a forest. He is puzzled and does not know just how he arrived:

Canto 2 “When I had journeyed half of our life’s way,
I found myself within a shadowed forest,
for I had lost the path that does not stray.”

Dante is the lead character and primary character in all 3 parts of the poem. His journey is an autobiographical representation where he integrates many of his opponents and historical figures of the past to intervene in the difficult world of Heaven and Hell. He is emotionally shed and requires support to locate the method of righteousness to God– called the True Way.‘ When he experiences the circles of Hell, he is typically depicted as having pity and empathy for the sinners. He realizes that they are guilty of their transgressions, but he still relies on the great in them and discovers their suffering ruining. He is also horrified by all the horrors he runs into in Inferno and seems somewhat anxious. Though Dante is really interested, he tries to talk with lots of sinners along the way.

Canto 28 “Who, though with words unshackled from the rhymes,
Could yet tell full the tale of wounds and blood
Now show me, let him try ten thousand times?”

This quote from Dante’s Inferno shows the vulnerability and sensitivity with which the protagonist speaks of his feelings throughout the journey. His empathy and love for the poor hearts chained in Dante’s Inferno reveal him as a good Christian and God-fearing man.

Inside the Woodlands

In the woodland, he sees a hill close by and tries to climb it, however a lion, a leopard, and a wolf obstruct his path. The spirit of Virgil, an Old Roman poet whose major work is titled Aenid, issues aids him to survive this challenge and leads him with Inferno and Purgatorio to Heaven. Virgil is a brave heart. He represents human factors and wisdom got throughout the ages. On their journey through Inferno, they meet many beasts and scary creatures, yet Virgil takes on every one of them. He is also unbelievably clever and intelligent; he can trick any kind of creature right into helping them because he is a gifted audio speaker.

He is a good friend as he sustains Dante and comforts him when he really feels terrified or worried regarding his obstacles throughout Inferno and Purgatorio. Henceforth, Virgil recognizes that Dante and his destiny depend on him. Regardless of this, he is reasonable to Dante, reprimands him when he gets too soft, and pities the sinners too much. He encourages him to be strong and brave:

 

Canto 5 “Be as a tower, that, firmly set,
Shakes not its top for any blast that blows!”

 

 

Virgil was sent to assist Dante by Beatrice, his precious. Her personality was influenced by a real female called Beatrice, whom Dante met when he was a kid and quickly fell for. Sadly, she died when she was just 25. Dante created several gorgeous rhymes dedicated to her, praising her appeal and love.

Dante and Virgil come close to the entryway to Inferno and see a team of souls whose fate will later on be established, as it is not clear whether there is worse or good, they have dedicated. To reach Hell, one should cross the river Acheron. Charon is an old man who takes souls across the river. He is hesitant to transfer Dante initially because, practically, he is still to live. Be that as it may, Virgil persuades him to do so nevertheless. This is because only God manages Dante’s journey. When they enter Inferno, they see an engraving on its gateway:

 

Canto 3“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

First Circle—Limbo

 

The very first circle is composed not of sinners yet people that are not baptized; either they lived prior to Christ when baptism had not yet spread or never got baptized. They live in a castle with 7 gates, icons of the seven virtues. Technically, it is a substandard kind of Heaven where pagans are stuck and penalized for endless time. Dante and Virgil fulfil numerous Greek and Roman philosophers, poets, and artists, such as Homer, Ovid, Socrates, Cicero, and Julius Cesar. Virgil is among them, which he discusses in the complying with a quote:

 

Canto 4“They sinned not; yet their merit lacked its chiefest
Fulfillment, lacking baptism, which is
The gateway to the faith which thou believest;
Or, living before Christendom, their knees
Paid not aright those tributes that belong
To God; and I myself am one of these.”

 

2nd Circle—Lust

 

The 2nd circle has a more typical appearance of Hell. It is dark, loaded with howling sounds and suffering. Near the entrance to the 2nd circle stands Minos, a big beast that chooses where spirits need to be sent for torture. The 2nd circle holds individuals that were lustful throughout their lives. They are penalized by strong winds blown over them, tossing them backwards and forward. These winds symbolize the uneasiness and instability of people guilty of desire. Dante and Virgil observe many people of Greek and Roman antiquity, mythology, and history– such as Cleopatra, Tristan, and Helen of Troy. To name a few sinners punished for desire, they satisfy the hearts of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini– a pair condemned to Hell for their infidelity and numerous relationship. Francesca describes:

 

Canto 5“Love, which quickly arrests the gentle heart,
Seized him with my beautiful form
That was taken from me, in a manner which still grieves me.”

