The Divine Comedy and Carl Jung

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that the development of Dante's 'Divine Comedy' is a development of self. This individual travels from shallow to more authentic experiences as he or she travels through the different worlds or levels of hell. The writer points out that similarly Jungian archetypal theory demonstrates the same sort of idea. The individual travels through a traditional set of concepts that range in depth from very shallow to much deeper and more authentic, until one becomes what is considered the true self which is steeped in the concept of the old soul and is the mythic combined with the human. The writer maintains that the archetypes associated with Jungian theory are clearly and concisely illuminated in the depths of the 'Divine Comedy'. The writer concludes that each archetype is given its appropriate time and due character while Dante the pilgrim seeks to entertain how he above others can more closely live the life of the wise old man, who he assumed was Virgil but was really himself.

From the Paper:

"The shadow coincides with early Dante, when he is drawn by sin and temptation and on the verge of suicide. He is in need of intervention, in this case Virgil (the wise old man) to accompany him and give him guidance as he does not know himself or his place in the world. He is also in need of Beatrice, his lost love to come to him and explain the virtue of the journey and to introduce him to his guide, the wise old man a concept illuminated later that will lead us between the acceptance of the feminine Animus within himself as nothing to fear. For Dante the shadow is really his grief, as he wanders about the world trying to do and say the right thing but not knowing himself well enough to known what the right or wrong thing for him is."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abstracts of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung. Ed. Carrie Lee Rothgeb and Siegfried M. Clemens. London: Karnac Books, 1992.
• Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. Trans. Robert M. Durling. Ed. Robert M. Durling. Vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
• Samuels, Andrew. Jung and the Post-Jungians. London: Routledge, 1990.
• Stambler, Bernard. Dante's Other World: The Purgatorio as Guide to the Divine Comedy. New York: New York University Press, 1957.

More papers on The Divine Comedy and Carl Jung:

• Comparison Essay # 56135 : "The Divine Comedy" and "Confessions"
• Analytical Essay # 123562 : "'The Divine Comedy' and Piety"
• Comparison Essay # 112311 : "The Arabian Nights" and "The Divine Comedy"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: