Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, in Michelino's fresco.

The Divine Comedy (in Italian "Comedia" or "Commedia", later christened "Divina" by Giovanni Boccaccio), written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, is widely considered the greatest epic poem of Italian literature, and one of the greatest of world literature. Its influence is so great that it affects the Christian view of the afterlife to this day. Domenico di Michelino Dante and His Poem (1465) fresco, in the dome of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence (Florences cathedral). ... Domenico di Michelino Dante and His Poem (1465) fresco, in the dome of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence (Florences cathedral). ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ... Michelinos fresco Dante and his Work in the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. ... Giovanni Boccaccio (June 16, 1313 – December 21, 1375) was a Italian author and poet, the greatest of Petrarchs disciples, an important Renaissance humanist in his own right and author of a number of notable works including On Famous Women, the Decameron and his poems in the vernacular. ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ... Events Henry VII is elected as king of the Holy Roman Empire. ... Events Births Deaths September 14 - Dante Alighieri - author of The Divine Comedy, one of the great classics of World Literature and a foundation of Italian Literature, also considered a great masterpiece of Christian literature. ... In mathematics, see epic morphism. ... This is a survey of Italian literature. ... Christianity is the worlds largest religion. ... Afterlife (also known as life after death) is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual and experiential, beyond this world, or after death. ...

Structure and story

The Divine Comedy is composed of three canticas (or "cantiche"), Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise), composed respectively of 34, 33, and 33 cantos. The first canto of Inferno serves as an introduction to the entire Divine Comedy, making each of the canticas 33 cantos long. The number 3 is prominent in the work, represented here by the length of each cantica. Also, that they add up to 100 cantos is not accidental. The verse scheme used, terza rima, is the hendecasyllable (line of eleven syllables), with the lines composing tercets according to the rhyme scheme ABA BCB CDC . . . YZY Z. A canticle is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. ... Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell (according to many religious beliefs about the afterlife) is a place of torment and pain. ... In Roman Catholic theology, Purgatory is a process of purification after the particular judgment and before entry into Heaven. ... The heavens are the sky, the celestial sphere, or outer space. ... A canticle is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. ... Terza rima is a rhyming verse stanza form that was first used by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. ... Hendecasyllable verse (in Italian endecasillabo) is a kind of verse used mostly in Italian poetry, defined by its having the last stress on the tenth syllable. ... A tercet is three lines of poetry forming a stanza or complete poem. ...

The poet tells in the first person his travel through the three realms of the dead, lasting during Holy Week in the spring of 1300. His guide through Hell and Purgatory is the Latin poet Virgil, author of The Aeneid, and the guide through Paradise is Beatrice, Dante's ideal of a perfect woman. Beatrice is named after a woman other than Dante's wife, with whom he was not believed to have been involved; he merely admired her from afar, never acting on these desires. Holy Week is the Christian week from Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday. ... Events Beginning of the Renaissance. ... For other uses see Virgil (disambiguation). ... The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Vergil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. ... Although the details surrounding the life of Beatrice Portinari (1266-1290) are subject to much dispute, there is little doubt she was a major influence in Dante Alighieris life, influencing particularly his works of La Vita Nuova and La Divina Commedia. ...

Inferno

Gustave Doré engravings illustrated The Divine Comedy (1861-1868), here Dante is lost in Canto 1.

The poem begins on Holy Thursday of the year 1300, "in the middle of our life's journey" (Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita), and so opens in medias res. Dante is thirty-five years old, half of the biblically alloted age of 70 (Psalm 90:10), lost in a dark wood (allegorically, contemplating suicide--as "wood" is figured in canto 13), assailed by beasts (allegorically, sins) he cannot evade, and unable to find the "straight way" (diritta via) to salvation. Conscious that he is ruining himself, that he is falling into a "deep place" (basso loco) where the sun is silent ('l sol tace), Dante is at last rescued by Virgil after his love Beatrice intercedes on his behalf (Canto 2), and he and Virgil begin their journey to the underworld. Download high resolution version (720x1088, 271 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (720x1088, 271 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Doré photographed by Felix Nadar. ... Events Beginning of the Renaissance. ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ...

