Three Realms In Dante's Poem example essay topic

Full Circle - from Sin to Salvation Great works of literature have been written throughout history. However, The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost have the inept ability to stir the soul and cause a person to examine and re-examine their life. The brilliant descriptions, use of imagery, metaphor and simile give a person a vivid picture of the creation of man and the possibilities for life in the hereafter. This is done, as a person is able to see, full circle, from the beginning of time to the end of time, the consequences of turning away from God. The ability to see a life full circle is apparent through the examination of both of these poems. Although written many years ago, the morals and principles that they convey ring very true for people in this century as well as times yet to come.

The Divine Comedy, written in the 14th century by Dante Alighieri, is a heroic epic. Throughout Dante's literary work, he outlines his scientific understandings of the world, his political views and provides the reader with a moral compass and spiritual map of which to follow. This poem is written in three parts, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio, each of which is broken down into individual cantos. Inferno includes 34 cantos, whereas Purgatorio and Paradiso each contain 33 cantos, however, the first canto of Inferno is really an introduction to the poem. The primary characters in Dante's poem include himself, who is also the narrator, Virgil, a poet he has admired, who serves as his guide through most of the first two sections, and finally, Beatrice, his inspiration, who greets him at Paradisio and escorts him through the remainder of his journey. Dante experiences a vision, at the age of 35, after experiencing traumatic events in his hometown of Florence.

The events that are occurring in Florence at the time are associated with papal corruption and cause Dante to be forced into exile. Following the vision, which confirms to Dante that he has strayed from the right path in life, Dante begins his travel through the three realms, which contain the possible consequences following a person's death. Dante's journey begins on Good Friday, when he is escorted to the gates of Hell, moves to Purgatory and ends in Heaven. However, an escort accompanies him for duration of his journey. Virgil, who Dante has long admired, escorts Dante through Hell and Purgatory, while Beatrice, meets him at the entrance to Heaven and takes him the remainder of his journey. Dante is elated to see Virgil as his first words to Virgil were, "O light and honor of all other poets, may my long study and the intense love that made me search your volume serve me now.

You are my master and my author, you-the only one from whom my writing drew the noble style for which I have been honored... ". . (Canto I of the Inferno in The Divine Comedy). After emerging from the dark woods after Dante's vision, Dante and Virgil find themselves at the gates of Hell, which were inscribed with "Abandon every hope, Ye that Enter".

(This should be found in the second or third Canto of The Divine Comedy, at the place that Dante and Virgil are about to enter Hell). If it is not there, just leave the sentence and remove the brackets for the citation) Hell is a funnel shape pit that is divided into nine terraces. Virgil, Dante's escort resides in the area known as Limbo. He is placed in this area because he died before Christianity. Nevertheless, Virgil is not subjected to Hell. Each terrace provides living space for individuals who were in Hell for the different categories of sin for which they were suffering.

The lower the terrace, the more severe the punishment. Satan resides in the very bottom level of Hell. Dante gives a very vivid description of his first sight of Satan when he writes, "The emperor of the despondent kingdom so towered-from mid chest-above the ice, that I match better with a giant's height than giants match the measure of his arms; now you can gauge the size of all of him if it is in proportion to such limbs. If he was once as handsome as he now is ugly and, despite that, raised his brows against his Maker, one can understand how every sorrow has its source in him!

I marveled when I saw that, on his head, he had three faces: one -- in front-blood red; and then another two that, just above the midpoint of each shoulder, joined the first... ". (found in The Divine Comedy, in Canto 34 (Canto IV) of the Inferno) On Easter morning, Virgil and Dante escape Hell after climbing down the body of Satan and climbing through the opening known as the earth's center of gravity. After a short hike, they arrive at ante-purgatory, which was the area designated for those who died without receiving full repentance or without receiving the holy sacrament before their death. After ante-purgatory, they enter purgatory, where an angel inscribed the letter P seven times on Dante's forehead. Each letter represented one of the seven deadly sins. Those seven sins include pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust.

Each P will be erased as Dante travels through the areas that were reserved for those who had committed each of the seven sins. As each P is erased by an angel from Dante's forehead, the journey becomes easier and easier for Dante. In Purgatory, even though people inhabit different levels, they are able to eventually move on to heaven if they receive enough prayer to rid them of their sins. The seventh terrace is the highest level of purgatory. When Virgil and Dante finally reach that terrace, they must pass through a flaming wall. When on the other side of the wall, Dante is able to see Beatrice, who was Dante's inspiration.

