Central Characters In Literary Masterpieces Dante example essay topic

The Divine Comedy The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri is considered by many to be one of the greatest literary masterpieces of not just Latin literature, but of all poetry. Little is known of Dante Alighieri, mainly what we know if from what he tells us of himself in his poetry. In The Divine Comedy, Dante comes across as a resentful, yet passionate man who used this poem to alert Florentine's of the tribulations that awaited them for their sins and for the corruption of their government. Like many great literary masterpieces, The Divine Comedy has a central character, Dante, who goes on a journey - through the nice circles of Inferno, to the top of the mountain Purgatory, and finally Beatrice takes him to Paradiso. The Divine Comedy is the story of Dante, a pilgrim who believes he has "abandoned from the true way". Dante goes on a journey traveling through all the levels of Hell where the sinners are tormented for their evils, up the mount of Purgatory where souls are purified and wait to arrive in Heaven, and through the land of Heaven where he is allowed to have a short glimpse of God.

Like in all great literary masterpieces the central character, Dante, goes through a journey searching for truth and God - his journey beginning through hell, purgatory, and finally heaven. Dante's questions about truth begin in hell, The Inferno, where he is guided by Virgil, when he observes the sheer numbers of those in hell. In Dante's journey through hell he encounters many sinners and learns to hate sin. His questions of truth continue until his revelation in Paradiso, or Heaven towards the end of the poem. Dante meets hundreds of characters, both sinners and saints, who treat Dante as a messenger who will report their words of warning and guidance to his fellow colleagues upon his return back to Earth. Like many central characters in literary masterpieces Dante possesses personal qualities of intelligence and loyalty.

He learns a great deal about himself on his journey through hell, purgatory and heaven and his loyalty to God grows immensely because of this journey. Another reason I feel this poem can be considered a literary masterpiece is that it provides us with Dante's answer to the question, "What happens to me after I die?" During the time in which Dante was alive, this was a universal question that many people were curious about. But even today, this question nonetheless strikes up controversy and deliberation. Everyone is interested in the afterlife and Dante presents us with a realistic description of what is very possible. These images of Heaven and Hell that Dante writes about are standard beliefs of many people even in this day and age.

Any poem that leaves a lasting impact seven centuries later should be considered a supreme literary masterpiece..