Dante Alighieri and His Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri and His Divine Comedy

Dante Alighieri � Born in Florence, Italy, in 1265 � Italy’s greatest poet � Author of The Divine Comedy � Banished from Florence after getting caught in the middle of feuding political parties � Died in Ravenna, Italy, in 1321

Original Title � La commedia di Dante Alighieri (The Comedy of Dante Alighieri) � “di” not only means that Dante wrote the work, but also that he experienced what took place in the work � In 1555, a special edition of the poem was published � The publishers changed the title to The Divine Comedy to show their admiration

Year Completed Most likely written between 1306 and 1321 • • Gained a large audience even though copies had to be handwritten • Ranks as one of the greatest literary works of ALL time

Comedy? REALLY? ? • In the Middle Ages, a comedy was a literary work with a happy ending • There were three works in Dante’s Divine Comedy • Inferno (Hell) • Purgatorio (Purgatory) • Paradiso (Paradise) • Although Dante’s journey starts in Hell, he ends up in Paradise

Type of Work � Epic poem on a vast scale � Told by Dante himself in first person POV � Allegory � Virgil symbolizes human reason � Beatrice stands for faith and supernatural truth � Persons in various Cantos represent sins such as greed, gluttony, Allegory – a work in which characters, settings, and events stand for abstract etc. or morallust, concepts

So what makes it so special? � Earlier epics such as the Iliad, Odyssey, and Beowulf � Focused on individual heroes in specific regions � Borrowed heavily from regional myths and legends � The � Is Divine Comedy primarily taken from the author’s own imagination � Encompasses heroes and villains from everywhere, including the material and spiritual world

Dante’s Views � The Divine Comedy reflects Dante’s political, religious, and social views � Separation of church and state � Papacy should rule on spiritual matters � Emperor or king should rule in material matters � As a Catholic, Dante supported the Church’s teachings on life after death but did not always believe in the leadership of the church at the time � Dante places seven popes in a circle of Hell in The Divine Comedy The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

Significance of the Number 3 � Dante wrote The Divine Comedy in honor of the three persons who make up the one God: � � God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit Consider that the poem has the following: � � � 3 main sections: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise 33 cantos in each section (The first section also has an introductory canto) 3/3 rhyme scheme (terza rima) in which the second line of one stanza rhymes with the first and third lines of the next stanza 3 guides–Vergil, Beatrice and St. Bernard –who lead Dante through the realms of the afterlife A division of sin into 3 types: incontinence, violence, and malice or fraud, including simony, hypocrisy, flattery and forgery A leopard, a lion and a wolf symbolizing

Verse Format and Structure � Contains 100 cantos (major divisions or “chapters” of the epic) written in terza rima (an Italian verse invented by Dante) � Consists of threeline stanzas that rhyme in aba, bcb, cdc form Along the journey of our life half way I found myself again in a dark wood Wherein the straight road no longer lay Ah, tongue can never make it understood So harsh and dense and savage to traverse That fear returns in thinking on that wood It is so bitter death is hardly worse But, for the good it was my chance to gain Terza rima – an interlocking, three-line stanza form with rhyme The other things I sawthethere I'llscheme aba, bcb, cdc, etc. rehearse

Setting � The action takes place in 1300 � It begins in the Forest of Darkness on Good Friday and ends on the following Thursday � Dante is exactly 35 years old when he starts his journey (half of threescore years and ten) � Dante travels from the Forest of Darkness through Hell and Purgatory, and finally ascends to Heaven

And now…introducing…THE CHARACTERS!

Dante Alighieri � The main character, or protagonist, of the poem is the author himself. No other epic poets before him–including Homer and Vergil–had made themselves the main characters of their poems.

Virgil (Vergil) � The Roman Virgil (Vergil) escorts Dante through Hell and Purgatory. � He symbolizes human reason. � Virgil � (70 -19 B. C. ) A poet Dante admired, wrote the great Latin epic The Aeneid, which chronicled the exploits of the legendary Trojan hero Aeneas, who escaped Troy after the Trojan War and settled in Italy. There, his descendants founded Rome.

Beatrice � Beatrice Portinari (1265 - 1290) � Believed to be the daughter of banker Folco Portinari, Beatrice guides Dante into the celestial realm. � Represents faith and grace � Was Dante's first love, and he never forgot her even after he married Gemma Donati and Beatrice married Simon de Bardi

Historical Personages � Vergil (see above) � Homer, the great epic poet of ancient Greece � Horace, Ovid, and Lucan, poets of ancient Rome � Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta, illicit lovers killed by Francesca's husband � Queen Cleopatra of Egypt � Cato, a righteous government official of ancient Rome � Venedico Caccianemico, an Italian politician accused of pimping � Griffolino of Arezzo, who deceived Alberto of Siena by pretending that he could teach him to fly � Pope Nicholas III, associated with simony, the practice of buying or selling ecclesiastical offices or benefices � Pierre de la Brosse, chancellor of France who was executed in 1278 but was innocent of the charge against him, treachery � Brutus and Cassius, ringleaders of the assassination plot against Julius Caesar � Judas, betrayer of Christ St. Thomas Aquinas; St.

Mythological Personages & Creatures � Minos, King of Crete and later judge of the Underworld � Paris and Helen, lovers who caused the Trojan War � Achilles, the proud Greek warrior who offended the gods in various ways � Cerberus, the three-headed dog at the entrance to the Underworld and, in the Inferno, symbol of appetite and gluttony with his three mouths � Geryon, a monster with a stinger who is a symbol of fraud � Ulysses, wily Greek who devised the Trojan horse, enabling Greece to defeat Troy in the Trojan War; he is in hell as a deceiver � Arachne, a maiden turned into a spider after angering Minerva (Athena), goddess of wisdom and war � The Furies, avengers of crimes � The Harpies, hideous monsters � Chiron, a wise centaur (creature that was part horse and part human) � Jason, famed retriever of the Golden Fleece who abandoned his wife, Medea, for another woman.

Supernatural Beings �Satan �Angels �Daemon s

Reading Selections � Students � Canto will read 1 – The Introduction � Canto 3 – The Journey � Canto 5 – The Journey � Canto 34 – The End

Canto 1 Pre-Reading and Beyond

The Traitors by Gustave Dore

Guiding Questions � Why does The Divine Comedy remain one of the world's most popular literary classics, appearing in high school curriculums around the world? Do the denizens of Hell (Inferno) have any admirable qualities? � The Roman epic poet Virgil guided Dante partway through his journey. To what extent did Virgil (70 -19 B. C. ) guide Dante in the latter's literary career? � To what extent did Dante intend his description of the afterlife to be taken literally? To what extent was it to be taken figuratively or allegorically? � Dante mentioned by name many historical personages condemned to eternal damnation. In doing so, was he going too far? After all, the Bible (Matthew: Chapter 7, Verse 1) declares, "Judge not, lest ye be judged. " � Explain in detail the difference between the earth-centered (geocentric) system of Ptolemy and the sun-centered (heliocentric) system of Copernicus and Galileo. � Dante completed The Divine Comedy more than 100 years before the invention of the printing press. Research and explain in detail how a literary work in Dante's time was mass-produced and distributed. �

Vocabulary �allotted – assigned as a share or a portion �ascend – to move upward �shade – a disembodied spirit; ghost �incontinence – failure to restrain sexual appetite �juxtaposition – the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side

Vocabualry cont’d �renunciation – the act or practice of refusing �pinnacle – the highest point of development or achievement �astray – off the right path or route �Purgatory – a place between Heaven and Hell in which those who have died within God’s grace may make satisfaction for past sins and in turn become fit to enter Heaven; a place or state of temporary suffering or misery

Activity � Students will read Introducing Canto 1 in groups of three to four. � What is the "dark wood"? How did Dante get there? � What's the significance of Dante "waking up" HALFWAY through the course of his life? He says he was so "full of sleep" that he can't even tell when he began to lose his way…. why does he wake up HALFWAY through? � What was the sleeping state Dante was in before? � Let's stay with this image of waking up in a strange, dark, savage, tangled, rough place-a place you don't entirely recognize and which you can't remember getting to. It sounds like someone on a bender, doesn't it? A kind of hangover from drunkenness? What's that feeling, and why is there at the beginning of the Inferno? When you imagine yourself in those shoes, what state do you realize Dante is in as the poem

