Dante’s Inferno

Dante Alighieri and his Middle Ages

The Middle AgesBeginning: 476-700-

St. AugustineEarly Middle Ages: 700-1000

Beginning of drama in EuropeHigh Middle Ages: 1000-1300

Thomas Aquinas1100- First account of King Arthur

Late Middle Ages: 1300-1500*Black Death- by 1400- 40 million deaths in Europe alone

1265- Dante born

1308-1320- 3 canticles of The

Divine Comedy written

1386- Canterbury Tales

1450- morality plays

1485- Le Morte d’Arthur

Middle Ages-cont’d

Poetry at this time focused on:romance, religion, courtly love, allegoryGreat influences on Dante’s work:Chaucer (Canterbury Tales) Milton (Paradise Lost)Dante’s poem also mirrors Aeneid (written by Virgil)

Dante: 1265-1321His Life:

Born in Florence, Italy 1265 into a family of low nobilityMet Beatrice Portinari in 1274

She was from a higher nobility classHe was 9

*Later married Gemma Donati from a prominent Florentine family (Guelph political faction)

By 1289, joined the Guelph factionGhibelline party was opposing faction in Florence

From 1295 to 1300, he was heavily involvedElected 1 of 6 magistrates in Florence

Guelphs eventually split into 2 factionsBlacks and Whites

Black Guelphs allied themselves with Pope Boniface VIIIWhite Guelphs allied themselves with Holy Roman EmpireDante, as magistrate, exiled leaders of black and white factionsWith help from Pope Boniface VIII, the Black leader returned in 1301 and took control of entire Guelph party—banned Dante from Florence for 2 years

Florence: not just an Italian city– but a sovereign city state, a “world” power, internationally important, center of artistic and intellectual activity

Had its own flag, own army, own ambassadors, own foreign trade, own coinage (florin)

1215- murder and avenging death resulted in Guelph/Ghibelline factions

- Ghibellines: Imperial aristocracy- Guelphs: the burghers (favored Pope)*

in power when Dante was born and the faction of his family

More on Dante….

Very little is actually known of him1st work: La Vita Nuova (“The New Life”) was written in 1292, in the vernacularSolicited the help of his older friend Guido CavalcantiCelebrates his love for Beatrice Portinari

WAIT!!!

Beatrice? Didn’t he meet her when he was 9???- Yes.- The next time he “runs into her” he’s 18.- She dies when he is 25 and believes to have

a “vision” of her when he is 27- Also, explaining the important symbol of 3…

- (More on that later…)

Soo… La Vita Nuova is autobiographical*Delicate and sensitive analysis of emotions*Critics and historians today still question why Beatrice…

Back to Dante: besides being in love and having visions, he joins political office (a prior) as well as enrolling in the Apothecaries’ Guild (books were sold there….)

Florence then was in turmoilGuelphs split White (Dante) against Pope

Black for Pope Boniface VIII

1301- Black Guelph’s take control of Florence

Dante voluntarily is absent from political roles, but then is banished altogether from Florence

(200 yrs. later, he parallels very closely to Machiavelli with similar motives, humanistic revival, and free inquiry)

While exiled, is bothered by “education” and the Church’s involvement in such matters.

Education was readily available, but the Church did not support philosophy (i.e. human affairs)

He decides to write in the vernacular—which is a revolutionary idea. All text at this time was written in Latin.

De Monarchia is another one of his works responds to the pull between Pope and emperor

Dante is partially responsible for :

(De Monarchia)

• affirming man’s right to “pursuit of happiness”

• separation of Church and State

• secularized education available to the public

Comedy- Based on Roman Catholic beliefs…- Inferno- Power of the Father- Purgatory- Wisdom of the Son- Paradise- Love of the Holy Spirit

- Each canticle contains 33 cantos, totaling 99; including introductory canto: 100 cantos.

Magic Symbol of “3”3 parts of the poem3- Holy Trinity100: square of 10= perfect number (why?) square of the Trinity, plus 1 OR Trinity + Unity of God=10Rhyme scheme: terza rima or third rhyme- Dante invented for this purpose alone (sets of three)Tercet- 3 line stanza

Narrative Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso written between 1308 and 1320Allegory

Literal plot deals entirely in symbolsSecond level of meaning implied by, but broader than, the events of the narrative

Dante’s adventures=a broader subject; the trials of the human soul trying to achieve morality and find unity with God.