At that point, Virgil tells Dante that he can no longer accompany him, due to his place in Limbo. At about the same time, Dante spots a beautiful garden, The Garden of Eden, which is surrounded by a great river. On the opposite shore is where Beatrice is standing. Beatrice calls out to Dante and tells him that he must express remorse for his sins through confession. The sound of Beatrice's voice overwhelms Dante and he faints. While still faint, he is carried across the river to the shore where Beatrice is standing.

When Dante arrives in Paradiso, he is so overcome with emotion and his love for Beatrice and what she has done for him that he says, "O lady, you in whom my hope gains strength, you who, for my salvation, have allowed your footsteps to be left in Hell, in all the things that I have seen, I recognize the grace and benefit that I, depending upon your power and goodness, have received. You drew me out from slavery to freedom by all those paths, by all those means that were within your power. Do, in me, preserve your generosity, so that my soul, which you have healed, when it is set loose from my body, be a soul that you will welcome". (Found in Canto 31 of Paradiso in The Divine Comedy) Now, in Paradiso, Dante finishes his journey accompanied by Beatrice. Paradiso, like Hell and Purgatory, is also divided in sections, each of which represents a particular virtue.

Heaven contain different levels, all of which Dante must travel through to complete his journey. As Dante travels many questions come to his mind. Beatrice is able to read his mind and answers all of the questions that Dante has about life and the hereafter. At every level of the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, Dante meets people he once knew and is introduced to great personalities of the past.

However, his encounter with his great, great grandfather in Section 15, 16, 17 and 18 of Paradiso reveals to Dante the importance of his mission, which is to return to earth to reveal what he has learned on his passage through the three realms. In Paradiso sections 24, 25 and 26, Dante also receives answers to questions concerning faith, hope, charity and love from St. Peter, St. James, and St. John. Each answer and confirmation of fact that he receives encourages Dante even more to share his message. John Milton wrote Paradise Lost, an epic poem, in the 17th century. The poem, which is comprised of twelve books, vividly illustrates the fall of man and the loss of Paradise in the Garden of Eden.

The first book of the poem addresses the subject of the entire poem, which are man's disobedience and the cause of the loss of perfection in Paradise. Satan, who is moving about and is deeply distressed over being ousted from Heaven by God, appears through the character of a serpent. In this book, Satan's revolt from God and the circumstances surrounding Satan's fall to Hell, along with all of his angels, is portrayed. Satan contemplates a battle to regain his former existence in Book 2.

Satan says, it is "better to reign in hell, than serve in heav'n". (Paradise Lost, book 1, Line 263) He finds that there are those who oppose a battle with God and there are others who would be in favor of such a battle. Nevertheless, Satan is banished to Hell where he passes through the gates. Book three reveals God sitting on his throne with Jesus at His side. They observe Satan as he flies to this world. Jesus foretells the future and predicts that Satan will be successful in causing the end of Paradise and the beginning of sin among man.

Jesus also offers himself as a sacrifice for all of man's sin. God responds by explaining that he created man "sufficient to have stood, but free to fall". (Paradise Lost, Book 3, Line 99) Full of self-doubt, Satan spies Adam and Eve in Book four. Nevertheless, Satan makes a conscious effort to cause severe transgressions. Also in this book, Eve falls asleep and has a dream. The dream is really the work of Satan and causes Eve to feel temptation.

The morning approaches in Book five and Eve awakens to tell Adam about her dream. Thereafter, Adam and Eve begin their daily chores. An angel, Raphael, appears to Adam and warns him of the devil and his intentions concerning he and Eve. Book six is filled with a struggle between the angels of God, Raphael, Michael and Gabriel and Satan and his angels. The struggle involves the efforts of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael in an attempt to keep Satan and his army away from Paradise. Book seven finds Adam full of questions for Raphael.

In particular, Adam wants to know how this world came about. Raphael answers every question and Adam is satisfied with the answers he receives. In book eight, Adam continues to be curious about certain matters and again wants the presence of Raphael for answers. Adam tells Raphael everything he remembers about his arrival on earth, including his first meeting with Eve and his conversations with the angels. In book nine, Satan returns to earth disguised as a mist in the night.

He then enters a serpent that is sleeping. At morning, Adam and Eve awaken to continue their chores. Eve requests that they separate for their chores on that day. Adam is very cautious and thinks that it would be a bad idea.

