Abstract
This essay compares and contrasts the classic poets, Dante Alighieri and John Milton. It first details the time periods during which each lived, Dante in the medieval era and Milton in the Renaissance. The writer looks at the similarities and differences in their lives. Then the essay takes a short look at Dante's 'Inferno' and Milton's 'Paradise Lost' to further see issues on which they thought alike, despite the time and geographic differences between them.

From the Paper
"In these modern times, this modern era of literature and thought, it is easy to lump all ancient writing together. Chaucer, Milton, Dante, even Shakespeare, are so long dead that they all seem to have come from the same distant, canonized, unreachable time. Yet, each of these old writers lived in his own time and wrote for his own reasons about specific and relevant themes. This essay looks at Dante Alighieri and John Milton, two famous writers from differing time periods and differing circumstances. A work from each writer, Dante's 'Inferno' and Milton's 'Paradise Lost', each similar in theme, will be studied in order to better compare and contrast these two heroes of Western literature. Dante Alighieri came from medieval Florence, Italy. Born in 1265 to a family of money, Dante was raised within Florence's intricate political network."

Tags:dante, milton, literature

Abstract
This essay examines the significance and portrayal of the seven deadly sins in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, with an emphasis to the use of the concept of these sins in the Purgatorio, the second of the canticles of the epic. It shows how Dante used these sins as a basis for discussing the purging of sins from the souls of the penitent. It notes also that the seven deadly sins are actually not biblically based, and that the concept was not fixed in Dante's time.

From the Paper
"In 'The Divine Comedy', particularly in The Purgatorio, Dante Alighieri uses the concept of the seven deadly or cardinal sins as a device for differentiating among the various souls and showing the divine order of the universe. As the title of this canticle suggests, the Purgatorio tells of Dante's passage through Purgatory. Purgatory is the place of purgation, where souls are cleansed of sins in preparation for entry into a life of eternal blessedness. In Dante's conception, Purgatory consists of an ..."

Tags:dante, purgatory, sins

Abstract
This paper argues that Judas is not really a traitor, because of certain information in ancient texts that Dante may not have believed or considered heretical. A contrasting viewpoint states that far from being a traitor, Judas was a loyal disciple of Jesus who was only following instructions from his master in order that Jesus' mission might be fulfilled. Recently a new publication of the ancient "Gospel of Judas" has brought this viewpoint into public prominence again. The paper concludes by considering whether Dante know of this.

From the Paper
" The argument can be made that Judas is not really a traitor, because of certain information in ancient texts that Dante may not have believed or considered heretical. According to most mainstream Christian theology, Judas is the greatest of traitors because of his selling out Jesus to the authorities. In the official Gospel account, Judas betrays Jesus to the head Jewish priests for thirty pieces of silver. However, a contrasting viewpoint, which has been in existence since..."

Tags:dante, judas, inferno

Abstract
The paper examines how the use of dialogue and the metaphorical use of characters in Dante's "Inferno" reflect an attack on the customs, traditions, and decrees set forth by the Roman Catholic Church. The paper discusses how Dante often uses satire and humor to counter the hypocritical and illogical traditions put forth by the Catholic Church, which disrespect and demean those that choose to follow traditions based on exclusivity and illogical values.

Tags:dante, religion, hell

Abstract
This paper examines various aspects of Hell in Dante's "Inferno", showing that illicit heterosexual love the least of the serious sins. The paper further shows how this decision makes sense morally, based on Catholic theology, mitigating circumstances in the case of at least two of the people he meets and Dante's own confessed susceptibility to a kind of literary "seduction. "The paper also cites the moral system of Hell being based on ancient philosophy rather than medieval classifications of virtues and vices.

From the Paper
" I believe that Dante is correct in making illicit heterosexual love the least of the serious sins in Hell, in his portrayal of it in the fifth Canto of the Inferno. I believe this decision is morally correct, based on three reasons. First, what I have studied about the Catholic distinction between what are called "venial" versus what are called "mortal" sins. The second reason is the fact that at least two of the people Dante visits in the Second Circle, Paolo and Francesca, may have a mitigating situation apply to them..."

Tags:dante, inferno, sin

Abstract
This paper discusses Dante's placement of sinners and star crossed lovers and the characters of Francesca, Paolo, Pia del Tolomei, and Cunizza da Romano in the "Divine Comedy". The paper looks at Dante's inclusion of his own beliefs.

From the Paper
"In placing his various characters, Dante was moved by his own responses to stories of star-crossed lovers and great sinners, widely known in his own era by his personal experiences of life and love and by his desire to illustrate the various types of humans and their sins and corresponding punishment. He was further motivated by his desire to allow the great poet of Roman antiquity, Virgil, to speak for him or as a poetic voice standing in for his..."

Tags:Dante, Divine Comedy, Sinners, characters

Abstract
This paper considers whether the punishments meted out in Dante's "Inferno" are appropriate for the sins in question. The paper discusses Dante's layout of a complete system of justice and the severity of the penalties imposed upon sinners.

From the Paper
"In the "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri, readers are introduced to the various rings of Hell and the sinners who inhabit them. Dante works to layout a complete system of justice so that those who have sinned are punished in an appropriate manner. Indeed Dante demonstrates quite an imagination as he seeks to establish a correlation between the sin that has been committed and the punishment that takes place. In most cases there is a sense that the punishment fits the crime."

Tags:dante, inferno, punishment, sin, lustful, violence, moral

Abstract
This paper analyzes Cantos 18 through 23 from Dante's Inferno. Canto 18 of Dante's Inferno describes the eighth circle of hell. This circle is surrounded by ten concentric rounds surrounded by grey stony peaks and cliffs. There is a big pit in the center of the rounds, and bridges connecting the rounds, so that it all looks like the spokes of a wheel with a hollow pit in the center of it all.

Tags:analysis, dante's, inferno

Abstract
In this article, the writer identifies similarities and connections between Dante Aligheri and Niccolo Machiavelli and their work as Florentines from the Renaissance.

From the Paper
"John Hale a historian who has focused extensively upon the Renaissance and its meaning in terms of what it introduced that differentiated it from the preceding age suggested that the era can partially be described as one in which there was a classical revenant in Italian clothes stalking across Europe in search of devotees. The Italian clothes referenced by Hale included new stylistic canons in the visual arts and architecture and new voices in literature. Among those voices were Niccolo ..."

Tags:Renaissance, Dante, Machiavelli

Abstract
The paper examines both the structure and poetic symbols in Dante's epic poem "The Divine Comedy." The paper explains how he utilizes both in expressing the poem's themes.

From the Paper
"Dante's masterpiece, "The Divine Comedy" is an epic poem which traces man's quest to reach God and discover a true world order. Indeed as Dante travels through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven he undergoes a spiritual transformation as a result of his journey and finds answers to the moral questions that have nagged him. The poem functions as an allegory as it allows Dante to express both his political and religious views while teaching his readers a lesson in spiritual and moral matters."

Tags:dante, divine comedy, symbolism, structure, rhyme scheme, allegory, heaven, hell, purgatory, virgil, beatrice