 

Dante so touched and ravaged by their story, faints. When he wakes, he recognizes that he has actually already shown up in the third circle of Hell.

Third Circle—Gluttony

 

In the third circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil encounter souls whose sin is gluttony. A worm beast, Cerberus, monitors them. They are punished with icy, slushy rain that pours around them without stopping. They can not stand, so the slushy water covers their bodies as they exist. The slushy rainfall signifies personal damage and the lack of ability to stop eating. Individuals in this circle of Inferno have a weak will and can not withstand the earthly pleasures of extravagance– food and beverages. Below, the protagonist satisfies the spirit of Ciacco, his political opponent from Florence.

Fourth Circle—Greed

 

Pluto guards The 4th circle of Dante’s Inferno. Pluto is a Roman god of the underworld that many also regard as the God of riches. Here, the sinners are split right into 2 teams: those that hoarded their belongings and those that spent sumptuously. Their punishment is pressing hefty weights up a hill– primarily rocks, which signifies their lust for nonstop money and belongings. There, Dante identifies many individuals he knows, such as clergymen, popes, and cardinals– every one of whom has actually been greedy throughout their lifetimes.

Fifth Circle—Anger

 

In this circle of hell, Dante and Virgil experience people guilty of wrath and fury. Here, an angel immerses found guilty anger and impatience. in River Styx. Alternatively, the angel requires them to fight each other on its surface area. They gurgle the water of the river, battle, and sink. The water consists of a black harmful liquid, leaving them to endure. Dante experiences another political opponent, Filippo Argenti, who confiscated his properties when he was banished from Florence. He attempts to go up into a boat but gets pressed away.

Phlegyas is the boatman that assists Dante and Virgil make clear this river. A team of dropped angels stops them. Furies threaten to summon Medusa to make sure that she can turn Dante right into stone due to the fact that he does not belong on the planet of the dead. An angel shows up and opens up the gate prior to Medusa can reach them.

Sixth Circle—Heresy

The 6th circle of Inferno is for apostates– individuals with in contrast opinions to Christian ideas. There, they depend on burial places that burn them alive. Dante talks with Farinata degli Uberti, a political leader, and his contemporaries, that did not believe in God. He also sees Epicurus, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and Pope Anastasius II.

Seventh Circle—Violence

A Minotaur (half-man and half-bull) obstructs the passage to the seventh circle. Virgil insults him, and the minotaur ruptures into a violent outrage, letting Dante and Virgil creep previous him. The seventh circle of Hell of Dante’s Inferno is divided into three rings. Nessus is a centaur who brings the protagonist via the initial ring. In this circle, they see a woodland occupied by harpies– mythical creatures with birds’ bodies and women’s heads. Dante splits a branch from a tree that shrieks in horror and pain.

The tree turns out to be the heart of Pier della Vigna. He finished his life because he was accused of conspiracy against the emperor. They blinded him for treason and tossed him right into jail, where he eliminated himself. As Dante learns God keeps those who commit suicide in the seventh circle and they become trees eventually.  There, harpies eat their leaves, which causes the trees much discomfort.

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To get from the 7th to the 8th circle of Inferno, Virgil and Dante get aid from Geryon– a gigantic Beast of the Fraud He has a dragon-like body and wings, the paws of a lion, and a human face.

Eighth Circle– Fraud.

This circle is divided into 10 Bolgias– ditches with bridges between them, positioned around a round well. Malacoda is the leader that safeguards the entry to the eighth circle of Hell. He exists and tricks both the poet and Virgil by telling them that there are bridges in this circle which they have absolutely nothing to bother with. Nonetheless, their path is really harmful. Each Bolgia has different sorts of individuals that sin is a fraud:

Canto 11“Of all malicious wrong that earns Heaven’s hate
The end is injury; all such ends are won
Either by force or fraud. Both perpetrate
Evil to others; but since man alone
Is capable of fraud, God hates that worst;
The fraudulent lie lowest, then, and groan”

They run into panderers, seducers, sorcerers, false prophets, corrupt politicians, hypocrites, thieves, bad counsellors and advisers, sorcerers, imitations, and perjurers. Pope Boniface VIII, Dante’s political adversary, is amongst the sinners they meet in this circle. On the trip from the 8th to the nine of Dante’s Inferno circles of Hell, they obtain help from Antaeus, a giant that carries them down the well, which is the course to the 9th and final circle of Hell.

