Introduction:
Dante
is one of the greatest poets in the Italian language. Dante Alighieri was born
in the city-state Florence in 1265. He first saw the woman, then he fell in
love of Beatrice. Beatrice was a beautiful girl. In fact, Beatrice married
another man and died when Dante was 25. He married to the daughter of the
famous Donati family with the amount of her dowry. Dante Studies at the
University of Bologna, one of the most famous universities in the medieval
world. Dante's Inferno is the first of three parts of epic poem. The Devine
Comedy which is an imaginary journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.
Dante speaks in the first person and interprets his experience.
The
Structure of the Poem:
Dante
designed the structure of his poem using a series of mystical numbers:
Three:
The number of the Holy Trinity: God the father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost; The number of parts of the Divine Comedy: Inferno,
Purgatory and Paradise; The number of lines in each verse of each canto; The
number of divisions of Hell; The number of days required for Dante's journey
through Hell.
Nine: A multiple of three; the number of circles in Hell.
Ten: The perfect number is the nine circles of Hell plus
the vestibule.
Thirty-Three:
A multiple of three; the number of cantos in each
part.
Ninety-Nine: The total number of cantos plus Canto I, The
introduction.
One-Hundred:
A multiple of ten; considered by Dante to be the
perfect number.
Style:
Dante
utilized Terza Rima in this poem with three lines stanzas. Within each stanza,
the first and third lines rhyme, the middle line having a different end sound.
Themes:
Dante's
Inferno is a classic tale that involves Christian morality and mythological and
classical literature. In this tale we watch Virgil to guide Dante to pass
through the circles of Hell in order to reach Heaven where Dante's beloved
Beatrice awaits. Dante created this tale in order to give the world a visual
image of afterlife.
Description
of Canto I:
The
middle of the journey, Dante is Author, protagonist and hero, who loses his way
in the “dark woods”. He says that he does not remember how he lost his way, but
he has wondered into a fearful place, a dark and tangled valley. He sees a
great hill that the sun shines down from this Hilltop. Dante attempts to climb
toward light. Then three angry beasts a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf blocked
the path and force him to turn back. Dante returns to the dark wood.
Fortunately Dante sees a human form in the woods which is spirit of the great
Roman epic poet Virgil. Virgil said that he has been sent by Beatrice who was
beloved of Dante. Dante thrilled to meet the poet and tells Virgil about the
three beasts. Virgil replies that the she-wolf kills all who approach her, a
magnificent haunt will come to chase the she-wolf back to Hell and he also says
they must decent Hell, Then he must go through PURGATORY. And finally he can
ascend to PARADISE where Beatrice awaits. Dante followed Virgil as a guider.
There are nine circles in the Hell. Limo is the first circle. It houses pagans,
including Virgil and many of the other great writers and poet of antiquity. The
2nd through 5th circle are for the lustful, gluttonous, prodigal and warthful.
The 6th circle is devoted to the punishment of heretics. The 7th circle is
devoted to the punishment of violence. The 8th is devoted to the punishment of
guilty of fraud and the 9th is for betrayed others. In the last section, there
are a frozen lack. So, they must first pass through the place of Hell, then a place
of Purgatory; only then they can reach God's city, Heaven.
Conclusion:
Dante's
Divine Comedy is a moral comedy that is designed to make the readers think
about their own morals. Dante's relationship with God is evident in his writing
which described the experience of a deeply committed Christian. During the time
he wrote in the middle Ages, this religious commitment was widely accepted and
encouraged. It is the spiritual truth. Inferno takes the form of an allegory.
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