The Divine Comedy

INFORMAL THEME NO: 4
BLOG NO:4
November 12, 2010

Divine Comedy is written by Dante Alighieri in the year 1306-1321. It is composed of over 14 000 lines and divided into 3 sections: Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. He used number 3 for in his time, it was significant because it was considered holy. “La Commedia di Dante Alighieri” (The Comedy of Dante Alighieri) was the original title of this epic poem. In 155, admirers of the great work added the word “Divina” (Divine) to call attention to its greatness. Thus, it became known as “La Divine Commedia” (The Divine Comedy) and the author’s name was dropped from the title. Dante called the poem “Commedia” because poems in the ancient world were classified as high (tragedy) and low (comedy). Wherein low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while high poems were for more serious matters.

The Divine Comedy gets its story mainly from the author’s own imagination. In addition, it encompasses heroes and villains from everywhere, including the material and spiritual world. The action takes place in 1300. It begins in the forest of darkness on Good Friday.

Being the protagonist of the epic poem, Dante Alighieri, he was frightened and helpless when he was lost in the woods until a great Roman poet, Virgil, help him. He guides Dante through the gates of Hell. They enter the outlying region of Hell, the Ante-Inferno. They had met many persons, giants and monsters. Eventually they reach the Lethe, the river of forgetfulness and travel from there out of Hell and back onto Earth. And they emerge from Easter Sunday, just before sunrise.   

The two travelers find themselves on the island of Mount Purgatory at the dawn of a new day. Before beginning to scale the mountain, Dante and Virgil must first pass through Ante-Purgatory.  They had met variety of souls, some were deceased kings. In Purgatory proper, the two have seven terraces to pass through, each of which corresponds to one of t he seven deadly sins. The terraces of Purgatorio were, The Proud, The Envious, The Wrathful, The Slothful, The Avaricious, The Gluttonous, and The Lascivious. They conquered many trials just to pass all the seven terraces. Virgil always lures him with the promise that he will see Beatrice on the other side. At the closing of Purgatorio, Matilda leads Dante to the river Eunoe and immerses him in water.

Dante and Beatrice are more ready to ascend Heaven (Paradiso). Beatrice outlines the structure of the universe. They arrive into many celestial bodies composing the universe. Then Dante looks into the Eternal Light, and see within the image of the Holy Trinity. He ponders the mystery of the Incarnation. God bestows the answer upon him in a flash of light and Dante’s soul is, finally, at one with Gods. Truly Dante Alighieri, crossed many paths just to reach the Heaven (Paradiso). This epic poem only shows that above all, faith to God is all that matter. People should keep in mind that God is our creator.