Dante and Virgil enter the Gate of Hell, on which is inscribed the famous phrase, "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" or "Abandon every hope, all ye who enter" (Mark Musa's translation) and first pass through the Vestibule of the Futile, containing those whose actions and characters were so insignificant and indecisive that they do not deserve to be counted in Heaven or Hell: they are forever chasing after a whirling pennant and being stung by wasps (Canto 3). Then Dante and Virgil are ferried across the river Acheron by Charon to Hell proper. Mark Musa is a graduate of Rutgers University (B.A., 1956), the University of Florence (Fullbright, 1956-1958), and the Johns Hopkins University (M.A., 1959; Ph. ... The Acheron river is in the Epirus region of north west Greece. ... Charon may refer to: Charon (mythology) - the figure from Greek mythology who ferried the dead across the river Acheron in the underworld Hades. ... Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell (according to many religious beliefs about the afterlife) is a place of torment and pain. ...

Virgil guides Dante through the nine circles of Hell. The circles are concentric, each new one representing further and further evil, culminating in the center of the earth, where Satan is held, bound. Each circle's sin is punished in an appropriately revengeful way to fit the crime. The nine circles are: Satan (שָׂטָן Standard Hebrew Satan, Latin Sátanas, Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Aramaic שִׂטְנָא Śiṭnâ: both words mean Adversary; accuser) is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. ...

• Circle 1. Limbo - the unbaptized and virtuous pagans, who, though not sinful, did not accept Christ. They are not punished in an active sense, but are merely unable to reach Heaven and denied God's presence for eternity (Canto 4).

All of the condemned sinners are judged by Minos, who sentences each soul to one of the lower eight circles. These are structured according to the classical (Aristotelian) conception of virtue and vice, so that they are grouped into sins of incontinence (sins of the leopard), sins of violence (sins of the lion), and sins of malice (sins of the she-wolf). The sins of incontinence—weakness in controlling one's desires and natural urges—are the mildest among them, and, correspondingly, appear first: In Roman Catholic theology, limbo describes the temporary status of the souls of good persons who died before the resurrection of Jesus, and the permanent status of the unbaptised who die in infancy (without having committed any personal sins, but without having been freed from original sin). ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and some historic sects of Judaism. ... In Greek mythology, Minos was a semi-legendary king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. ...

• Circle 2. Those overcome by lust, trapped in a violent storm, never to touch each other again, featuring Francesca da Rimini and her lover Paulo (Canto 5).

• Circle 3. Gluttons, face-down in the mud and gnawed apart by Cerberus (Canto 6).

• Circle 4. The greedy, who hoarded possessions, and the indulgent, who squandered them, forced to push giant rocks in opposite directions(Canto 7).

• Circle 5. The wrathful, fighting each other in the swamp-like water of the river Styx, and the slothful, trapped beneath the water (Canto 8).

The lower parts of hell are contained within the walls of the city of Dis, which is itself surrounded by the river Styx (Canto 9). These are the active (rather than passive) sins; first are the sins of violence: Gianciotto Discovers Paolo and Francesca by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (died 1285) was the beautiful daughter of Guido da Polenta of Ravenna. ... In Greek mythology, Cerberus (from Κέρϐερος, Kerberos, demon of the pit), was the hound of Hades—a monstrous three-headed dog (sometimes said to have 50 or 100 heads), (sometimes) with a snake for a tail and innumerable snake heads on his back. ... For other uses, see Styx River (disambiguation) River In Greek mythology, Styx ([river of] hate) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between earth and the underworld, Hades. ... dis: to take the mickey In Roman mythology, Dīs was an alternate name for Pluto, god of the underworld and darkness. ... For other uses, see Styx River (disambiguation) River In Greek mythology, Styx ([river of] hate) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between earth and the underworld, Hades. ...

• Circle 6. Heretics, trapped in flaming tombs (Cantos 10 and 11).

• Circle 7. The violent (Cantos 12 through 17). These are divided into three rings:
  • Outer ring: The violent against people and property, in a river of boiling blood (Canto 12).
  • Middle ring: The violent against themselves—suicides —turned into thorny black trees [Uniquely among the dead, they will not be bodily reincarnated after the final judgment. Where others will continue to occupy Hell (and Heaven) in corporeal (rather than merely spiritual) form, suicides—because they alienated themselves from their own bodies—spend eternity in the body of a tree, their own corpses hanging from the limbs.] Also punished in this circle are profligates, chased perpetually through the trees by ferocious dogs (Canto 13). They are held here with the suicides because, during Dante's time, one's property is seen as an extension of one's physical body. Hence, doing violence to one's property is kin to suicide.
  • Inner ring: The violent against God, art, and nature—blasphemers, sodomites, and usurers—in a desert of flaming sand where fire rains from the sky (Cantos 14 through 17).