Ninth Circle—Treachery

In like fashion, we now shed light on the ninth and last circle. This circle is a lake– Cocytus. The sinners here are submerged in ice; just their heads protrude. Dante sees Bocca degli Abati, a Florentine traitor, that is so ashamed of his transgressions, he does not wish to inform Dante of his name at first. As Dante and Virgil continue with the lake, they see the giant number of Lucifer, also embedded in ice. Lucifer is the Prince of Hell. He has 3 mouths, and in each of them, he holds a sinner: Judas, Brutus, and Cassius:

 

Canto 34“Each mouth devoured a sinner clenched within,
Frayed by the fangs like flax beneath a brake;
Three at a time he tortured them for sin.”

 

To get out of Inferno, Dante and Virgil should climb Lucifer’s body. They take care to crawl out of the hole and find themselves on an island where they see plenty of bright celebrities and Mt. Purgatory. This finishes Dante’s Inferno book.

Purgatorio Summary

At the start of the 2nd part of The Divine Comedy, Dante and Virgil find themselves at the dawn of a new day. They stand at the shore and see a watercraft show up. On the boat are souls an angel has brought who will climb up Mount Purgatory. Needless to say, it is developed by the variation of rock which resulted when Satan’s fall produced Hell. Together with Dante, to rid themselves of wrongs and continue to Heaven. Dante can not waste any time, however, he is forced to spend the evening outside of Purgatory with other souls, that, unlike him, can not travel at night. Dante falls asleep, and when he gets up, Virgil tells him that St. Lucia helped him and brought him straight to the gates of Purgatory.

It is also important to realize that, In Purgatory, they have seven balconies to trip with. Prior to their get-in, an angel places the 7 ‘P gets on Dante’s temple. They represent the seven deadly sins. The angel states that every time surpasses a terrace he overcomes sin and subsequently, a ‘P’ will disappear.

In view of the above, one must delve deeper into the seven balconies.

The Seven Balconies/Terraces

 

The first balcony is of Pride. There, the explorer Dante and Virgil see penitents carry heavy weights up the mountain of humbleness to heal them of their pride:

 

Canto 10“Whatever makes them suffer their
heavy torment bends them to the ground;
at first I was unsure of what they were.
But look intently there, and let your eyes
unravel what’s beneath those stones: you can
already see what penalty strikes each.”

 

The second balcony belongs to Envy. The jealous penitents there are treated with their eyelids attached closed with iron wire. Conversely, voices yell instances of punished envy to magnify the effect.

The third balcony relates Anger/ Wrath. The penitents below are treated with black smoke that enters their eyes and makes them blind.

The 4th terrace is of the Slothful. The here punishes them ceaselessly and tirelessly.

On the fifth balcony, they penalize greedy and avaricious spirits. The punished are linked by their feet and arms, face down on the ground. To clear themselves of these transgressions, they should yell instances of poverty and kindness.

The sixth balcony belongs to Gluttony. At this juncture, the penitents cleanse their hearts by experiencing extreme cravings and thirst.

The seventh and final terrace is of Lust, where the penitents stroll in flames and proclaim examples of virtue. It is not until when Dante has gone through all seven terraces successfully that he gets his last P removed.

Removal of the Last P

At sunset, they reach the departure of the last terrace, and the angel removes Dante’s last ‘P’. To continue, he has to undergo a wall of flames that separates Purgatorio and Paradiso. He is very terrified and waits, but Virgil convinces him to comfort and be brave due to the fact that he will ultimately see Beatrice once he is with this challenge. When Dante passes through the fires, he goes to sleep. He gets up the following morning, all set to begin his journey through Paradiso. They approach the banks of the river Lethe, and instantly, Virgil goes away, and rather, Beatrice shows up before the protagonist.  The loss of his friend devastates him and he regrets it.

