Abstract This paper is an analysis of the poem "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri. The author discusses the comedy in 'Inferno" and the importance of its style of writing and use of language for the times it was written in.
From the paper:
"When a man steps up to construct a work of art, they do it for a plethora of ideas. These can be either to change viewpoints, express personal ideas, or insure their name in the years to come. Yet the creator cannot simply be the only one to make a work of art one of importance. It must include the passion of the times and the eagerness for something new and vivacious. To break traditions from the past is to set traditions for the future. Dante Alighieri created a poem in the 1200's that Florentines and the world had never conceived up."
Tags:alighieri, dante, florence, italy, literature
Abstract This paper discusses Dante Alighieri's allegorical tale, "The Inferno." It describes the concept of Divine justice within the work and discusses how the work can be seen as a journey to one man's acceptance of Divine judgment, as part of the objective will of God. The paper discusses the journey that Dante goes through and how it affects him.
From the Paper "Even to the very monsters of hell does Dante Alighieri extend his belief in divine justice, as is seen in the wood of the suicides. He describes the woods as "the nesting place of the foul Harpies." (Dante, Cant. 13), who, according to ancient Greek lore, were "fierce, filthy, winged monsters, with the faces of women, bodies of vultures, and sharp claws who served as ministers of divine vengeance, and punished criminals." (Harpies, Par. 3). Undoubtedly, the Harpies are most appropriate guardians of the wood of the suicides, as they are ministers of divine justice, and, in addition, there exists a strong contrast between the Harpies who are prophetic, and the suicides who believed themselves to be prophetical in assuming that there was nothing left to live for in their futures, furthering the idea of contrapasso in The Inferno, and providing a delicate and profound example of divine justice."
Abstract This paper discusses how in Homer's The Odyssey" and Alighieri Dante's "The Inferno" we see the universal quest of the hero. It looks at how "The Odyssey" is an epic adventure that would certainly be deemed heroic in its very being. In comparison, it discusses how "The Inferno", is less overtly so and how it is more of a personal journey, told in first person by the writer himself, Dante Alighieri. The paper contends that the theme for both is one of transformation and enlightenment. Both "heroes" of these stories had a need for personal fulfillment and reunification with their own spirit.
From the Paper "One of the striking differences in these two quests is that one is full of a pantheon of gods and goddesses and the other is full of people. Homer gives us a lesson in Greek mythology and introduces us to many of their gods, yet they are somehow familiar. These gods have all too human attributes of love, greed, jealously, pride and so on. They are in essence human except for the fact that they are immortal and have power over nature. This reminds one of Jungian Archetypes, large scale emotional and psychological myths that represent the subconscious in human beings (Jung), except that these gods have the power to make their needs a reality, while humans may only be able to dream about it. However, this dreaming, these myths, reveal a panorama of psychological depth that is unattainable otherwise. "
An examination of the use of allegory in these stories that demonstrate Guillaume de Lorris's and Jean de Meun's views on love and reason, as well as Dante Alighieri's views on the fall of Man.
1,595 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 9 sources, 2002, $ 52.95
Abstract The paper begins with a discussion of allegory as a literary tool. The writer then continues with an in-depth analysis of each story and evaluates how they fit in to this definition, finding each in their own way to be particularly effective uses of allegory.
From the Paper "Allegories in literature aim to assert and emphasize societal values (O?Siodhachain, 2). This stands true for the poems "Romance of the Rose" by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, and "The Inferno" by Dante Alighieri. Although the subject and societal issues the poems allude to differ from each other, the method employed to convey a lesson or promote a social truth through an entertaining format is identical. Through the use of allegory, the reader is aware of Lorris and Jean's views on love and reason, as well as Dante's views on the fall of Man."
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book "Inferno," by Alighieri Dante. Specifically, it describes two characters, Beatrice and Lucifer. Beatrice and Lucifer could not be farther apart in this poem. They represent good and evil, savior versus destroyer, and they are both present in the poem in order to illustrate the ultimate theme of good versus evil, and Dante's ultimate salvation.
From the Paper "The "Inferno" is the first of three books that make up Dante's classical work "The Divine Comedy." The "Inferno" follows Dante's journey through Hell on his route to finding God. He begins at the bottom in sin, and must fight his way to the top, where lovely Beatrice awaits him in Paradise."
Abstract Dante Alighieri's "The Comedy "is one of the most recognized pieces of literature in the modern world. Dante completed the first of the three books contained in "The Comedy" in 1314; "Divine" was not added to the title until much later. The other two books, "Pergatorio" and "Paradisio", would soon follow. But it is "Inferno" that brings forth imagery so intense that it has seldom been rivaled. This paper takes a look at Dante's "Inferno", specifically his description of the different levels of hell.
From the Paper "As the story advances we begin to see with much more clarity Dante's structure of Hell. Descending down through the lower circles of Hell, Virgil shows Dante the increasing brutality of the punishment. Until the fifth circle, Dante is still in the upper section of Hell. In this segment the penalties seem almost tolerable, considering what is witnessed later on. In the first circle, which houses the un-baptized infants and virtuous Pagans, the inhabitants merely pine away in a state of melancholy, a world of desire without hope. While this would be enough to drive anyone mad, especially such great thinkers as Plato and Socrates who are witnessed there, this is but a day in the park when compared to the constant torture of the residents of the lower levels of Hell."