The last two circles of Hell punish sins of malice, or sins of the intellect; that is, sins involving conscious fraud or treachery, and can only be reached by descending a vast cliff into the "pit" of Hell: Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon ([river of] fire) was one of the five rivers of the underworld. ... Blasphemy is the defamation of the name of God or the gods, and by extension any display of gross irreverence towards any person or thing deemed worthy of exalted esteem. ... Sodomy is a term of religious origin to characterise certain sexual acts and behaviours as a perversion of the human capacity for union through sexuality. ... Usury (from the Latin usus meaning used) was defined originally as charging a fee for the use of money. ...

Dante climbs the flinty steps in Canto 26

Dante's guide rebuffs Malacoda and his fiends between ditches five and six in the eight circle of Inferno, Canto 21.

• Circle 8 The fraudulent—those guilty of deliberate, knowing evil—are located in a circle named Malebolge (Cantos 18 through 30). This is divided into ten ditches:
  • Ditch 1: Panderers and seducers, running forever in opposite directions, whipped by demons (Canto 18).
  • Ditch 2: Flatterers, steeped in human excrement (Canto 18).
  • Ditch 3: Those who committed simony, placed head-first in holes, flames burning on the soles of their feet (Canto 19).
  • Ditch 4: Sorcerers and false prophets, their heads put on backward on their bodies, so they can only see what is behind them (Canto 20).
  • Ditch 5: Corrupt politicians (barrators), trapped in a lake of burning pitch (Cantos 21 and 22).
  • Ditch 6: Hypocrites, made to wear brightly painted lead cloaks (Canto 23).
  • Ditch 7: Thieves, chased by venomous snakes, and after being bitten by the venomous snakes, turn into snakes themselves and chase the other thieves in return (Cantos 24 and 25).
  • Ditch 8: Fraudulent advisors, trapped in flames (Cantos 26 and 27).
  • Ditch 9: Sowers of discord, whose bodies are ripped apart, then heal, only to be attacked again (Cantos 28 and 29).
  • Ditch 10: Falsifiers, i.e. alchemists, counterfeiters, perjurers, and impersonators. Each group is punished by being afflicted with a different type of disease (Cantos 29 and 30).
    

The passage to the ninth circle contains classical and Biblical giants (Canto 31). Dante and Virgil are lowered into the pit by Antaeus.
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (979x797, 227 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (979x797, 227 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... In Dante Alighieris Inferno, Malebolge is the eighth circle of Hell. ... Seduction is the process of deliberately enticing another person into an act (see motivation). ... Simony is the ecclesiastical crime and personal sin of paying for offices or positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus, who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:18-24. ... Magic (also called magick to distinguish it from stage magic) is a supposed way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means. ... Prophecy, in a broad sense, is the prediction of future events. ... Alchemy is an early protoscientific practice combining elements of chemistry, physics, astrology, art, semiotics, metallurgy, medicine, mysticism, and religion. ... A counterfeit is an imitation that is made with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins. ... Perjury is lying or making verifiably false statements under oath in a court of law. ... A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ... Giants are humanoid creatures of prodigious size and strength, a type of legendary monster that appear in the tales of many different races and cultures. ... Antaeus (or Änti in the Berber language) in Greek mythology and Berber mythology, was a son of Poseidon and Gaia, and his wife was Tinjis. ...

Satan is trapped in the frozen central zone in Canto 34.

