For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dante's Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation)

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, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino's fresco. Domenico di Michelino (1417 &ndash 1491 was an Italian painter of the Florentine school and a follower of the style of Fra Angelico.

First printed edition 11 April 1472

The Divine Comedy (Italian: Commedia, later christened "Divina" by Giovanni Boccaccio), written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, is widely considered the central epic poem of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation World literature refers to literature from all over the world including African literature, Arabic literature, American literature, Asian literature ^[1] The poem's imaginative and allegorical vision of the Christian afterlife is a culmination of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church. Allegory in the Middle Ages was a vital element in the Synthesis of Biblical and Classical traditions into what would become recognizable as Medieval culture Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between It helped establish the Tuscan dialect in which it is written as the Italian standard. The Tuscan Dialect ( dialetto toscano) or the Tuscan Language ( lingua toscana) is an Italian dialect spoken in Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. ^[2]

Structure and story

Gustave Doré engravings illustrated the Divine Comedy (1861-1868); here Dante is lost in Canto 1 of the Inferno.

More than 14,000 lines long, the Divine Comedy is composed of three canticas (Ital. A canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song is a Hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms taken from the Bible pl. cantiche) — Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise) — each consisting of 33 cantos (Ital. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond pl. canti). An initial canto serves as an introduction to the poem and is generally not considered to be part of the first cantica, bringing the total number of cantos to 100. The number 3 is prominent in the work, represented here by the length of each cantica. The verse scheme used, terza rima, is hendecasyllabic (lines of eleven syllables), with the lines composing tercets according to the rhyme scheme aba, bcb, cdc, ded, …. Terza rima is a rhyming verse Stanza form that consists of an interlocking three line rhyme scheme Hendecasyllable verse (in Italian endecasillabo) is a kind of verse used mostly in Italian Poetry, defined by its having the last A tercet is three lines of Poetry, forming a Stanza or complete poem A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming Lines in a Poem or Song. Terza rima is a rhyming verse Stanza form that consists of an interlocking three line rhyme scheme

Albert Ritter sketched the Comedy's geography from Dante's Cantos: Hell's entrance is near Florence with the circles descending to Earth's centre; sketch 5 reflects Canto 34's inversion as Dante passes down, and thereby up to Mount Purgatory's shores in the southern hemisphere, where he passes to the first sphere of Heaven at the top.

The poem is written in the first person, and tells of Dante's journey through the three realms of the dead, lasting during the Easter Triduum in the spring of 1300. Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or Paschal Triduum is a term used by some Christian churches particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the The Roman poet Virgil guides him through Hell and Purgatory; Beatrice, Dante's ideal woman, guides him through Heaven. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Beatrice Portinari, real name Bice di Folco Portinari (1266&ndash1290 was a woman from Florence Italy, who was the principal inspiration for Dante Alighieri Beatrice was a Florentine woman whom he had met in childhood and admired from afar in the mode of the then-fashionable courtly love tradition which is highlighted in Dante's earlier work La Vita Nuova. Courtly love was a Medieval European conception of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts of Aquitaine, Provence

In Northern Italy's political struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines, Dante was part of the Guelphs, who in general favored the Papacy over the Holy Roman Emperor. The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting respectively the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and The Holy Roman Emperor (Römischer Kaiser or Römisch-Deutscher Kaiser Romanorum Imperator was the elected monarch ruling over the many varying numbers of states Florence's Guelphs split into factions around 1300: the White Guelphs, who opposed secular rule by Pope Boniface VIII and who wished to preserve Florence's independence, and the Black Guelphs, who favored the Pope's control of Florence. Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. Pope Boniface VIII (c 1235 &ndash October 11, 1303) born Benedetto Caetani, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1294 Dante was among the White Guelphs who were exiled in 1302 by the Lord-Mayor Cante de' Gabrielli di Gubbio, after troops under Charles of Valois entered the city, at the request of Boniface and in alliance with the Blacks. The Gabrielli (sometimes known as "Gabrielli di Gubbio " are an Italian feudal family from Gubbio, a town in Umbria. Gubbio is a town and Comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian Province of Perugia ( Umbria) It is located on the first slope of Mt Charles of Valois ( March 12, 1270 &ndash December 16, 1325) was the fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon The Pope said if he had returned he would be burned at the stake. This exile, which lasted the rest of Dante's life, shows its influence in many parts of the Comedy, from prophecies of Dante's exile to Dante's views of politics to the eternal damnation of some of his opponents.

