Dante Alighieri, born in Florence, Italy, was once one of the greatest writers of the 13th century. He wrote poetry early in his life but was also a politician, he was strongly opposed with the churches political conflicts. He basically wanted politics and religion separated so the pope wouldn’t have too much power, but the pope still opposed. Dante was soon exiled from his home town which gave him time to write his spiritually political, The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is an allegory that encompasses many symbols and ideas regarding punishment.
The Divine Comedy was written between 1308 and 1321 while Dante was exiled from Florence. This allegory takes Dante through the nine layers of hell with his guild Virgil, a Roman poet who died before the birth of Christ, so he wonders between Paradise (Heaven) and the Inferno (Hell), in Purgatory. The epic poem has much symbolism towards the number three, such as the three locations, Paradise which represents the Power of the Lord, The Inferno, the love of the Holy Spirit and Purgatory, Wisdom of Christ. Another cubed was the three parts of the epic poem, with 33 cantos (which added up to 100 stanzas).
The journey took 3 days over the Easter holiday which started in the dark woods or error, then ending in paradise. On this wild and scary journey he uses very vivid imagery to take us through his eyes. One of the first vivid images Dante describes to us is when he enters the gates of hell, when he sees the suffering souls, he grossly describes them, “These wretches never dead ran naked in a swarm of wasps and hornets that goaded them the more they fled, and made their faces stream with bloody gouts of pus and tears that dribbled to their feet to be swallowed there by loathsome worms and maggots. (Lines 61-66)
Dante is not shy when he brutally describes many of his descriptions. Quintanilla 2 Another great example of imagery is when they encounter Count Ugolino; “The sinner raised his mouth from his grim repast and wiped on the hair of the bloody head whose nape he had all eaten away. ” (Lines 1-3) Count Ugolino was in the 9th level of hell, he was being punished for murdering his father-inlaw, soon he was imprisoned with his sons and were left to die of starvation. Dante reacted with a very pitiful sense, often showing emotion physically.
Dante finally reaches Satan, he is especially graphic and descriptive in this Canto, and he is literally terrified of meeting the King of Hell, he describes Satan, who’s half body was stuck in ice, “The Emperor of the Universe of Pain,” (Line 28) he had three faces, described with a red hue, his wings were like a bat, they beaten hard enough to produce a storm. Satan was crying from his six eyes and dripping down his three chins, where it mixed with blood and pus, in his mouth he has Brutus, Cassius, and Judas, who were being punished by being eaten by Quintanilla 1
Dante Alighieri, born in Florence, Italy, was once one of the greatest writers of the 13th century. He wrote poetry early in his life but was also a politician, he was strongly opposed with the churches political conflicts. He basically wanted politics and religion separated so the pope wouldn’t have too much power, but the pope still opposed. Dante was soon exiled from his home town which gave him time to write his spiritually political, The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is an allegory that encompasses many symbols and ideas regarding punishment.
The Divine Comedy was written between 1308 and 1321 while Dante was exiled from Florence. This allegory takes Dante through the nine layers of hell with his guild Virgil, a Roman poet who died before the birth of Christ, so he wonders between Paradise (Heaven) and the Inferno (Hell), in Purgatory. The epic poem has much symbolism towards the number three, such as the three locations, Paradise which represents the Power of the Lord, The Inferno, the love of the Holy Spirit and Purgatory, Wisdom of Christ. Another cubed was the three parts of the epic poem, with 33 cantos (which added up to 100 stanzas).
The journey took 3 days over the Easter holiday which started in the dark woods or error, then ending in paradise. On this wild and scary journey he uses very vivid imagery to take us through his eyes. One of the first vivid images Dante describes to us is when he enters the gates of hell, when he sees the suffering souls, he grossly describes them, “These wretches never dead ran naked in a swarm of wasps and hornets that goaded them the more they fled, and made their faces stream with bloody gouts of pus and tears that dribbled to their feet to be swallowed there by loathsome worms and maggots. (Lines 61-66)
Dante is not shy when he brutally describes many of his descriptions. Quintanilla 2 Another great example of imagery is when they encounter Count Ugolino; “The sinner raised his mouth from his grim repast and wiped on the hair of the bloody head whose nape he had all eaten away. ” (Lines 1-3) Count Ugolino was in the 9th level of hell, he was being punished for murdering his father-inlaw, soon he was imprisoned with his sons and were left to die of starvation. Dante reacted with a very pitiful sense, often showing emotion physically.
Dante finally reaches Satan, he is especially graphic and descriptive in this Canto, and he is literally terrified of meeting the King of Hell, he describes Satan, who’s half body was stuck in ice, “The Emperor of the Universe of Pain,” (Line 28) he had three faces, described with a red hue, his wings were like a bat, they beaten hard enough to produce a storm. Satan was crying from his six eyes and dripping down his three chins, where it mixed with blood and pus, in his mouth he has Brutus, Cassius, and Judas, who were being punished by being eaten by Satan every day, for betrayal.
They climbed over Satan and describes his body as; “I clasped his neck, and he, watching for a moment when the wings were opened wide, reached over dexterously and seized the shaggy coat of the king demon: then grappling matted hair and frozen crusts from one tuff to another, clambered down. ” (Lines 70-75) I enjoyed reading this allegory, I plan on reading the epic poem in whole soon to fully understand the symbolic retribution he put into his literary piece. From the points that I read, I Quintanilla 3 Understood Dante wanted to show that not all sin is equal, some are more brutal than others.
It also shows that Dante himself also goes through his own self-doubts, when he starts in the Woods or Error, he still eventually ends up in heaven, with Beatrice, who wasn’t mention in the poem but was his spiritual guild in his heart. The political side of the poem was very subtle but made a point to the church, whom he was opposed with having all the power both political and religiously. The imagery in the piece was also described to a point where I can sketch out what Dante was describing, though he stayed on the nauseating side of describing things it was still enjoyable. Satan every day, for betrayal.
They climbed over Satan and describes his body as; “I clasped his neck, and he, watching for a moment when the wings were opened wide, reached over dexterously and seized the shaggy coat of the king demon: then grappling matted hair and frozen crusts from one tuff to another, clambered down. ” (Lines 70-75) Tenjoyed reading this allegory, I plan on reading the epic poem in whole soon to fully understand the symbolic retribution he put into his literary piece. From the points that I read, Quintanilla 3 Understood Dante wanted to show that not all sin is equal, some are more brutal than others.
It also shows that Dante himself also goes through his own self-doubts, when he starts in the Woods or Error, he still eventually ends up in heaven, with Beatrice, who wasn’t mention in the poem but was his spiritual guild in his heart. The political side of the poem was very subtle but made a point to the church, whom he was opposed with having all the power both political and religiously. The imagery in the piece was also described to a point where I can sketch out what Dante was describing, though he stayed on the nauseating side of describing things it was still enjoyable.