• Circle 9. Traitors, distinguished from the "merely" fraudulent, in that their acts involve knowingly and deliberately betraying others, are frozen in a lake of ice (Cantos 32 through 34). Each group of traitors is encased in ice to a different height, ranging from only the waist down to complete immersion. This is divided into four concentric zones:
  • Outer zone 1 (Caïna): Traitors to their kindred (Canto 32). Named for Cain.
  • Zone 2 (Antenora): Traitors to political entities, such as party, city, or country (Cantos 32 and 33), such as Count Ugolino. Named for Antenor of Troy, who, according to medieval tradition, betrayed his city to the Greeks.
  • Zone 3 (Ptolomæa): Traitors to their guests (Canto 33). Named (probably) for Ptolemy, captain of Jericho, who invited Simon the High Priest and his sons to a banquet and there killed them. One of its inhabitants, Friar Alberigo, explains that sometimes a soul falls here before the time that Atropos (the Fate who cuts the thread of life) should send it. Their bodies on Earth are immediately possessed by a fiend.
  • Central zone 4 (Judecca): Traitors to their lords and benefactors (Canto 34). This is the harshest section of Hell, containing Satan, who is eternally consuming the bodies of Brutus and Cassius, and the head of Judas Iscariot, after whom this zone is named.

The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... In stories common to the Abrahamic religions, Cain or Káyin (קַיִן / קָיִן Possession, Standard Hebrew Qáyin, Tiberian Hebrew Qáyin / Qāyin; Arabic قابيل Qābīl) is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the first man born in creation according to the Genesis. ... The Pisan Cannibal Count Ugolino Gherardesca was a historical personage best known from Dantes fictional depiction of him in Inferno. ... In Greek mythology, the white-robed Moirae or Moerae (Greek Μοίραι – the Apportioners, often called the Fates) were the personifications of destiny (Roman equivalent: Parcae, sparing ones, or Fatae; also equivalent to the Germanic Norns). ... Satan (שָׂטָן Standard Hebrew Satan, Latin Sátanas, Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Aramaic שִׂטְנָא Śiṭnâ: both words mean Adversary; accuser) is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. ... Marcus Junius Brutus Caepio (85 BC–42 BC), or simply Brutus, was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. ... Gaius Cassius Longinus may be: Cassius, who helped assassinate Julius Caesar Gaius Cassius Longinus, a 1st century jurist Categories: Ancient Romans ... Judas Iscariot (died April AD 29–33, Hebrew יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ) was, according to the New Testament, one of twelve original apostles of Jesus, and the one who ultimately betrayed him. ...

Purgatorio

Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil then ascend out of the undergloom, to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world (in Dante's time, it was believed that Hell existed underneath Jerusalem). The initial parts of the book describe the shore of Purgatory (Cantos 1 and 2) and its slopes, where those who were excommunicated, those too lazy to repent until shortly before death, and those who suffered violent deaths await their turn to ascend the mountain (Cantos 3 through 6). Finally, there is a valley housing European rulers and others whose devotion to public and private duties hampered their faith (Cantos 7 and 8). From this valley Dante is carried (while asleep) up to the gates of Purgatory proper (Canto 9). Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ...

From there, Virgil guides Dante Pilgrim through the seven terraces of Purgatory. These correspond to the seven deadly sins, each terrace causing the purging of a particular sin in an appropriate manner: In Roman Catholic theology, Purgatory is a process of purification after the particular judgment and before entry into Heaven. ... The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, suggest a classification of vices and were enumerated in their present form by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. ...

• Terrace 1: Pride, by carrying a heavy weight tied around the neck that disables the wearer from standing up straight (Cantos 10 through 12).
• Terrace 2: Envy, by having one's eyes sewn shut, and wearing clothing that makes the soul indistinguishable from the ground (Cantos 13 through 15).
• Terrace 3: Wrath, by walking around in acrid smoke (Cantos 15 through 17).
• Terrace 4: Sloth, by continually running (Cantos 18 and 19).

The Avaricious by Jennifer Strange"Inspired by Dante"

• Terrace 5: Avarice, by lying face-down on the ground (Cantos 19 through 21).
• Terrace 6: Gluttony, by abstaining from any food or drink (Cantos 22 through 24).
• Terrace 7: Lust, by burning in an immense wall of flames (Cantos 25 through 27).