In Hell and Purgatory, Dante shares in the sin and the penitence respectively. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation The last word in each of the three parts of the Divine Comedy is "stars".

Inferno

The poem begins on the night before Good Friday in the year 1300, "midway in the journey of our life" (Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita), and so opens in medias res. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" In medias res, also medias in res ( Latin for "into the middle of things" is a literary and artistic technique where the Narrative Dante is thirty-five years old, half of the biblically allotted age of 70 (Psalm 90:10), lost in a dark wood (perhaps, allegorically, contemplating suicide—as "wood" is figured in Canto XIII, and also the mention of suicide is made in Canto I of Purgatorio with "This man has not yet seen his last evening; But, through his madness, was so close to it, That there was hardly time to turn about" implying that when Virgil came to him he was on the verge of suicide or morally passing the point of no return), assailed by beasts (a lion, a leopard, and a she-wolf; allegorical depictions of temptations towards sin) he cannot evade, and unable to find the "straight way" (diritta via) to salvation (symbolized by the sun behind the mountain). Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. The leopard (lɛpɚd Panthera pardus) is an Old World Mammal of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four roaring The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora 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, and the two of them begin their journey to the underworld. Each sin's punishment in Inferno is a symbolic instance of poetic justice; for example, the fortune-tellers have to walk forwards with their heads on backwards, unable to see what is ahead, because they tried to do so in life. Poetic justice is a literary device in which Virtue is ultimately Rewarded or Vice punished, often in modern literature by an Allegorically, the Inferno represents the Christian soul seeing sin for what it really is. Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation

The Barque of Dante by Eugène Delacroix. Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of

Dante passes through the gate of hell, on which is inscribed the famous phrase "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here"^[3] Before entering Hell completely, Dante and his guide see the Opportunists, souls of people who in life did nothing, neither for good nor evil (among these Dante recognizes either Pope Celestine V, or Pontius Pilate; the text is ambiguous). Mixed with them are the outcasts, who took no side in the Rebellion of Angels. These souls are neither in Hell nor out of it, but reside on the shores of the Acheron, their punishment to eternally pursue a banner, and be pursued by wasps and hornets that continually sting them while maggots and other such insects drink their blood and tears. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering This article concerns the Greek river For other uses see Acheron (disambiguation. A wasp is any Insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a Bee nor Ant. Hornets are the largest eusocial Wasps that reach up to 45 Millimetres (1 Maggot is the common name of the Larval phase of development in insects of the order Diptera (flies This symbolizes the sting of their conscience and the repugnance of sin. Conscience is a hypothesized Ability or faculty that distinguishes whether our actions are right or wrong

Then Dante and Virgil reach the ferry that will take them across the river Acheron and to Hell proper. The ferry is piloted by Charon, who does not want to let Dante enter, for he is a living being. In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon (in Greek, Χάρων &mdash the bright) was the Ferryman of Hades Virgil forces Charon to take them, but their passage across is undescribed since Dante faints and does not awake until he is on the other side.