In that case, the author portrays Beatrice as Dante’s overview of Purgatorio. She is really knowledgeable, a little stringent, and undoubtedly relies on the good in Dante. She believes that this journey will conserve his heart and give him redemption.  As such, Beatrice is a personification of divine knowledge, knowledge, and great, righteous judgment.

Finally, Dante confesses to Beatrice all of his wrongs. As a consequence, she judges him for them and shares her disappointment in this quote:

 

Canto 2“What trenches did you meet, what chains or rope
Did you find barring you from passing on,
That you should have divested all your hope?”

 

Surprisingly though, another woman named Matilda washes them off in the river Lethe when Dante goes to sleep. When he wakes up, Beatrice tells him that he can proceed with one problem: he has to write about whatever he sees in Paradiso when he goes back to Earth.

Then, Matilda submerges Dante in the river Eunoe, which makes him all set to rise to Heaven together with Beatrice.

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Paradiso Summary

As shown above, Dante moves from the inferno to purgatory and ultimately paradise.

Paradiso consists of nine spheres:

1. The first sphere is the Moon. Beatrice describes to Dante the structure of deep space. She says the Moon is the home for souls that broke their swears. Their words did not have guts and no one can rely on them.
2. The 2nd sphere is Mercury. There, Dante and Beatrice meet Justinian, who discusses the background of Ancient Rome. This sphere occupies a space near the Sunlight; it represents those who did good deeds for fame and magnificence.
3. The 3rd ball is Venus. There, Dante encounters Charles Martel of Anjou. He talks with Dante about the importance of societal variety and improving its function by including people with various histories.
4. The fourth sphere is the round of the Sunlight. There, St. Thomas, together with another eleven hearts, explains to Dante the significance of not judging hastily and being aware of vigilance.
5. The fifth incredible ball is Mars. It relates to warriors that needed their confidence and God. There, Dante fulfils Cacciaguida, who tells him about the worthy past of Florentines, and Dante’s mission in providing all the knowledge he has gained on his journey to Florence and its people.
6. The sixth ball is Jupiter. It is a place of kings who present justice. A giant eagle talks to Dante about divine justice and the leaders of the past, such as Constantine and Trajan.
7. The 7th degree of Heaven is the ball of Saturn. God has dedicated it  to those who live by temperance and pray vigorously. He witnesses individuals that go up and down a golden ladder. Right here, Dante meets St. Peter Damian, who lectures him on clergy corruption and predestination. They discuss the moral decrease of the institute of the church.
8. The eighth-degree name is the Fixed Stars. Dante and Beatrice discover the Virgin Mary and other Scriptural characters, such as Adam, John, Peter, and James. They clarify to Dante the intricacies of Heaven and Eden.
9. The ninth sphere bears the name Premium Mobile. God regulates it and as a result, impacts all the lower spheres accordingly. It is the location where angels live. Beatrice explains to Dante the tale of the creation of deep space and angels’ lives. They gradually rose to Empyrean, the highest place in Heaven. Once they arrive, light covers Dante thereby enabling him to see God and the Holy Trinity.

Despite the fact that Dante’s paradise has nine spheres, there is a tenth sphere, the Empyrean or the mind of God. This is true of the blessed souls a heaven of pure light way beyond time and space. In a word, eternity.

God’s Eternal Love

 

In summary, after his journey has finished, Dante realizes that God’s love is eternal. He now completely comprehends the enigma of the Manifestation. God’s hand honours Dante’s answer, and currently, he totally understands the full image of the globe.

Dante’s Divine Comedy is a complex artwork, yet how is Dante’s divine comedy an example of humanist art precisely? Well, to at least state, it takes the viewers through the nine circles of Hell, the seven balconies of Purgatory, and the 9 spheres of Paradise. Each part of the journey has lots of dead spirits that endure attempting to free themselves of their wrongs or simply survive in the afterlife. It is full of many historic figures and mystical and mythological animals.

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Having gone through the Divine Comedy summary, we can say that Dante fearlessly mentions human weaknesses and Hells out human nature with a deep degree of understanding. This masterpiece has had a considerable effect on the growth of European literary works and remains to influence and influence visitors to this day. For those that have yet to read this artwork, it must be clear that it is a trip well worth taking.

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