The ascension of terraces culminates at the summit, which is the Garden of Eden (Cantos 28 through 33). Virgil, as a pagan, is a permanent denizen of Limbo, the first circle of Hell; thus, he may not enter Paradise. Beatrice then becomes the second guide (accompanied by an extravagant procession), as well as a redemptrix and mediatrix. Beatrice is modeled after Beatrice Portinari, a woman Dante loved in childhood, and who passed away in 1290, leaving him grief-stricken. She is exemplified in La Vita Nuova ("The New Life") and is further beatified. Pride - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Envy is an emotion experienced by one who intensely desires something possessed by another. ... Wrath is a somewhat archaic word, used mainly within religion, to refer to extreme anger. ... Families Megalonychidae Bradypodidae Sloths are medium-sized South American mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Xenarthra. ... The Avaricious Purgatorio by Jennifer Strange File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Avaricious Purgatorio by Jennifer Strange File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Greed is a desire to obtain more money or material possessions or bodily satisfaction than one is considered to need. ... In Catholicism gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. ... The word lust means sexual desire (this meaning is sometimes metaphorically extended to other forms of desire, e. ... This article is about the Biblical location. ... Within a European Christian context, paganism is a catch-all term which has come to connote a broad set of not necessarily compatible religious beliefs and practices (see Cult (religion)) of a natural religion (as opposed to a revealed religion of a text), which are usually, but not necessarily, characterized... In Roman Catholic theology, limbo describes the temporary status of the souls of good persons who died before the resurrection of Jesus, and the permanent status of the unbaptised who die in infancy (without having committed any personal sins, but without having been freed from original sin). ... Although the details surrounding the life of Beatrice Portinari (1266-1290) are subject to much dispute, there is little doubt she was a major influence in Dante Alighieris life, influencing particularly his works of La Vita Nuova and La Divina Commedia. ... La Vita Nuova is a book of verse written by Dante Alighieri, roughly around the year of 1293. ...

Paradiso

After an initial ascension (Canto 1), Beatrice guides Dante Pilgrim through the nine spheres of Heaven. These are concentric and spherical, similar to Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology. The addition of a moral dimension means that a soul that has reached Paradise stops at the level applicable to it. The nine spheres are: The heavens are the sky, the celestial sphere, or outer space. ... Aristotle (sculpture) Aristotle (Greek: Αριστοτέλης AristotelÄ“s) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher. ... Claudius Ptolemaeus, given contemporary German styling, in a 16th century engraved book frontispiece Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: Κλαύδιος Πτολεμαῖος; c. ...

• Sphere 1: The moon - those who abandoned their vows (Cantos 2 through 5).
• Sphere 2: Mercury - those who did good out of a desire for fame (Cantos 5 through 7).
• Sphere 3: Venus - those who did good out of love (Cantos 8 and 9).
• Sphere 4: The sun - souls of the wise (Cantos 10 through 14).
• Sphere 5: Mars - those who fought for Christianity (Cantos 14 through 18).
• Sphere 6: Jupiter - those who personified justice (Cantos 18 through 20).
• Sphere 7: Saturn - the contemplative (Cantos 21 and 22).
• Sphere 8: The stars - the blessed (Cantos 22 through 27). Here, Dante is tested on faith, by Saint Peter; hope, by Saint James; and love, by Saint John.
• Sphere 9: The Prime Mover - angels (Cantos 27 through 29).

Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven; from Gustave Doré's illustrations to the Divine Comedy Paradiso Canto 31

From here, Dante ascends to a substance beyond physical existence, called the Empyrean Heaven (Cantos 30 through 33). Here he comes face-to-face with God himself, and is granted understanding of the Divine and of human nature. Crust composition Oxygen 43% Silicon 21% Aluminium 10% Calcium 9% Iron 9% Magnesium 5% Titanium 2% Nickel 0. ... A vow (Lat. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure trace Potassium 31. ... (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... A sun is the star at the center of a solar system. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... Christianity is the worlds largest religion. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... The Pleiades star cluster A star is any massive gaseous body in outer space, just like the Sun. ... Saint Peter, portrayed by Peter Paul Rubens in a papal chasuble and pallium holding keys, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. ... Saint James can refer to the following: Several men mentioned in the New Testament, whose various epithets and euphemisms cause some uncertainties: James, son of Zebedee, an apostle, brother of John the Apostle; also called Saint James the Great. ... Saint John may refer to: Several Saints: John the Apostle, to whom the Gospel of John is attributed John the Evangelist, traditionally identified with the apostle, and to whom the books 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation are attributed Saint John the Baptist Saint John Chrysostom (347-407... Download high resolution version (640x791, 91 KB)The Empyrean, from the illustrations to the Divine Comedy by Gustave Doré. Before 1889. ... Download high resolution version (640x791, 91 KB)The Empyrean, from the illustrations to the Divine Comedy by Gustave Doré. Before 1889. ... Dante in a fresco series of famous men by Andrea del Castagno, ca. ... Although the details surrounding the life of Beatrice Portinari (1266-1290) are subject to much dispute, there is little doubt she was a major influence in Dante Alighieris life, influencing particularly his works of La Vita Nuova and La Divina Commedia. ... Doré photographed by Felix Nadar. ... This article is about the epic poem. ... The term God is used to designate a Supreme Being; however, there are other definitions of God. ... The concept of the divine is a key ingredient in all religious faiths. ... Human nature is the fundamental nature and substance of humans, as well as the range of human behavior that is believed to be invariant over long periods of time and across very different cultural contexts. ...