Abstract The paper compares the works of Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio. The writer describes how they both derived much of their view of the world and its relation to the next world from their Catholic faith. The writer further examines how the two writers look at the world in different ways, though both are Italian, both Catholic, and both medieval in world view for the most part. The writer concludes that Boccaccio tends to be more humorous, more expansive, more varied, and more secular in his stories, while Dante is more spiritual and more focused on the darker aspects of the human spirit.
From the Paper "This is one reason why Boccaccio is more often compared to Chaucer than to Dante. Of course, Chaucer derived a number of plots from stories in The Decameron and also used many of the same story forms, notably the fabliau derived from the French. The love triangle is the most common plot for both Chaucer and Boccaccio, with numerous variations, while Dante's unrequited love for Beatrice never involves a third party but only shows that distance is maintained between the man and the woman he loves from afar."
Abstract This paper examines the scholars and the de-contextualization of Dante's "Inferno" - with special emphasis upon canto III. The paper summarizes the scene when a fearful Dante first enters Hell and discusses its significance in terms of understanding Dante and his world. The paper also looks at how intellectuals view Dante's "Inferno". The writer believes that the work stands out as a classic example of the medieval allegory play taken to new rhetorical heights. The writer concludes that it is also an example of how even the simplest works, if powerfully wrought, can spark wide discussion among academics who seek out meanings unimagined by the author.
From the Paper "Ultimately, the canto, like the rest of the cantica, is a potential mirror into the world in which Dante Alighieri lived as well as a mirror into his own inner turmoil as a devout Christian seeking a purpose to his life as well as answers to questions that presumably many devout Christians were asking in the fourteenth century. To start with, the canto (in the original Italian, anyway) was written in the demanding terza rima rhyme pattern (Scott para.2) and, even in English translations, the text can be difficult to follow as Dante tries to bend the language into shapes and forms to which it does not adhere willingly."
Abstract This paper suggests that, while the notion of Heaven and Hell perhaps has its origins in Dante's "Inferno", there is, in actuality, a far more intimate duality to be examined: the paternal relationship between a father and son. The paper relates that Dante establishes Virgil the guide as a father figure to the pilgrim Dante. Yet, as in all father-son relationships, there is a metamorphosis. Virgil progresses from a strict father to becoming tempered by love and maternal instincts, while his son Dante, progresses from a helpless child to a rebellious teenager. The paper discusses this metamorphosis and concludes that the tender and affectionate relationship the two characters share is a counter-point to the nightmarish discourse of heaven and hell.
From the Paper "However, as in most parenting relationships, children grow to the rebellious stage of adolescence. Dante begins to experience great fear and doubt concerning Virgil's power. In the beginning of Canto IX, Virgil is unable to open the gate of Dis. The all-knowing Virgil has failed. Dante thinks to himself, "the colored cowardness displayed in me when I saw that my guide was driven back..."(9.1-2), "Nevertheless, his speech made me afraid, because I drew out from his broken phrase a meaning worth- perhaps-then he'd intended" (9.13-15)."
Abstract This paper discusses how goodness is viewed in two distinctly different historical and cultural contexts, namely, Dante's "Inferno" and Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics." The writer explains that Aristotle is primarily concerned with the practical dynamic of relationships between behavior and human interaction, while the "Inferno," an intellectual descendant of the rationality of "Nicomachean Ethics," reflects equally the influence of medieval Christian ideas of justice and goodness. The writer shows where Dante concurs with Aristotle and where the 'good of intellect' in Dante does not refer to a core morality but to goodness as part of Christian morality. The paper concludes that although Dante's Christian ideology provides a stark contrast in perspective, the works remain equally committed to the idea of goodness as a function of human interaction.
From the Paper "Indeed, morality is the underlying matter of consideration in Dante's Inferno, with the human interaction being an extension of Christian justice. Any divergence therefrom represented an idea that, while not necessarily erroneous in its nature, was presented to be an emanation from error. The unwavering and mathematically unbiased law of God as in Dante's work is the body to which human beings are the nearly vestigial extremities. As Socrates' and Plato's presence in Hell illustrates, such extremities could often even be counter-intuitive to the necessary functions of this body."
Examines the portrayal of Dido, the Phoenician widow of Sychaeus, by Christine de Pizan in her 1405 "Book of the City of Ladies", compared to Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" and Virgil's "Aeneid".
Abstract Christine de Pizan's "Book of the City of Ladies" (1405) was written to counteract the lies and misrepresentations about women's character that the author found in the male dominated world of literature. The paper shows that Pizan's main example was Dido, the Phoenician widow of Sychaeus, who escaped her brother's tyranny by fleeing from Tyre to North Africa. There she founded and ruled over the great city of Carthage. The paper explains how, in her book, Pizan went about rehabilitating Dido's reputation by recounting her great prudence as leader of her people and her constancy in love. It shows how this account of Dido counteracts, in very different ways, the versions of Dido's career in Virgil's "Aeneid" and in Dante's "Divine Comedy" in which she is portrayed as "one of the most vilified women of world literature".
