The Divine Comedy: Allegory
The Divine Comedy:
Inferno
Dante Alighieri
Major Characters
• Dante Alighieri o Thirty-five years old at the beginning of the journey ( half of man’s biblical life span “threescore and ten years” (Psalm 90:10) o Lost his way on “the true path” of life ( sin has obstructed his path to God o Explores the nature of sin by traveling through hell o Rooted in the Everyman allegorical tradition ( represents humanity o Little known about his life on earth o Committed a sin never specified o Participated in Florentine politics o Often sympathetic towards others & remains capable of anger o Weeps at the sight of suffering souls, but is elated when one of his political enemies is torn to pieces o Feels he ranks among the great poets that he meets in Limbo: Homer, Ovid, o Desires to find Beatrice, the woman he loves; the love of God o Deeper he proceeds into Hell, the less the agonies of the damned affect him o Must learn to abhor sin and not pity the justice meted out to sinners • Virgil o Ghost or shade of the great Roman poet Virgil o Guides and protects the individual (represented by Dante – Humanity) through the world of sin o Sober, measured, resolute, and wise o Befits a character symbolizing reason
General Notes
• Begins on Holy Thursday of the year 1300 • First Circle: o Limbo — the unbaptized and virtuous pagans, who, though not sinful, did not accept Christ. They are not punished in an active sense; it is a somewhat pleasant place, with fields and a castle. However, they are merely unable to reach Heaven and denied God's presence for eternity (Canto IV). • Second Circle o Those overcome by lust, trapped in a violent storm, staying together forever, featuring Francesca da Rimini and her lover Paolo (Canto V)
• Third Circle
Inferno
Dante Alighieri
Major Characters
• Dante Alighieri o Thirty-five years old at the beginning of the journey ( half of man’s biblical life span “threescore and ten years” (Psalm 90:10) o Lost his way on “the true path” of life ( sin has obstructed his path to God o Explores the nature of sin by traveling through hell o Rooted in the Everyman allegorical tradition ( represents humanity o Little known about his life on earth o Committed a sin never specified o Participated in Florentine politics o Often sympathetic towards others & remains capable of anger o Weeps at the sight of suffering souls, but is elated when one of his political enemies is torn to pieces o Feels he ranks among the great poets that he meets in Limbo: Homer, Ovid, o Desires to find Beatrice, the woman he loves; the love of God o Deeper he proceeds into Hell, the less the agonies of the damned affect him o Must learn to abhor sin and not pity the justice meted out to sinners • Virgil o Ghost or shade of the great Roman poet Virgil o Guides and protects the individual (represented by Dante – Humanity) through the world of sin o Sober, measured, resolute, and wise o Befits a character symbolizing reason
General Notes
• Begins on Holy Thursday of the year 1300 • First Circle: o Limbo — the unbaptized and virtuous pagans, who, though not sinful, did not accept Christ. They are not punished in an active sense; it is a somewhat pleasant place, with fields and a castle. However, they are merely unable to reach Heaven and denied God's presence for eternity (Canto IV). • Second Circle o Those overcome by lust, trapped in a violent storm, staying together forever, featuring Francesca da Rimini and her lover Paolo (Canto V)
• Third Circle