by Dante Alighieri

most important poem of the Middle Ages Italian and the greatest work in Italian Literature Florence

Rome was divided - Emperor vs Pope

Political strife - Exiled to Northern Italy - lived with frens and fam - Wrote The Divine Comedy

  • Tells of an imaginary journey Dante takes through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
  • Dante = one of the first Christian Humanists
  • Journey is symbolic of the spiritual quest for salvation
  • Depiction of afterlife
  • Three day journey; begins on Good Friday and ends on Easter Sunday

Starts in dark forest tries to climb mountain but a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf stand in the way goes back and meets Virgil vestibule of hell (people who did not take a stand, tormented by wasps) Charon, river Hell

  • 100 cantos/chapters
  • Vernacular Latin
  • First Italian Epic
  • Hell, Purgatory, Paradiso

Dante’s Inferno

Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, ALLEGORY

Charon, river, then circles of hell

9 Circles of Hell

  1. Limbo,
  2. Lust, — Minos
  3. Gluttony, — Cerebrus
  4. Avarice and Prodigality,
  5. Wrath and Sullenness,
  6. Heresy,
  7. Violence, — Minotaur before this; three parts
  8. Fraud,
  9. Treachery.

— River || Upper Hell || ((Lower Hell))

UH LLGGW fleshly sins LH aka City of Dis HVFT intellectual sins

LiL GAS HVF T

Mnemonic

LG AW HV FT Let’s Go And Watch Hereditary, VVitch For Torture

1.Limbo - Limbo circle includes souls who are not sinful, but did not accept Christ, therefore they do not deserve enough to live in Heaven

before they enter 2nd circle and beyond, encounter Minos. He judges peeps and sends them to where they deserve

2. Lust - caught up in and whipped around for eternity in the cyclones of wind. This punishment is symbolic. Just as the wind is forever changing direction and never settles down, so these sinners are guilty of frequently changing lovers or sexual partners.**

3. Gluttony - overindulge, ordinary people; lie rotting away in a never ending icy rain in slush, overlooked by Cerberus

4.Greed / Avarice and Prodigality - souls are divided into two groups, one is hoarding people, and another is squandering people. This group will use their chest to push weights to another group as a torture form. Does NOT interact with any inhabitants

5. Wrath - fighting in River Styx eternally bottom of river spiteful ones trying to scream

City of Dis (6th - 9th circles of hell) - Always on fire

  1. Heresy Not believing in God, punished in burning tombs
    — minotaur —

  2. Violence the Outer, Middle, and Inner rings—housing different types of violent criminals. i. Outer Those who were violent against people and property guarded by Centaurs ii. Middle People violent against themselves (sui) perpetually eaten by Harpies iii. Inner blasphemers violence against God

  3. Fraud panderers/seducers; flatterers; sorcerers/astrologers/false prophets; thieves; false counselors/advisers, impersonators, Diff punishment for diff crime. Symbolic, again. For eg, fortune tellers have head backwards

  4. Treachery deepest circle of Hell, where Satan resides. a) Caina, b)Antenora c)Ptolamaea d) Judecca

Freezing Cold

Center of Hell Satan three headed, eating three peeps; Cassius, Brutus, and Judas

Characters

Virgil

Wrote Aeinid Roman Poet Dante chose him because Virgil knows concept of Hell Predicted the coming of Christ Represents human reason

Beatrice

Met Dante when he was 9 Dante fell in love Beatrice was married off to an older man She died young this sent Dante into depression

Embodiment of spiritual purity Sends Virgil to him Guides him through Heaven


LL GG WHVFT limbo lust gluttony greed wrath heresy violence fraud treachery