Thematic Concern

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings. Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical). An allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos, other, and αγορευειν, agoreuein, to speak in public) is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than and in addition to the literal. ...

The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines. What has made the poem as great as it is are its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination. The fact that he uses real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety." Location within Italy Giglio di Firenze - symbol of the city Florence (Italian, Firenze) is a city in the center of Tuscany, in central Italy at 43°46′ N 11°15′ E. The city on the Arno River has a population of around 400,000, plus a suburban population in excess... Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 - Witham, 17 December 1957) was a British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist. ...

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragic") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar language of Italian, not Latin as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Sandro Botticelli's Chart of Hell ca. 1490.

Sandro Botticelli Chart of Hell ca. ... Sandro Botticelli Chart of Hell ca. ... Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli (Florence March 1, 1445 – May 17, 1510) was an Italian painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance (Quattrocento). ... Events Tirant Lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell, Martí Joan De Galba is published. ...

Response and criticism

The work was not always so well-regarded. After being recognized as a masterpiece in the first centuries after its publication, the work was largely ignored during the Enlightenment, only to be "rediscovered" by the romantic writers of the nineteenth century. Later authors as disparate as William Blake, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Samuel Beckett, and James Joyce have drawn on it for inspiration, while modern poets, including Seamus Heaney, Robert Pinsky, and William Merwin, have given us powerful translations of all or parts of the book. William Blake illustrated the Comedy and the engravings of Gustave Doré are widely used in modern editions. Salvador Dalí also composed a cycle of paintings from each section of the Commedia. The Age of Enlightenment (or The Enlightenment for short) was an intellectual movement in 18th-century Europe. ... Romanticism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Blake (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker, or Author & Printer, as he signed many of his books. ... Thomas Stearns Eliot (September 26, 1888 - January 4, 1965), was a major Modernist Anglo-American poet, dramatist, and literary critic. ... Ezra Pound in 1913. ... Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (April 13, 1906 – December 22, 1989) was an Irish playwright, novelist and poet. ... James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (February 2, 1882 – January 13, 1941) was an expatriate Irish writer and poet, and is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. ... Seamus Heaney (b. ... Robert Pinsky (born 1940) is an American poet and former Poet Laureate of the United States (1997-2000). ... William Stanley (W.S.) Merwin was born on September 30, 1927 in New York City and grew up in Union City, New Jersey, and Scranton, Pennsylvania. ... Doré photographed by Felix Nadar. ... Salvador Dalí as photographed in 1934 by Carl Van Vechten Salvador Felip Jacint Dalí Domènech (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989) was an important Catalan-Spanish painter, best known for his surrealist works. ...

Original copies

Only two known copies of the original manuscript still remain. One is in Milan, and the other is owned by the Asiatic Society of Bombay. In 1930, Mussolini offered the society one million pounds sterling for the book, but was flatly refused. Location within Italy Piazza della Scala Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed of Italian regions. ... The Asiatic Society of Bombay is a public state library in the city of Mumbai, India. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ... The pound sterling, which strictly speaking refers to basic currency unit of sterling, now the pound, can generally refer to the currency of the United Kingdom (UK). ...

According to the Società Dantesca Italiana, no original manuscript written by Dante survived; there are many manuscript copies from the 14th and 15th centuries (more than 800 are listed on their site [1]).