From the Paper "That is all that is left of the woman who was also famous for outwitting various male leaders and for her successful founding and leadership of a great state. Clearly Dante had a somewhat different way of looking at Dido than Virgil did. For Dante she was merely the embodiment of the female sins of lust (for Aeneas) and infidelity (to the memory of Sychaeus) for which so many famous women seemed to find themselves in the second circle of the Inferno--where more women than are found than in any other circle in Dante's Hell. But in the Aeneid Dido is clearly a woman of considerable power and great accomplishments. She is also clearly seen as worthy of Aeneas and is practically a female version of the hero. She is widowed, forced to flee, founds a new city, and her descendants become a powerful civilization--under the protection of Juno. Aeneas' wife dies at the fall of Troy, he is forced to flee and, eventually, he arrives in Italy to fulfill his destiny and found a great race--under the protection of Venus."
Abstract The paper looks at the compelling epic simile used in Canto 12, in which Dante compares a bull on the way to slaughter to the dreaded Minotaur, that Dante must face on his way to Paradise. The paper explains how using a bull as the symbol of the beast allows the reader to immediately understand the violence and force of the Minotaur. It also discusses the knowledge that Dante must gain during his journey in order for him to achieve victory.
From the Paper "Another analogy also fits the image of the bull that gains strength in the last minutes of life, and fits the image of the Minotaur, half bull, and half man. Bulls are notoriously violent, they charge at the least little thing, and are not known for their brains. They are also hopelessly lost outside of their element, as the "bull in the china shop" analogy clearly shows. Thus, this "bull man" that is the Minotaur can be overcome when it is outside its element, where it is no longer comfortable. Remove this ultimate beast from its position in the labyrinth, and you will have the upper hand, as Dante and his guide discover. Therefore, the Minotaur serves yet another purpose in Dante's growing knowledge as he moves along the pathway toward Paradise. The Minotaur shows that the violence of the Minotaur is a result of his environment and his comfort level, and if these are removed, the Minotaur is vulnerable. This is a valuable lesson in life, for it shows how even the most violent among us use their environment as a shield to hide their vulnerability."
Abstract This paper reviews Dante's poem "Divine Comedy". It looks at how the incidents of the poem would remain ambiguous if not for the philosophical and theological distinctions within the structure of the narrative. It demonstrates how by using one common principle, Dante brings the separate allegories of the "Inferno", "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso" together into one great allegory, making the transformation of the principle into an ordered set of variations on the theme of love and its representation in human beings as the image of God.
From the Paper "In the Purgatorio the protagonist's spiritual rehabilitation continues. Dante subdues his own personality so that he will be able to ascend. He comes to accept the essential Christian image of life as a pilgrimage, and he joins the other penitents on the road of life. At the summit of Purgatory, where repentant sinners are purged of their sins, Virgil departs, having led Dante as far as human knowledge is able--to the threshold of Paradise. Beatrice, who embodies the knowledge of divine mysteries bestowed by Grace, continues Dante's tour. In the Paradiso true heroic fulfillment is achieved. Dante's poem gives expression to those figures from the past who seem to defy death and who inspire in their followers a feeling of exaltation and a desire for identification."
Abstract This paper examines how these two literary works are both thought-provoking accounts of man's relationship with God. While both spiritual journeys recognize the grace of God, each author uses different techniques to guide the reader to make his or her own decisions. The writer relates that, while "The Divine Comedy" is a fictional account with the reader as the intended audience, "Confessions" is based on Augustine's personal conversion experience and is written not only for the reader, but for God as well.
From the Paper "While Dante reaches the same conclusion as Augustine does, his story is filled with allegories and symbols to prove his point. Perhaps the most vivid descriptions we discover in "The Divine Comedy" are the descriptions of hell in Inferno section of the story. The inclusion of Hell is also a significant difference from Augustine's ?Confessions.? Dante's descent into hell is frightening and filled with suffering. The fact that Hell is divided into sections according to levels of sin illustrates how the poet placed an incredible amount of thought into his work."
Abstract This paper explains how in "The Inferno" by Dante Alighieri, Dante makes use of Virgil as a character and of the epic as embodied in Virgil's "Aeneid" as a model, drawing on some of the poetic elements of the Roman epic for his journey into the netherworld.
From the Paper "Three of the more obvious differences between the epics of Homer and the epic of Virgil are as follows: 1) Homer's works were part of an oral tradition and were not written down until long after they had been composed and passed from generation to generation, while Virgil produced a manuscript which he constantly revised (Payne 197). 2) Virgil's epic was intended to praise the rule of Augustus, supposed descendant of Aeneas, the founder of Rome, and to celebrate the peace and prosperity Augustus achieved, while Homer's poems celebrated the mythic past of Greece but did not have a particular political object in mind (Payne 196). 3) The critical respect accorded Homer has not been given to Virgil as well, and his reputation was diminished by the view that he had done little more than imitate Homer with the Aeneid."
