The Divine Comedy Structure And Story Inferno Purgatorio

The Divine Comedy (in Italian "Comedia" or "Commedia", later christened "Divina" by Giovanni Boccaccio), written by Dante Alighieri between 1265 and his death in 1321, is widely considered the greatest epic poem of Italian literature , and one of the greatest of world literature.

1 Structure and Story

The Divine Comedy is composed of three canticas (volumes), Inferno ( Hell), Purgatorio ( Purgatory), and Paradiso ( Paradise), composed respectively of 34, 33, and 33 cantos. The verse scheme used, terza rima, is the hendecasyllable (line of eleven syllables), with the lines composing tercets according to the rhyme scheme ABA BCB CDC...Z.

The poet tells in the first person his travel through the three realms of the dead, lasting during Holy Week in the spring of 1300Events Beginning of the Renaissance. Abacus first used in China. Money from Florence, Italy becomes the first International Currency. Philip IV of France begins attempt to annex Flanders. Wenceslas II of Bohemia becomes King of Poland. Jubilee of Pope Bon. His guide through Hell and Purgatory is the Latin poet VirgilFor other uses see Virgil (disambiguation). Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 19 BC) known in English as Virgil or Vergil Latin poet, is the author of the Eclogues the Georgics and the Aeneid this last being a narrative poem in twelve books that is and the guide through Paradise is BeatriceBeatrice can be: Beatrice, Nebraska, or Beatrice Portinari, Dante Alighieri's great love and muse., Dante's ideal of a perfect woman.

1.1 Inferno

The poem begins with the author lost in a dark wood and assailed by allegorical forces of darkness and spiritual calamity (Canto 1). He is rescued by Virgil at the intercession of Beatrice (Canto 2), and he and Virgil enter the Gate of Hell (Canto 3) and are ferried across the river AcheronThe Acheron river is in the Epirus region of north west Greece. Acheron translates as "river of woe" and believed to be a branch of the underworld river Acheron over which in ancient Greek mythology Charon ferried the newly dead souls across into Hades. to Hell proper.

Virgil guides Dante through the nine circles of Hell. The circles are concentric, with each new one representing further and further evil, culminating in the center of the earth, where SatanAlternate meaning: Satan is also the name of a genus of catfish. See: Satan eurystomus. Satan Standard Hebrew Satan Tiberian Hebrew Sn Aramaic Sin both words mean "Adversary; accuser") is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. Satan plays variou is held bound. The nine circles are:

1.2 Purgatorio

The two then ascend out of the undergloom to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world (in Dante's time, it was believed that Hell existed underneath Jerusalem). The initial parts of the book describe the shore of Purgatory (Cantos 1-2) and its slopes, where those who were excommunicated, those lazy too repent and those who repented just before death await their turn to ascend the mountain (Cantos 3-6). Finally, there is a valley housing European rulers and the door to Purgatory (Cantos 7-9).

From there, Virgil guides Dante Pilgrim through the seven terraces of Purgatory. These correspond to the seven deadly sins, with each terrace causing the purging of a particular sin:

Pride (Cantos 10-12).
Envy (Cantos 13-15).
Wrath (Cantos 15-17).
Sloth (Cantos 18-19).
Avarice (Cantos 19-21).
Gluttony (Cantos 22-24).
Lust (Cantos 25-27).

The ascension of terraces culminates at the summit, which is the Garden of Eden (Cantos 28-33). Virgil, as a pagan, is a permanent denizen of Limbo, the first circle of Hell; thus he may not enter Paradise. Beatrice then becomes the second guide, (accompanied by an extravagant procession) as well as a redemptrix and mediatrix. Beatrice is modeled after Beatrice Portinari, a woman Dante loved in childhood and who passed away in 1290, leaving Dante grief-stricken. She is exemplified in La Vita Nuova ("The New Life") and is further beatified.

1.3 Paradiso

After an initial ascension (Canto 1), Beatrice guides Dante Pilgrim through the nine spheres of Heaven. These are concentric and spherical, similar to Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology. The addition of a moral dimension means that a soul that has reached Paradise stops at the level applicable to it. The nine spheres are:

The moon - those who abandoned their vows (Cantos 2-5).
Mercury - those who did good out of a desire for fame (Cantos 5-7).
Venus - those who did good out of love (Cantos 8-9).
The sun - souls of the wise (Cantos 10-14).
Mars - those who fought for Christianity (Cantos 14-18).
Jupiter - those who personified justice (Cantos 18-20).
Saturn - the contemplative (Cantos 21-22).
The stars - the blessed (Cantos 22-27). Here, Dante is tested on Faith by Saint Peter, Hope by Saint James and Love by Saint John.
The Prime Mover - angels (Cantos 27-29).

From here, Dante ascends to a substance beyond physical existence called the Empyrean Heaven (Cantos 30-33). Here he comes face-to-face with God himself and is granted understanding of the Divine and of human nature.

2 Thematic Concerns

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings. Dante's allegory, however, is more complex and in explaining how to read the poem (see the " Letter to Can Grande della Scala") he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory: the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical.

The structure of the poem is likewise quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work: particularly 3's and 9's. What has made the poem as great as it is are its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics, and his powerful poetic imagination. The fact that he uses real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno," allows him the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

3 Response and Criticism

The work was not always so well-regarded. After being recognized as a masterpiece in the first centuries after its publication, the work was largely ignored during the Enlightenment, only to be "rediscovered" by the romantic writers of the nineteenth century. Modern authors as disparate as William Blake, T.S. Eliot and James Joyce have drawn on it for inspiration; modern poets, such as Seamus Heaney and William Merwin, have given us powerful translations of it.

Gustave Doré's illustrations for the Comedy are widely used in modern editions. Salvador Dalí also composed a cycle of paintings from each section of the Commedia. Contemporary artist, Jennifer Strange offers dynamic charcoal drawings inspired by the Inferno and Purgatory in the "Commedia" Inspired by Dante

The heavy metal band Iced Earth paid tribute to the poem with an epic song of their own, entitled "Dante's Inferno". Clocking in at 16 minutes and 29 seconds and featuring long instrumental sections, abrupt tempo changes and a pseudo- Gregorian choir, the song is found on the 1995 album Burnt Offerings.

The band Symphony X also pays tribute to the poem with an epic song of their own, entitled " The Divine Wings of Tragedy ", although it contains some passages of famous classic songs, such as The Planets by Gustav Holst.

Thom Yorke from the pop band Radiohead has also referenced Dante's Inferno as a recurring source of inspiration for his music and many references to the poem can be found admist the band's lyrics. Requests for expansion

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