See also

• Allegory in the Middle Ages
• Bangsian fantasy
• List of cultural references in The Divine Comedy

Noah and the baptismal flood of the Old Testament (top panel) is typographically linked (prefigured) by the baptism of Jesus in the New Testament (bottom panel). ... Bangsian fantasy is the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife. ... Cavalcanti and Dante The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is a long allegorical poem in three parts or canticas (or cantiche), Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise), and 100 cantos, with the Inferno having 34, Purgatorio 33, and Paradiso 33 cantos. ...

Derivative works

• Visual arts
  • Project Dante, of the Polish artist Dariusz Nowak-Nova, is an example of how the Internet and new technologies can contribute to the formation of various approaches to literature, and a new way to conceive the book.
  • Contemporary artist Jennifer Strange offers dynamic charcoal drawings inspired by the Inferno and Purgatory in the Commedia Inspired by Dante.
  • The 1935 motion picture Dante's Inferno directed by Harry Lachman, written by Philip Klein and starring Spencer Tracy.
  • Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening a video game in the Devil May Cry series, loosely based on the Divine Comedy by the use of allusions, including the game's protagonist Dante, and other characters like Vergil and Cerberus.
• Literature
  • Abandon All Hope, a contemporary retelling of Dante's Inferno, where a young woman requests permission from God to travel to Hell.
  • Authors Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle wrote a modern adaptation, Inferno, reworking it into a sci-fi/fantasy novel about a book author who dies during a fan convention and finds himself in Hell. He escapes with the aid of various characters he meets along the way (including Benito Mussolini and Billy the Kid). Eventually, he decides to stay behind in Hell and convince its inhabitants that they can be allowed to leave if they repent and learn enough about themselves.
  • The Dante Club is a novel by Matthew Pearl which tells the story of various American poets translating The Divine Comedy in post civil war Boston. At the same time, a killer takes inspiration from the punishments in Dante's Inferno.
  • Author Mark E. Rogers used the structure of Dante's hell in his comedic novel Samurai Cat Goes to Hell. Rogers' take on the Inferno is a violent, pun-laden, parodical conclusion to his series of Samurai Cat books. It also has Nazi Dinosaurs.
  • Author Nick Tosches's In The Hand of Dante weaves a contemporary tale about the finding of an original manuscript of the Divine Comedy with an imagined account of Dante's years composing the work. novel official website
• Music
  • Italian progressive rock band Metamorfosi has released two concept albums based on the Divine Comedy, Inferno and Paradiso.
  • The Divine Comedy (band)
  • The Divine Comedy is a four-movement symphony for wind ensemble written by Robert W. Smith (ASCAP) which depicts four stages of Dante's journey in a tone poem-like symphonic structure. The movements are entitled "The Inferno," "Purgatorio," "The Ascension" (though it is not one of the books of the actual work by Dante, the composer felt it appropriate to separate Dante's experiences in Eden from his climb up Purgatory Mountain), and lastly "Paradiso."
  • The heavy metal band Iced Earth paid tribute to the poem with an epic song entitled "Dante's Inferno". Clocking in at 16 minutes and 29 seconds, and featuring long instrumental sections, abrupt tempo changes, and a pseudo-Gregorian chant choir, the song is found on the 1995 album Burnt Offerings.
  • Punk legend Mike Watt's third solo album, The Secondman's Middle Stand (Columbia Records, 2004), is a concept album (he likes to call it a "punk opera") that derives its structure from The Divine Comedy, with three sections of three songs each. He tells his story of a prolonged illness he suffered a few years earlier, each section denoted to be "Hell" (a metaphor for Watt's illness), "Purgatory" (his recuperation), and "Paradise" (celebrating his healing).
  • F.M. Einheit of Einstürzende Neubauten and Andreas Ammer collaborated on an experimental recording called Radio Inferno that adapts The Divine Comedy in the format of a radio play.
  • The Industrial band Skinny Puppy used an illustration found in the Inferno as the cover to their single "Dig It".
  • The band Symphony X also pays tribute to the poem with an epic song entitled "The Divine Wings of Tragedy", although it contains some passages of famous classical music, such as The Planets by Gustav Holst.
  • Zao refer to the Divine Comedy on their 1999 album "Liberate te ex Inferis", covering the first five circles of the Inferno.
  • Thom Yorke of the pop band Radiohead has also referenced Dante's Inferno as a recurring source of inspiration for his music and many references to the poem can be found in the band's lyrics.

