Dante Alighieri
Dantes journey.
- Greatest of Italian poets
- Active in politics
- Born in Florence, Italy, 1265
- One of the seven in charge of the government of
Florence
- He was sentenced on charges of corruption and
opposition to the Church and exiled from Florence
on pain of execution by burning if he ever returned
- He died after completing the Paradiso
- He believes that Human soul is a part of the
collective whole but retains its individuality
- Divine Comedy was his literary landmark and a
synthesis of his political, religious and social views
Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
- An allegory of human life in the form of a vision of
the world beyond the grave
- Written with the object to convert a corrupt society
to righteousness
- The literal translation is Dantes journey to god
through the supernatural aid of Beatrice
- The allegorical translation is Dantes reminder that
god is a loving and living god who is willing to
make a journey with mankind to be able to meet
his ultimate goal, that is Eternal Happiness.
- Dantes journey is made up of the Inferno(Hell),
Purgatorio (Purgatory), Paradiso(Paradise)
- Divine Comedy=political strife + Dantes great love
for Beatrice from a distance
- Signal to the end of Middle Ages and the rise of
Renaissance Humanism
Symbolisms:
Dark Woods (Forest of Errors)- symbolizing his own
sinful materialism; Vices and power which became
obstacles to ones goal
Mount of Joy-representing the hope of the resurrected
Christ.
Virgil- reason (moral virtues and intellectual virtues)
Beatrice- supernatural aid to attain supreme end;
Dantes guide in Earthly Paradise
Mountain illuminated by the sun- deviation from
righteous living
Dante travelling through hell, purgatory and heaven-
temporal and eternal happiness
Three Beasts: Leopard, Lion and She-wolf- civil and
religious confusion of society
Leopard- represents Fraud
Lion- represents Violence
She-wolf- represents Incontinence
Major Characters:
Dante- a 35 years old man, spiritually lost and
wandering away from the True Way.
Virgil- he resides in the Limbo; he was the guide of
Beatrice Portinari- serves as Dante's muse and
inspiration who died at the age of 24
Supporting Characters:
Paolo- lover of Francesca
Cerberus- a three-headed dog
Charon- a ferryman of the Acheron River in hell
Judas- the Iscariot; betrayed Christ
Cassius & Brutus- betrayed Julius Caesar
Plutus- a devil who praised Satan
Francesca- who had fallen in love with her husbands
brother, Paolo
Minos- the demon who judged the sinners and assigned
them in their place in hell
Ulysses
Other Characters:
Phylegas- a ferryman in the Styx River in hell
Ciacco- notorious glutton
Geryon- a monster with a face like a man but with a tail
and beast who represents fraud
Satan- aka Lucifer; he is the Emperor of Hell
St. Bernard- Dantes last guide in Paradise
3 Guides of Dante: Virgil, Beatrice, St. Bernard
Settings:
Acheron- an infernal river
Styx- a swamp-like water river
City of Dis- fallen angels reside here; the start of fifth circle
Phlegethon- a river of boiling blood
Cocytus- a lake of ice
INFERNO: The Circles of Hell
I. Circle: Limbo- unbaptized, virtuous pagans/non-Christians
II. Circle: Lustful- having strong feelings of sexual desire;
Minos judged the sinners and assigned them to their
place in hell; the souls are punished by having their
spirits blown about an unceasing wind
III. Circle: Gluttonous- excessive greedy; guard by Cerberus;
the gluttons spend eternity wallowing in mud and
mire.
IV. Circle: Hoarders and Wasters who spend eternity rolling in
the giant boulders at one another
V. Circle: Wrathful fight each other on the surface and the
Sullen/Slothful lie gurgling beneath the water
VI. Circle: Heretics (a person holding an opinion at odds
with what is generally accepted) are trapped in flaming
tombs
VII. Circle: The Violent
a. Violent against others: Tyrants and Murderers
are tormented in Phlegethon
b. Suicides
c. Blasphemers (against God), Sodomites
(against nature) & Userers, all reside in a
desert of flaming sand
VIII. Circle (Malebolge- evil pockets) divided into 10
bolgias/ditches of stone: Fraud
 Bolgia 1: Plunderers (pimps) & Seducers
(prostitutes) who were whipped by demons.
Bolgia 2: Flatterers are steeped in human
excrement.
Bolgia 3: Bribers (Simonists) were punished by
being stuck upside down in rock with their feet on
fire.
Bolgia 4: Sorcerers have their heads twisted
Bolgia 5: Barrators (corrupt politicians) are
immersed of boiling pitch guarded by devils, the
Malebranche (Evil Claws) and their leader
Malacoda (Evil Tail).
Bolgia 6: Hypocrites (a person who pretends to
have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles)
listlessly walking down into it and wearing gold-
gilded lead cloaks.
Bolgia 7: Thieves, guarded by centaur Cacus, are
pursued and bitten by snakes.
Bolgia 8: Fraudulent advisors are encased in
individual flames.
Bolgia 9: Sowers of discord when their wounds
heal, the demon tear apart their bodies again.
Bolgia 10: Falsifiers (alchemist, counterfeiters,
perjurers & impersonators) are afflicted with
different types of diseases.
IX. Circle: Traitors are frozen in Cocytus Lake
a. Caina (Cain), traitors against kin are
immersed in the ice up to their necks.
b. Antenors (Antenor), traitors against country
are immersed almost the same level in those
in Caina but they are unable to bend their
necks.
c. Ptolomea (Ptolomy), treachery against guests;
the souls are immersed so much that only half
of their aces are visible. There tears freeze
and seal their eyes shut.
d. Judecca (Judas), treachery against masters;
Judas, Cassius & Brutus are totally covered
with ice. In the center is, Satan who has 3
faces (red, black, pale yellow), 6 eyes and 3
mouths were the 3 traitors chews on.