The Circles of Hell

Virgil guides Dante through the nine circles of Hell. The circles are concentric, representing a gradual increase in wickedness, and culminating at the center of the earth, where Satan is held in bondage. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Each circle's sinners are punished in a fashion fitting their crimes: each sinner is afflicted for all of eternity by the chief sin he committed. People who sinned but prayed for forgiveness before their deaths are found in Purgatory, where they labor to be free of their sins, not in Hell. See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification Those in Hell are people who tried to justify their sins and are unrepentant. Furthermore, those in hell have knowledge of the past and future, but not of the present. This is a joke on them in Dante's mind because after the Final Judgment, time ends; those in hell would then know nothing. In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived The nine circles are:

First Circle (Limbo)

Here reside the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans, who, though not sinful, did not accept Christ. See also Intermediate state Purgatory|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity In Roman Catholic theology Limbo (Latin limbus In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted Virtuous paganism is a concept of Christian theology analogous to the Righteous Among the Nations in Judaism. Here also reside those who, if they lived before the coming of Christ, did not pay fitting homage to their respective deity. They are not punished in an active sense, but rather grieve only their separation from God, without hope of reconciliation. The chief irony in this circle is that Limbo shares many characteristics with Elysian Fields; thus the guiltless damned are punished by living in a deficient form of heaven. See also Intermediate state Purgatory|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity In Roman Catholic theology Limbo (Latin limbus In Greek mythology, Elysium ( Greek:) was a section of the Underworld (the spelling Elysium is a Latinization of the Without baptism ("the portal of faith," Canto IV, l. 36) they lacked the hope for something greater than rational minds can conceive. Limbo includes green fields and a castle, the dwelling place of the wisest men of antiquity, including Virgil himself, as well as the Islamic philosophers Averroes and Avicenna. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Abū 'l-Walīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Rushd (Arabicأبو الوليد محمد بن احمد بن رشد better known just as Ibn Rushd (ابن رشد and in European TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> ( Persian /ابو علی الحسین ابن عبدالله ابن سینا (born In the castle Dante meets the poets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan and the philosophers Socrates and Plato. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including Marcus Annaeus Lucanus ( November 3, 39 AD – April 30, 65 AD better known in English as Lucan, was a Roman SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Interestingly, he also sees Saladin in Limbo. Salahadin Ayyubi ( Arabic:صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب Kurdish: سه‌لاحه‌دین ئه‌یوبی Selah'edînê Eyubî; c (Canto IV) Dante implies that all virtuous pagans find themselves here, although he later encounters two in heaven and one (Cato of Utica) in purgatory. Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond Marcus Porcius Catō Uticensis (95 BC&ndash46 BC known as Cato the Younger ( Cato Minor) to distinguish him from his great-grandfather ( Cato the Elder See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification

Beyond the first circle, all of those condemned for active, deliberately willed sin are judged by Minos, who sentences each soul to one of the lower eight circles by wrapping his tail around himself a corresponding number of times. In Greek mythology, Minos ( Ancient Greek:) was a mythical king of Crete son of Zeus and Europa. The lower circles are structured according to the classical (Aristotelian) conception of virtue and vice, so that they are grouped into the sins of incontinence, violence, and fraud (which for many commentators are represented by the leopard, lion, and she-wolf^[4]). The sins of incontinence — weakness in controlling one's desires and natural urges — are the mildest among them, and, correspondingly, appear first:

"Gianciotto Discovers Paolo and Francesca" by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.

Second Circle

Those overcome by lust are punished in this circle. Literature In Dante's Inferno, the first Canticle of the Divine Comedy, the lustful are punished by being continuously They are the first ones to be truly punished in Hell. These souls are blown about to and fro by a violent storm, without hope of rest. This symbolizes the power of lust to blow one about needlessly and aimlessly. Francesca da Rimini informs Dante of how she and her husband's brother Paolo committed adultery and died a violent death at the hands of her husband. Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (1255 – 1285 was the daughter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna. (Canto V)