1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... Dantes Inferno (1935) is a motion picture that draws for inspiration on The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. ... Harry B. Lachman (June 29, 1886 - March 19, 1975) was a US artist, designer and director of motion pictures. ... Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 - June 10, 1967) was an American film actor who appeared in 74 films from 1930 through the 1960s. ... Devil May Cry (デビルメイクライ) is a PlayStation 2 video game series by Capcom. ... Dante from DMC3 with Rebellion. ... Vergil from DMC3. ... In Greek mythology, Cerberus (from Κέρϐερος, Kerberos, demon of the pit), was the hound of Hades—a monstrous three-headed dog (sometimes said to have 50 or 100 heads), (sometimes) with a snake for a tail and innumerable snake heads on his back. ... Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (born April 30, 1938) is a US science fiction author. ... Jerry Pournelle, (born August 7, 1933) is an American essayist, journalist and science fiction author who contributed many years to the computer magazine Byte. ... Inferno is a science fiction novel written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, published in 1976. ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ... Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (November 23, 1859–July 14, 1881) better known as Billy the Kid but also known by the alias William Henry Bonney, was a 19th century American frontier outlaw and murderer who was a participant in the Lincoln County War. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... Alternative meanings: Boston (disambiguation) The 18th-century Old State House in Boston is surrounded by tall buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. ... Nick Tosches (born 1949) is an American writer, music journalist, novelist, biographer and poet. ... Dante redirects here. ... The progressive rock band Yes performing in 1977. ... Usually, in popular music, an album of an artist or group simply consists of a number of unconnected songs that the members of the group or the artist have written or have chosen to cover. ... Neil Hannon in a promotional photo for The Divine Comedys 2004 album, Absent Friends. ... Heavy metal is a form of music characterized by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosic instrumentation. ... Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band that combines influences from thrash metal, power metal, NWOBHM with gothic touches, and claims to be one of the few modern bands still producing true heavy metal and refusing to accede to trends. ... EPIC might be an acronym or abbreviation for: Electronic Privacy Information Center Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing Enhanced Programmable ircII Client El Paso Intelligence Center End Poverty In California European Privatisation and Investment Corporation Sometimes it is also used to refer to Epic Games game development company. ... Gregorian chant is also known as plainchant or plainsong, and is a form of monophonic, unaccompanied singing, which was developed in the Catholic church, mainly during the period 800-1000. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Watt (b. ... The Secondmans Middle Stand is Mike Watts third solo album and the first full-length recording that he has made under his own name since the release of Contemplating The Engine Room in 1997. ... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Einstürzende Neubauten is an ever-changing band originally from West Berlin that was formed in 1980 as part of a modern folk music movement. ... Skinny Puppy (left to right, cEvin Key, Nivek Ogre, Dwane R. Goettel), Circa 1986 Skinny Puppy is an industrial band, formed in Vancouver, BC, Canada. ... The band Symphony X Symphony X is a North American progressive metal band from New Jersey, which was founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo. ... EPIC might be an acronym or abbreviation for: Electronic Privacy Information Center Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing Enhanced Programmable ircII Client El Paso Intelligence Center End Poverty In California European Privatisation and Investment Corporation Sometimes it is also used to refer to Epic Games game development company. ... The Divine Wings of Tragedy is the third studio album by Symphony X and considered to be their magnum opus. ... The Planets (also known as The Planets Suite), opus 32, is an orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst. ... Gustav Holst Gustavus Theodore von Holst (September 21, 1874 – May 25, 1934) was an English composer with Latvian (and some Spanish) roots. ... Zao is a Christian metalcore band with hardcore punk influences. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Early 1990s. ... From left to right: Ed OBrien, Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke, Phil Selway and Colin Greenwood Radiohead are a British alternative rock band from Oxford. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

The Divine Comedy

• Free eBook of The Divine Comedy by ELF. Interactive translations and online reader from/to multiple languages and/or multiple English translations.
• Free eBook of The Divine Comedy at Project Gutenberg (Illustrated)
• Diagram of structure of The Inferno and information about the punishments and their symbolism
• Image Gallery Inspired by Dante