The Forest of Error � On Good Friday in 1300, the 35 -year-old Dante enters the Forest of Error, a dark and ominous wood symbolizing his own sinful materialism and the materialism of the world in general. At the top of a hill in the distance, he sees a light representing the hope of the resurrected Christ. When he attempts to climb toward the light, a leopard, lion, and she-wolf–which symbolize human iniquity–block his way. The spirit of the Roman poet Virgil comes forth to rescue him. Virgil, the exemplar of human reason, offers to escort him out of the Forest of Error by another route, for there is no way to get by the she-wolf. This alternate route leads first through Hell, where Dante will recognize sin for what it is, then through Purgatory, where Dante will abjure sin and purge himself of it. Finally, it leads to Heaven, where Beatrice will become his guide. Dante happily agrees to make the journey, and they depart.

Discussion � The following question focuses on archetypes. Dante’s journey suggests that there is a close link between salvation and struggle or suffering. This link between enlightenment and suffering also appears in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. What other literary figures have discovered truth only after great suffering? � The following question focuses on imagery. What images in lines 1 – 12 convey the horror and confusion that Dante feels in this fearsome place? � What three beasts block Dante’s way? � Why can't Dante leave the wood? What's the significance that "three beasts" block his way? What do you think these beasts signify? Do they have symbolic meaning, and if so, what is it?

Discussion The following question focuses on analyzing. Despite the allegorical nature of the three beasts, Dante first invites his readers to see them first as real beasts. What specific descriptive words or phrases does Dante use to make them seem real? � The following question focuses on symbolism. Which details suggests that the She-wolf is more symbolic than real? Use specific quotes from the text to support your answer. � Light appears and disappears here at the beginning of the book. What do you think the "light" and "dark" symbolize? � Not sure if he's "man or shade" Dante cries to Virgil for help, and Virgil offers to lead him on a "timeless" path through an "eternal realm. " He seems to be offering Dante the chance to see things he's never seen before, things he needs to see if he's going to climb out of his "rut, " his confusion and moral disorientation. When he realizes his guide is Virgil, Dante seems to have all the confidence in the world in him, because Virgil is one of his "heroes. " Keep an eye on Dante's relationship with Virgil as the book progresses; notice how it changes and grows. Dante sets out with confidence, but as we'll see at the very beginning of �

Discussion � Keep in mind that Virgil, whom Dante much admired, is the writer of the Aeneid, the epic poem that depicts the founding of Rome. Dante sees Virgil as a symbol of human reason. Why is Virgil an appropriate symbol of human reason? (Focus on what you know about neo-classicism. ) � The following question focuses on making inferences. Why does Virgil refer to the Roman gods as “false and lying gods”? � The following question focuses on The Inferno as an allegory. Who does Virgil predict will destroy the She-Wolf? Who is the Greyhound in whom “shall be the resurrection and new day”? � Paraphrase lines 105 – 116. � Why does Virgil counsel Dante to follow him? � The following question focuses on making inferences. Why do you think that Dante accepts Virgil’s invitation to travel with him to the “sad halls of Hell”? � In lines 115 – 119, Virgil explains that he cannot lead Dante into Heaven because Virgil is forbidden to go there. Why might a “worthier spirit” be allowed to lead Dante into Heaven, whereas Virgil cannot?

Canto 3 Pre-Reading and Beyond

Canto II Summary � Like all good conversations, the one between Dante and Virgil has apparently lasted all day. Seriously. The sun is setting and Dante mentally fortifies himself for the upcoming night. (Picture an internal pep talk, complete with the you-can-do-it coaching. ) To give him courage and virtue and whatnot, Dante invokes the Muses. But he’s still afraid and doubtful of his own abilities. So he asks Virgil in a long, convoluted way why he was chosen for this journey. This includes comparing himself to "he who fathered Sylvius" (meaning Aeneas, from Virgil’s Aeneid) and the "Chosen Vessel" (meaning St. Peter), both of whom traveled in a divine realm (Underworld and Heaven). Dante claims that he’s not nearly as great or heroic as these figures. So, "why me? " he asks.