Third Circle

Cerberus guards the gluttons, forced to lie in a vile slush made by freezing rain, black snow, and hail. In Greek mythology, Cerberus or Kerberos ( Greek Κέρβερος Kérberos) the ker or Daimon of Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow gluttony is the over-indulgence and Over-consumption of food drink or intoxicants This symbolizes the garbage that the gluttons made of their lives on earth, slavering over food. Dante converses with a Florentine contemporary identified as Ciacco ("Hog" — probably a nickname) regarding strife in Florence and the fate of prominent Florentines. Ciacco is one of the characters in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri that were not yet well defined by historians (Canto VI)

Fourth Circle

Those whose concern for material goods deviated from the desired mean are punished in this circle. They include the avaricious or miserly, who hoarded possessions, and the prodigal, who squandered them. Greed is the Selfish desire for or pursuit of Money, Wealth, power, Food, or other Possessions, especially when this denies Guarded by Plutus (whom Dante almost certainly conflated with Pluto), each group pushes a great weight against the heavy weight of the other group. In Greek mythology, Ploutos ("wealth" Πλοῦτος usually Romanized as Plutus, was equally a son of the pre-Hellenic Cretan Demeter Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld known in Latin as Tertius the counterpart of the Greek Hades. After the weights crash together the process starts over again. (In Gustave Doré's illustrations for this scene, the damned push huge money bags. ) (Canto VII)

Fifth Circle

In the swamp-like water of the river Styx, the wrathful fight each other on the surface, and the sullen or slothful lie gurgling beneath the water. Anger is an emotional state that may range from minor irritation to intense rage Phlegyas reluctantly transports Dante and Virgil across the Styx in his skiff. Phlegyas, son of Ares and Chryse, was king of the Lapiths in Greek mythology. On the way they are accosted by Filippo Argenti, a Black Guelph from a prominent family. Fra Filippo Argenti (13th century a citizen of Florence, was a member of the Cavicciuoli branch of the Adimari family The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting respectively the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy (Cantos VII and VIII)

Lower Hell, inside the walls of Dis, in an illustration by Stradanus. In Dante Alighieri 's The Divine Comedy, Dis is the City of the Dead (it Giovanni Stradano or Jan Van der Straet or van der Straat or Stradanus or Stratesis was a Flanders -born mannerist There is a drop from the sixth circle to the three rings of the seventh circle, then again to the ten rings of the eighth circle, and, at the bottom, to the icy ninth circle.

The lower parts of hell are contained within the walls of the city of Dis, which is itself surrounded by the Stygian marsh. In Dante Alighieri 's The Divine Comedy, Dis is the City of the Dead (it Punished within Dis are active (rather than passive) sins. The walls of Dis are guarded by fallen angels. In most Christian traditions a fallen angel is an Angel that has been Exiled or banished from Heaven. Virgil is unable to convince them to let Dante and him enter, and the Furies and Medusa threaten Dante. In Greek mythology the Erinyes (Ἐρινύες pl of Ἐρινύς lit In Greek mythology, Medusa ( Greek: Μέδουσα (Médousa "guardian protectress" was a monstrous Chthonic female character gazing upon An angel sent from Heaven secures entry for the poets. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition (Cantos VIII and IX)

Sixth Circle

Heretics are trapped in flaming tombs. Heresy, as a blanket term describes a practice or belief that is labeled as unorthodox Dante holds discourse with a pair of Florentines in one of the tombs: Farinata degli Uberti, a Ghibelline; and Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti, a Guelph who was the father of Dante's friend and fellow poet Guido Cavalcanti (Cantos X and XI). Farinata degli Uberti (died November 11, 1264) was an Italian aristocrat and military leader considered by some to be a heretic, who appears The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting respectively the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti (flourished c 1250 died c 1280 was a Florentine Epicurian Philosopher and father of Guido Cavalcanti, a close friend The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting respectively the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy Guido Cavalcanti (c 1255 – August 1300 was an Italian Poet who was a role model for and a very close friend of Dante. The followers of Epicurus are also located here (Canto X).