Nevertheless, they do separate and work alone. It is while they are alone that Satan, disguised as a serpent, finds Eve. The serpent flatters Eve and tells her of a wonderful tree that gave him speech and reason. She asks the serpent to show her the tree, at which point he encourages her to taste the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Eve knows the fruit is forbidden but Satan is successful in persuading her to taste the fruit. Adam finds out that she has eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, and full of love for her, decides to eat from the tree also.

At that point, they both realize their mistake and try to cover their nakedness. Book ten marks the exit of the guardian angels to heaven and the point where man's transgressions are made fully known. Eve and Adam are clothed and Adam becomes very upset and will not even allow Eve to console him. He is so extremely upset from thinking about all of the possible problems that they have caused that he is unable to be consoled.

Jesus, in Book 11, goes to His Father on Adam and Eve's behalf and asks for prayer for Adam and Eve, as they become the first to be parents. They are told that they can no longer reside in Paradise. Michael, the angel, takes Adam to a high hill and tells Adam what will happen until the great flood occurs. Finally, in Book 12, Michael relates what has been promised to Adam and Eve concerning the future.

He also tells about what the future will hold in terms of the birth of Christ, His death, the resurrection and the following ascension. In addition, he tells about the state of the church until the second coming. Then Michael leads them both out of Paradise with a fiery sword waving behind them. Both of these great works of literature speak volumes about their intended purposes. Even though there are many commonalities, each of the poems stands on its on in many ways. The messages that they both generate are deep and important for humanity.

Dante chooses to reveal the possible consequences that a person faces at the end of their life, whereas, Milton addresses the very beginning of time and the creation of man. Nevertheless, they are related in that Milton's poem reveals the very reason Heaven, Hell and Purgatory even exist, which is directly related to the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The devil is a central character in both of the poems, although his behavior is very different. In Milton's poem, the devil, although not intricately described, is alive and well and freely moving about and causing much havoc. On the contrary, Dante's devil character, which is vividly described, has been captured and is unable to move from his spot in the depths of hell.

The Divine Comedy is a personal narrative where Dante is the main character, narrator, and tells his story from a bird's eye view. Milton on the other hand does not write his poem from the same perspective. Both poems use supernatural forces and spirits. They do this in a manor that makes an imagination come to life, especially in instances where things are almost impossible to describe through the words of mere mortals. While reading both of these poems, an image comes to the mind of the reader. Since the two literary works are written in completely different periods of time, it is amazing that they both employ so many of the same characteristics.

This in itself makes one wonder if Milton was in some way inspired by Dante's poem. The mysteriousness of another world is a common theme throughout both of the poems, as are the inclusion of moral judgments and the appropriateness of just punishment. Both poets have the unique ability to create a work of art that intensifies and encourages the reader to continue to read while making a point of their central purpose, which is to convey the justification of God and His demands for our lives. The knowledge that one receives from both of the poems, whether from the Tree of Knowledge or from imagery in our minds, is that man should practice control over his temptations if we are to one day enjoy what God has to offer us. Other factors that tend to be common in both of the poems are the decent of the soul into matter and the use of animated objects, such as the leopard, lion and she-wolf in The Divine Comedy and the serpent in Paradise Lost. The place called Paradise is also a common aspect, as Adam and Eve live in Paradise and the most fabulous place of all is named Paradise in Dante's The Divine Comedy.

In addition to these common attributes, both are epic poems that are divided into sections, Dante's into three major sections and Milton's into twelve books, which both serve as a model and instruction manual for mankind. Both men incorporate an invisible God and testify that they are inspired to write their poems by the supernatural. Dante writes his poem after a vision while Milton confesses to an inspiration of a muse. The theme of "free will" is also scattered through both poems. Those who reside in each of the three realms in Dante's poem are there of their own free will. Likewise, Adam and Eve also have the free will to choose to obey or not to obey the Father in the partaking of the fruit.

Faith becomes a common theme through questions that are answered within the poems. Raphael answers Adam and reveals the meaning and importance of faith. The same thing occurs in Dante's poem when St. Peter gives him information. In Milton's poem we see and feel that the character of Eve is somehow not as important as the character of Adam. This is evident in the way Adam is consulted while Eve is left to herself in times of important conversations. In Book eight, Adam says that Eve is "th' inferior, in the mind and inward faculties".

(Paradise Lost, book 8, line 317-318) Eve is a submissive character in Paradise Lost. On the other hand, Beatrice, in Dante's The Divine Comedy, is a strong character and leads Dante. The use of numbers is very important in Dante's poem as the number three reveals itself several times as well as the number seven. This is not a characteristic found in Paradise Lost. Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life.

In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.