PURGATORIO: The Cornice/Terraces of Purgatory
Cato- guardian of the Island of Purgatory
Ante-Purgatory: Late-Repentant
Excommunicated- officially exclude from the
Christian Church.
The Indolent- lazy
The Unabsolved- not free from guilt
The Negligent- careless
An angel carves 7 Ps in Dantes forehead. Virgil and
Dante enters in the Gate of Purgatory or St. Peters Gate
The Seven Ledges
Love of Perveted:
1st Terrace: Proud are purged by carrying giant
stones on their backs; Angel of Humility
2nd Terrace: Envious are purged by having their
eyes sewn shut; Angel of Generosity
3rd Terrace: Wrathful are purged by walking around
in acrid smoke; Angel of Peacemaker
Love Defective:
4th Terrace: Slothful are purged by continually
running; Angel of Zeal
Love Excessive:
5th Terrace: Avarious are purged by lying with face
down on the ground, unable to move: Angel of Temperance
6th Terrace: Gluttonous are purged by abstaining
from any food/drink; Angel of Temperance
7th Terrace: Lascivious are purged by being burned
in an immense wall of flames; Angel of Chastity
Parts of the Discipline of the Penitent
1. Penance (itself appropriate to the sin)
2. Meditation
3. Prayer
4. Benediction
5. Angel of Cornice
PARADISO: The Spheres of Heaven or
Earthly Paradise, a place of mans original innocence and
a celestial region with stars and heavenly spheres.
Lethe- river of forgetfulness; Beatrice commands Dante to
drink to the river.
Heavenly Pageant- an allegory of the Church triumphant,
in the form of a religious procession.
Dante sees 7 tall, golden candles leaving behind a
rainbow trail of colors, these candles lead the procession
of biblical figures and symbols: 24 mature men, two by
two, dressed in pure white and wearing crowns of lilies
(books of the Hebrew Bible); 4 animals, each with 6 wings
(full of eyes) and wearing a leafy-green crown (the
Gospels); a two-wheeled chariot pulled by a Griffin; 3
dancing women- red, green, and white--at the right wheel
of the chariot, and 4 dancing women (one with three eyes),
in crimson-colored garments, at the left wheel (theological
& cardinal virtues); 7 more men dressed in white but
wearing crowns of roses and other red flowers, including 2
old men, one with the bearing of a physician (Luke: Acts of
the Apostles) and the other carrying a sword (Paul:
Epistles), 4 men of humble appearance (James, Peter,
John, Jude: short epistles), and a single old man with
sharp features even as he sleeps (John: Apocalypse).
Symbolisms:
9 Spheres of Heaven- 9 Orders of Angels (Seraphim,
Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers,
Principalities, Archangels and Angels).
7 Golden Candelabras- refers to the 7 Gifts of Holy Spirit:
Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel (right judgement),
Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety(reverence), and Fear of the
Lord (wonder & awe).
Chariot- allegory of medieval Christian history
24 Elders- represents the books of the Hebrew Bible
4 Beasts- represents the 4 Evangelists/Gospels: Matthew
(man, the king of the creation as the image of the creator),
Mark (lion as the king of beasts and prey, meat-eating),
Luke (ox as the king of domesticated animals), John (eagle
as the king of the birds)
Griffin- a hybrid creature of eagle (wings & head) and lion
(body); represents the two-fold nature of Christ as Man-
and-God.
3 Blessed Women- Virgin Mary, St. Lucy, Beatrice
3 Ladies- (red dress- charity, white veil- hope, green cape-
hope)- represents the 3 Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope,
Charity)
4 Ladies (violet)- represents the 4 Cardinal Virtues
(Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude)
7 Elders- represents the New Testament
2 aged man- Luke: Acts of Apostles &
Paul: Epistles
4 Men of humble- James, Peter, John, Jude;
represents the General Epistles
One old man- John: Apocalypse; represents the
Book of Revelation
The Spheres of Heaven
1st Sphere: The Moon, Inconstancy: Souls who abandoned
their vows
2nd Sphere: Mercury, Ambition: Souls who did good out of
desire for fame
3rd Sphere: Venus, Earthly Love: Souls who did good out of
love; Rahab, the brightest soul among those of the spheres
4th Sphere: The Sun, Souls of the Wise (Prudence)
5th Sphere: Mars, Souls who fought for Christianity
(Fortitude)
6th Sphere: Jupiter, Souls who personified justice (Justice)
7th Sphere: Saturn, Abode of the Contemplative
(Temperance)
8th Sphere: The Fixed Stars (Faith, Hope, Charity), Abode
of the Blessed; also known as Stellar Heaven, the
counterpart of Garden of Eden; Mans redemption & Christ
Triumph
9th Sphere: The Primum Mobile, The Abode of the Angels
10th Sphere: The Empyrean, Abode of God; also known as
Intellectual Paradise
VOCABULARY WORDS
Allegory- a story in which characters and events have
symbols
Felicity- great happiness
Ominous- suggesting something bad will happen in the
future
6 THEMES OF DIVINE COMEDY
1. Life is a journey
2. The Perfection of Gods justice
3. Salvation through repentance
4. Evil as a contradiction of Gods will
5. The whole world, ultimately, has meaning, reason
and order
6. The source of the meaning, reason, order is in
Gods divine plan
INTERPRETING LINES:
A gem cannot be polished without friction nor a man
perfected without adversities
- the trials in life tests ones character
One bite of a sin leaves a bitter aftertaste
- when we commit a mistake, the consequence will
always follow