Dante's Divine Comedy example essay topic

To truly comprehend Dante's Divine Comedy, although complete comprehension is not necessary to enjoy this literary masterpiece, there are several skills one might need to acquire. For instance, one helpful piece of knowledge would be the ability to fluently speak Italian, since the many translations differ being able to have read Dante's actual written words and understand them would make reading the Divine Comedy a bit more personal and therefore easier to understand. To catch and understand the plethora of references and allusions made by Dante it would aid any reader with their findings to be accompanying their reading of the Divine Comedy with a reading of Dante's autobiography Vita Nuova. Vita Nuova or New Life would give the reader a comprehension of all the political references in addition to all of the political references throughout the Divine Comedy. Whether it is Dante's un avenged ancestor Geri del Bello or the political leader Boniface the Divine Comedy is made up of many aspects of Dante's life thus making it difficult for any scholar to pinpoint the true motive behind the writings of the Divine Comedy. However, if one was seeking more then just a ruff understanding of this piece, perhaps the reader is seeking the true reasoning behind the madness that is his unforgettable journey through the afterlife, it may take a more in depth view into the who Dante was.

There are several purposes thought of as to why Dante wrote the Divine Comedy to begin with. Perhaps it is all about his dead "love" Beatrice the divine angel. Or maybe, this is a political tirade. Since Dante was heavily involved in politics perhaps he wanted to promote change, after he was exiled. He had of course been known for writing many epistles in hopes of changing the way things were. And there exists even a third option, the third option could easily be the most obvious.

It is said the Dante merely wanted an Italian epic tale, one to match Virgil's (Aenied) or Homer's (Odyssey). Regardless of the reasoning behind the Divine Comedy the outcome could easily be seen as any of the outcomes Dante originally intended, and perhaps that is what makes this a timeless piece of literary genius. Love, an often overused motive for, basically anything could easily be the reasoning behind Dante's Divine Comedy. The obvious object of Dante's affection is his angelic figure of Beatrice. Who is Beatrice though? What made her special enough to have a 967 page poem about her?

Where did she belong in the vast life of Dante? Why has Dante chosen to paint this truly heavenly picture of her? How did she react to this? "The historical Beatrice was very probably Bice, daughter of Falco Port inari", (Madelbaum [IN] 320) so in reality "Beatrice" or Bice was really just a childhood neighbor of the Alighieri, who Dante says he, "immediately felt the face of love for her upon first glance". (Alighieri [VN] 37) However love at first sight is hardly the case here. They first laid eyes on each other at age nine, Dante being several months older then Bice, however the twist comes when it isn't until almost nine years after this event the first words are finally spoken between the two.

Soon after this event the heavenly Bice married, not Dante, but Simone di' Bard i and then, sadly, died at a very young age. What is it exactly that would make Dante write such an epic piece about someone who he never really knew too well? It is said that, "After the death of Beatrice, Dante entered, belatedly but voraciously, a period of philosophical study. His motives were both the need for consolation and the restless, urban, un ecclesiastical curiosity that characterized one who was becoming the most complete intellectual of his time". (Mandelbaum [IN] 321) So it is easily noticeable that there is some kind of connection between Dante and Bice. Yet, is it possible that this affection was a one- sided affair?

The answer to that question may never truly be known for the only ideas that exist about the relationship between Dante and Bice (Beatrice) are based on the poetic words of Dante. Although Beatrice does not appear physically in the Divine Comedy until Canto of Purgatorio as she stands atop the mountain of purgatory on the brink of Paradise references and allusions of Beatrice exist throughout the entire Comedy, even as early as Canto II when Virgil reveals that he is a mere messenger to the heavenly lady Beatrice and she has sent him to Dante to salvage his life. Dante uses Beatrice as a symbol of life, happiness, love, and everything good about being alive. For Dante found himself straying of the correct path of life and lost in an "infernal" forest filled with darkness, and it is the glorious Beatrice who attempts to save her "beloved" and place him back on the path of righteousness.

Beatrice appears to be Dante's whole reason foe being, for without her he was a lost soul. "Beatrice who's name means she-who-blesses, became the essential presence in Dante's mythologizing and of love". (Madelbaum [PaO] 320) Furthermore adding to the idea that Beatrice stood for everything good to Dante. Why did she appear to have this angelic presence to Dante? This question must arise once again because it is hard to imagine what happened between the two to give Dante this rose-colored view of her. On another issue around 1285 Dante married Gemme Donati, five years prior to Bice's death. .".. he married Gemme Donati, to whom he had been betrothed, in accord with the customs of the time as early as 1277".

