Dante's Divine Comedy — Inferno, Purgatory & Paradise

Dante's Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy is Dante Alighieri's most important work (1265 621) and is considered one of the most important works of Italian and world literature.

It is a medieval epic poem describing the structure of the afterlife according to the conception of its time. The book has three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Paradise). Each part consists of 33 cantos written in interlocking tercets of hendecasyllabic lines (terza rima).

Features

The title Commedia (comedy) follows Aristotle's poetics, which defined comedy as a work with a happy ending in contrast to tragedy (Aristotle). The adjective Divina (divine) was added later, in the 14th century.

Many episodes emphasize sin and excessive punishment; the work's ultimate aim is moral reflection and salvation.

Hell

Hell is the realm that imprisons Lucifer after his fall from heaven. It is divided into nine circles, arranged according to the severity of the sins committed. In this first part Dante mixes elements of classical mythology with Christian doctrine.

• First circle: Limbo
• Second circle: Lust
• Third circle: Gluttony
• Fourth circle: Avarice and Prodigality
• Fifth circle: Anger
• Sixth circle: Heresy
• Seventh circle: Violence
• Eighth circle: Fraud
• Ninth circle: Treachery (the traitors, represented by biblical Cain)

Purgatory

After crossing Hell, Virgil and Dante ascend Mount Purgatory, which resembles a mountain of penance. Souls climb as they atone for their faults, so hope predominates.

At the summit is a garden (identified with Eden) where Virgil must leave Dante, because he cannot enter Paradise. The role of guide is then taken by Beatrice, the ideal woman and spiritual guide.

Paradise

Paradise has a structure as complex as Hell's and mixes Greco-Latin imagery with Christian theology. Dante and Beatrice ascend through the nine celestial spheres.

At the end they reach Heaven, whose center is God. Dante then faints and later wakes on Earth, determined to do good works to obtain the grace he has received and to avoid hellish punishments.