Canto II Summary cont’d � Virgil understands that Dante’s "soul has been assailed by cowardice" and so explains why he (Virgil) was chosen for this task in order to calm Dante’s fears. Virgil’s tells the story of how he came to be here with Dane. Let's jump back into that story: Virgil's soul is hanging out in Limbo (more on this later) when a lady with really pretty eyes appears and asks him to help out her lost "friend. " (She overheard news of her "friend’s" trouble in Heaven. ) She says she wants Virgil's help because he has a silver tongue or "persuasive word". This lady calls herself Beatrice, and Virgil learns that she’s doing this out of "Love" (yes, with a capital "L") for Dante. Virgil is curious as to why Beatrice came all the way down to Hell (from her boudoir in Heaven) just to tell him this. Beatrice responds that God has arranged it so that the misery of

Canto II Summary cont’d � And the orders for Virgil don't come from just Beatrice. The Virgin Mary herself is so upset by Dante’s predicament that she cried buckets for him and then sent for her very best friend, St. Lucia, to carry her message. Beatrice, even though she loves Dante, cannot possibly do anything for him since she’s a woman, so she brings the message down to the decidedly male Virgil. She makes a big deal about Virgil’s wonderful way with words and cries. Smitten, Virgil rushes off and finds Dante just in time to rescue him from the big, bad wolf. Virgil's story ends. Dante’s chest swells with gratitude and he demonstrates his own way with words by comparing himself to drooping flowers that straighten out once touched by sunlight. In fact, he’s so pumped up now that he has a mind-melding moment with Virgil. Observe: "A single will fills both of us. “ And with that, our emboldened

Vocabulary � despicable – hateful; abominable � reprimand – rubuke; scold � retribution – the dispensing or receiving of reward or punishment, especially in the hereafter � swoon – to faint � tumult – a disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd, usually with uproar and confusion of voices � omnipotence – having unlimited power and knowledge � primordial – existing from the very beginning � initiate – a person who is instructed or adept in a certain field; an expert � novice – a person admitted to probationary membership in a religious organization or community

Vocabulary cont’d �pandemonium – a wild uproar �scourge – to drive as if by blows of a whip �depraved – marked by corruption or evil �steerage – a section of inferior accommodations on a passenger ship �blaspheme – to speak of or address with irreverence �converge – to come together

Discussion � Why is it appropriate that the inscription on the gate be carved in stone? � What does Virgil’s attitude reveal about his attitude towards Dante? � Which of the five sense does Dante appeal to in this description of the hellish scene in Canto III? � Why might the wicked “feel some glory over” the angels who would not take sides in the Rebellion of the Angels? � What does L. 42 suggest about the punishment suffered by the souls of the uncommitted? � By what three aspects is Charon characterized in this passage? � To what does Dante compare the damned souls as they cast themselves from the shore?

Canto 5 Vocabulary and Beyond

Vocabulary �anguish – extreme pain, distress, or anxiety �debauchery – an extreme indulgence in sensuality �pilgrimage – a journey to a shrine or a religious place made by a person of faith �dalliance – amorous playfulness �pander – a go-between in love intrigues

Discussion � Dante envisions those condemned for carnal sins as being blown about by a neverending storm. In allegorical terms, what might the storm represent? � What vivid words in L. 28 -35 build a memorable picture of this scene? What kind of mood or atmosphere do they create? � To what does Dante compare the condemned souls in this passage? � What emotions do the “great knights and ladies” condemned for sins of love and passion evoke in Dante? Why? � What happens to Dante after he hears Francesca and Paolo’s story? What does this suggest about Dante’s feeling towards the matter?

Canto 34 Vocabulary and Beyond

Vocabulary �writhes – squirms in agony; contorts the body �dexterously – nimbly �clambered – climbed with difficulty

The Judecca, Lucifer by Gustave Dore

Discussion � Describe Hell. Describe Satan. � Dante depicts Satan as partially imprisoned in the ice. What does this image reveal about Dante’s conceptualization of Satan? � To what does Dante compare Satan’s wings? What literary device does he use to do this? � Why do you suppose that Satan beats his wings and weeps? � Lines 124 – 129 describe the earth’s terrified reaction to Satan’s plunge from Heaven. What words and phrases in this passage speak of geographical features as if they were living beings? What literary device is this?