Perhaps it was not love that bought these two to wed, however one must wonder if his feelings changed after Bice's death in 1290, seeing is how Dante did not have his three children with Gemme until after Bice died. As important as Beatrice was to Dante, the theory that the Divine Comedy was written as a extended way to share with the world the perfection of mankind that is Bice holds little water when compared to other ideas. It is true that it seems to many, that "Beatrice is an ever present underlying them in the Divine Comedy", (Merwin [PuO] xvii) however it comes down to the fact that the bulk of the story and a large amount of the allusions made by Dante in the Divine Comedy do not really refer to Beatrice in any way. In Canto I of the Inferno Virgil refers to Beatrice as, "A soul more worthy then I am", when Virgil is explaining to Dante the way that the night through hell, morning through purgatory, and afternoon through paradise will occur. He says he will be able to take Dante through the Inferno that is the underworld and also up Mount Purgatorio but his soul is not pure enough to get into even the scenic view of Paradise. This is possibly the greatest compliment Dante could give to Beatrice proclaiming that she is a more worthy soul then Virgil.

It appears that to really understand this compliment it would make sense to realize what exactly Virgil was to Dante. Even though Virgil belongs to the first circle of hell otherwise known as limbo, with the pagans, "those who were worthy but lived before Christianity and / or without baptism" (Alighieri [IN] 31) Dante worshiped Virgil almost to the point of idolism. Much like Romans longed to be the Greeks, the Italians sought to be the Romans. So to say that Beatrice is purer then on of Rome's genius minds is saying quite a bit about Beatrice. Which brings up the second possible motive behind the Divine Comedy, that Dante just wanted to write a literary piece worthy of comparison to Virgil's Ane iad or Homer's Odyssey. There are several pieces of evidence that make this motive believable.

First off, in early European societies parody is very evident, in Canto of Purgatorio when Dante actually chooses to borrow a line from Virgil's Aenied. "I recognize the signs of the old flame", these lines originally found in the Aenied being spoken by Dido are now spoken by Dante, "precisely before Virgil vanishes from the Co media". (Mandelbaum [PaO] 332) in order to both offer farewells to Virgil, and at the same time", describe his own wonder at re encountering Beatrice" (Mandelbaum [PaO] 332) If the act of copying exact lines from Virgil's epic does not show mimicry then what does will never be known. It is known that the Italians longed to mimic the Romans, just as the Romans sought to mirror the Greeks, however maybe the Divine Comedy is more then just an attempt by Dante to imitate the great writers whom he idolized. Perhaps it is the ultimate act of showing respect. If it is not the mentioning of such people as Homer, Horace, or Lucan in Canto IV in the Inferno as "those who were worthy but lived before Christianity and / or without baptism" maybe it is the constant mentioning of characters and figures found in Greek and Roman Mythology that shows the respect that Dante chooses to give his predecessors.

Furthermore in Canto IV of the Inferno the "final circle of hell" there are only three condemned souls, Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. The first Judas is the apostle who betray Christ and shared with the Jews the whereabouts of Christ. The others Brutus and Cassius both conspired to murder the great Julius Caesar Rome's most beloved leader. Not to make Judas' crime appear petty, but for the sake of this argument Brutus and Cassius are more relevant. The punishment reserved for these three disgraced beings is truly horrendous, although pity will never be felt for these the though of what their suffering entails makes the average person quiver. Their punishment is far worse then the thousand year itch which the falsifier's enjoy, and thousand times worse then that of the adulterous lovers who find themselves blanketed in darkness, and drenched by the constant downpour of sharp rain.

Being frozen from the waist down thus allowing for their upper body to be gnawed at by a three headed beast with as many names the evils that he represents. A punishment so harsh being shared by traitors to both Christ and Case allow for comparisons of the two. Once again reinforcing how much Dante as well as all Italians thought of the Romans and their customs. When talking about how much the Italian government wanted to be like the Roman Empire The third possible motive arises, due to many of the "victims" named in the Inferno being, in real life, members of the government that Dante, while alive, worked so closely with the thought that Dante wrote the entire Divine Comedy to get back at all of those who chose to exile him long before his political prime. The true reasons behind Dante's exile is mostly because although Boniface was, "the most formidable and determined figure in Italian politics in the years of his pontificate Dante attempted to thwart and over throw him.

For this act Dante was to pay the heavy price of exile, however seeing is how the pen is mightier then the sword Dante would get back at Boniface in a text that has endured both of their lives and many centuries afterwards. Dante once again calls on his angelic figure of Beatrice to condemn Boniface with her final words. Found in Canto of Paradiso are these words, "And in that seat on which your eyes are fixed because a crown already waits above it, before you join this wedding feast, shall sit the soul of the noble Henry, he who is, on Earth, to be imperial; he shall show Italy the righteous way-but when she is unready. The blind greediness bewitching you, has made you like the child who dies of hunger and drive off his nurse. And in the holy forum such shall be the Prefect then, that either openly or secretly he will not walk with Henry. But God will not endure him long within the holy ministry: he shall be cast down there, where Simon Magus pays; he shall force the Anagni ne deeper in his hole".

