Dante's "Divine Comedy"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Dante uses the essence of art throughout the "Divine Comedy" through his use of symbols, even as he is utilizing the themes of structure and the heroic journey. The author points out that Dante uses light and shadow, which is known as chiaroscuro, to portray a sense of emotional content and to depict sin and redemption or the possibility of redemption. The paper relates that Dante employs the color green to symbolize nourishment, hope, joy, and growth and uses gold as the color of the sun and leadership.

From the Paper:

"The common view of Hell is a dark place where sinners are to burn for all eternity. This view is found numerous times in the Bible, with Christ referring to the fires that are never quenched in the New Testament. The first part of the "Divine Comedy" is "The Inferno." It is the story of his journey through the nine levels of Hell. The structure of Hell, as Dante has envisioned it, corresponds to a moral hierarchy, or levels of 'sin.' The physical structure reflects the spiritual beliefs of the time, which is considered the ultimate truth."

More papers on Dante's "Divine Comedy":

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