Intemporality- mingling of elements from different time periods

The Inferno

Dante’s HellFollows medieval hierarchiesFunnel shaped pit

Below Jerusalem9 circles and a vestibule

Concept of sin= man has no free willSuffering is a continuation of their chosen sin

3 basic sin categories Incontinence

Loss of self control

ViolenceFraud

Hell is not geographicalHell is the potential for sin and evil in the soul3 beasts= 3 basic sin categories (arguments in literary world on which symbolizes which)

Hell

Heaven

PurgatoryChoice to sin,

go deeper

into circles of hell

Virtues raise people into Heaven

Why Virgil though, Dante?

Guide to Epic FormJourney inspired by Aeneid, his poem

Guide who knew hellImages from Aeneid; Virgil created literary Hell

(And… his favorite poet)

Virgil…

Guide through the spiritual world

Power to conjureIn Dante’s time, Virgil’s writing seemed like mystical predictions from a pagan author of the coming of Christ

He represents human reason

There is a Heaven, but Virgil can only take him so farSomeone more worthy will take him the rest of the wayPhilosophy of man will start; however, God will end the journey

Canto 1

The Dark Wood of Error

Alessandro Vellutello’s Inferno 1

Beginning of Journey/OdysseyFirst light of sunrise (begins Easter weekend: Good Friday)Sun= Divine LightEaster=rebirth/resurrection (spring=new life)

On his way to climb Mount of JoyIs stopped by 3 beasts: Leopard of malice and fraud, Lion of violence and ambition, She Wolf of incontinence

Dante as narrator; begins in Dark WoodsMidway through life, he wakes to find himself lost- 35th year (1300 AD)Describes life: drear, rank, arduous, bitterWhen all seems lost, Virgil arrivesVirgil: human reason, leads Dante from error, no direct path around beasts, but need to go “the harder route”Hell=Recognition of SinPurgatory= Renunciation of Sin

Notes:

Dante created “the perfect Easter” for a symbolic awakening.

Aries- sign of creationGreyhound/Feltro and Feltro

Can Grande della Scala- great leader in Verona between Feltre and Montefeltro

*Salvation is for believers of Christ: Virgil died before Christ’s teachings- therefore: no Heaven

Gates…(3)Peter’s Gate: gate of PurgatoryPeter- 1st Pope- symbolic of all PopesHas 2 keysGate of Hell canto 3Gate of Dis canto 8Gate of Purgatory- Purgatory, canto 9

Quotes:lines 18-19 “whose virtue leads men straight on every road / and the shining strengthened me against the fright…” lines 106-107 “I will be your guide and lead you forth through an eternal place”lines 115-116 If after Hell, you “still wish to climb a worthier spirit shall be sent to guide you.”line 117 “With HER I shall leave you, for the King of Time.”

Virgil can only take him through Hell and PurgatoryBeatrice, his symbol of divine love, will take him through Paradise“I will be your guide / and lead you forth through an eternal place. / There you shall see the ancient spirits tried / in endless pain.” lines 106-109

Map of the earth, showing Hell and Mount Purgatory. Commedia di Dante insieme con uno dialogo circa el sito, forma et misure dello Inferno (Florence: Filippo Giunta, 1506).

Frontispiece of Hell (Venice: Pietro da Fino, 1568).

The Descent

Canto II

Gustave Dore’s Inferno

The Darkening Sky of the First Night

1st day-FridayBeatrice visited Virgil in Limbo and told him of her concerns for Dante (his soul)Dante cannot attain Divine Love alone—REASON must lead himBeatrice- sent by Virgin Mary and St. LuciaVirgin Mary- Divine LightSt. Lucia- CompassionRachel- contemplative life

Aeneas- royal line that shall rule the worldVisits Latian lands, after misadventure descends to underworldDante continues the theme of predestinationQuestions whether he is worthy of this visionline 51-52: “I was a soul among the souls in Limbo”– referring to Virgil’s state in HellPtolemaic system- earth is center of creationLine 97- “lucia” =luce=light

Lines133-135 “Thy words have moved my heart to its first purpose, / My guide! My Lord! My Master! Now lead on: / one will shall serve the two of us in this.”Reference to Aeneas in the royal line: predestination of Roman Empire, and also Holy Roman Empire and the Church, i.e. Divine scheme of the Catholic God and Aeneas is a forefather of Peter and PaulPtolemaic system: Earth, the moon, Mercury, Venus, The Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, The Fixed Stars, The Primum Mobile