Choosing to banish Boniface to the underworld for the rest of eternity saying that he is a sinner and should never know the place of Paradise perhaps Dante wanted his readers to see that their leader was indeed not what he appeared to many to be. There is a chance that Dante's actions may have been a bit hasty, perhaps he was still left with the bitter taste of shame on his mouth and this was the quickest way of revenge Dante saw in response to his exile. He never returned to Florence and sadly died before seeing his home streets once more, for the penalty of Dante being seen in Florence was death. In a life so fueled by his positions in public office while still a prominent figure in Florence, it seems safe to presume that some of Dante's enemies as well as friends made their way into the pages of the Divine Comedy. For instance a piece of political propaganda is found in Canto XXIV of the Inferno, like on many occasions Dante decides to give a prediction of future events in the political world through souls he comes across throughout his journey. In this instance it is Vann i Fuc ci, a thieve who makes his home in the eight circle of hell with the hypocrites who predicts the defeat of the Whites.

The Whites, were the political party Dante associated himself with during his exile, soon after their defeat during one of their many attempts to reenter Florence Dante wisely decided to break away from the White party and form his own party. Perhaps the most eerie of occasions where Dante chooses to get back at some off his political enemies is in Canto, in this the Ninth circle of hell, second ring exist Fra Albergo and Branca Doria two souls who though still alive on Earth already find their souls condemned in hell as they suffer from being frozen in place their eyes sealed shut by their frozen tears. It does not take direct mentioning of people or places in the Divine Comedy for Dante to give his political views, in Canto I of Inferno Dante describes himself as being lost in a dark wood, "certainly the politics of Florence in the years around the turn of the century are an essential part of the Inferno-al forest". (Mandelbaum [IN] 322) So, the darkness that Dante found himself in while he was on the wrong track of life was made up partly of the political climate thus proving that politics played a role in the Inferno. If that isn't prove enough recalling Beatrice's last words she describes Henry who will soon become king of Italy which he does in 1311. The only thing more important then the presence of Beatrice could possibly be the words spoken by Dante's heavenly spokesperson.

There exist a creature more quote worthy then even Beatrice however, as important as her words were the words of St. Peter could perhaps be a bit stronger in Canto XXVII of Paradiso he condemns the Pope as well as expressing his sorrow as he looks down upon the corrupt church. Who is the pope that Dante makes St. Peter condemn? Pope Boniface V the same on that Dante attempted to thwart during his political career. St. Peter as he looks down on Rome, the place of his martyring and burial asks of Dante to fulfill his mission on Earth for the present pope is so unworthy of the position that, in the eyes of Christ, it is vacant. What is this mission of Dante on Earth which St. Peter refers too? Maybe his mission had something to do with the three political epistles he wrote in Latin".

The first, of October 1310, to the lords and people of Italy, exhorted them to favor the task of the emperor in restoring peace. The second, of March 1311, to the Florentine's, rebuked them- "the most empty-headed of all Tuscans crazy by nature and crazy by corruption"- for their hostility to the emperor. And the Third, of April 1311, written to the emperor himself, asked him to reestablish justice and order in Florence". Once again Dante seeks change for the better in Italy perhaps that was his mission to bring peace to Italy. If that is the case then Dante disappointed St. Peter for his vision was never seen through, yes Henry was crowned in 1311 in Milan and 1312 in Rome but his reign was short lived. It is odd to see that all of this occurred after Dante wrote and in some cases predicted these events.

Dante wrote the Divine Comedy around 1307-1308, several year prior to Henry's rule and some 17 years after Bice's departure to the afterlife, however it was in the midst of his quarrels with Boniface and Virgil was a omnipresent figure to Dante. Once again making it difficult to pinpoint the exact reasoning behind the Divine Comedy. "Dante hoarded experience, then spent his hoard unstintingly. His love for Beatrice, with the grace it announced to him; then, after her death, the consolations and possible temptations of philosophy; the engagement in politics, his violent collision with the force of history; the bitterness and the prophetic hope of exile-all these enter into making the Comedy, a journey undertaken with all of Dante's "blood" and "bones" (Pure. XXVI, 57) " Thus perhaps the quest of finding one aspect of his life to make Dante conjure up a tale of epic proportions like the Divine Comedy was in vain. Like many timeless writers Dante chose to entangle all parts of his life, both work and love, his aspirations and regrets, his hopes and peeves into one giant piece of work.

It is funny when the Divine Comedy is looked at along side "Vita Nuova" because the Divine Comedy is just as much of an autobiography as "New Life". It is a look into the life of Dante put into his own unparalleled form of poetry, "though he does not span tragedy and comedy, as Shakespeare does (Dante's comedy is very seldom comic), he does span poetry and prose" Dante used all of his knowledge on poetry in this one piece that is the Divine Comedy. The answer to the question of the motivation that made Dante write this piece is simple answered like any standardized test question, the most obvious answer is too obvious to be correct, the simplest answer is not complicated enough to satisfy those who make up the tests, and there is always one long answer to through off the test taker by using big words and names their nor familiar with, so the only answer left is that they all add to make the Divine Comedy a timeless classic. Perhaps it is even because there is no one answer to the lesson Dante sought to teach his readers that allow any reader to absorb his Comedy and manipulate it to satisfy any desire the reader may have. Therefore making it enjoyable to anyone.