Seventh Circle

This circle houses the violent. Its entry is guarded by the Minotaur, and it is divided into three rings:

• Outer ring, housing the violent against people and property, who are immersed in Phlegethon, a river of boiling blood, to a level commensurate with their sins. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( Greek:, Mīnṓtauros) was a creature that was part man and part bull. In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon ( English translation: "flaming" or Pyriphlegethon (English translation "fire-flaming" was The Centaurs, commanded by Chiron, patrol the ring, firing arrows into those trying to escape. In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi are a race of creatures composed of part Human In Greek mythology, Chiron or Cheiron ("hand" was held as the superlative Centaur among his brethren The centaur Nessus guides the poets along Phlegethon and across a ford in the river. In Greek mythology, Nessus (Νέσσος was a famous Centaur who was killed by Heracles, and whose tainted blood in turn killed Heracles (Canto XII)
• Middle ring: In this ring are the suicides, who are transformed into gnarled thorny bushes and trees. They are torn at by the Harpies. In Greek mythology, a harpy ("snatcher" from harpȳia ἅρπυια harpūia) was any one of the mainly winged death-spirits best known for constantly Unique among the dead, the suicides will not be bodily resurrected after the final judgment, having given their bodies away through suicide. Instead they will maintain their bushy form, with their own corpses hanging from the limbs. Dante breaks a twig off one of the bushes and hears the tale of Pier delle Vigne, who committed suicide after falling out of favor with Emperor Frederick II. Pietro della Vigna, or Pier delle Vigne (also Petrus de Vineas or de Vineis; c Frederick II ( December 26, 1194 &ndash December 13, 1250) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was a Pretender to the title The other residents of this ring are the profligates, who destroyed their lives by destroying the means by which life is sustained (i. e. money and property). They are perpetually chased by ferocious dogs through the thorny undergrowth. (Canto XIII) The trees are a metaphor; in life the only way of the relief of suffering was through pain (i. e. suicide) and in Hell, the only form of relief of the suffering is through pain (breaking of the limbs to bleed).
• Inner ring: The violent against God (blasphemers), the violent against nature (sodomites), and the violent against art (usurers), all reside in a desert of flaming sand with fiery flakes raining from the sky. Blasphemy is the disrespectful use of the name of one or more gods. Sodomy (ˈsɒdəmi is a term used today predominantly in Law (derived from traditional Christian usage to describe the act of Anal intercourse, Oral intercourse Usury (ˈjuːʒəri comes from the Medieval Latin usuria, "interest" or "excessive interest" from the Latin usura "interest" The blasphemers lie on the sand, the usurers sit, and the sodomites wander about in groups. Dante converses with two Florentine sodomites from different groups: Brunetto Latini, a poet; and Iacopo Rusticucci, a politician. Brunetto Latini (c 1220&ndash1294 (signed his name Burnectus Latinus in Latin and Burnecto Latino in Italian was an Italian Philosopher, Iacopo Rusticucci was a 13th century Florentine politician Rusticucci was a Guelph in the factional politics of his day (Cantos XIV through XVI) Those punished here for usury include Florentines Catello di Rosso Gianfigliazzi, Ciappo Ubriachi, and Giovanni di Buiamonte, and Paduans Reginaldo degli Scrovegni and Vitaliano di Iacopo Vitaliani. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Catello di Rosso Gianfigliazzi was a Florentine Nobleman who lived in the late 1200s around the time of Giotto and Dante. Ciappo Ubriachi was a Florentine Nobleman who lived in the late 1200s around the time of Giotto and Dante. Giovanni di Buiamonte was a Florentine Nobleman who lived in the late 1200s around the time of Giotto and Dante. Padua ( Padova 'padova Latin: Patavium, Padoa) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy. Reginaldo degli Scrovegni was a Paduan Nobleman who lived in the early 1300s around the time of Giotto and Dante. Vitaliano di Iacopo Vitaliani was a Paduan nobleman who lived in the late 1200s around the time of Giotto and Dante.

Eighth Circle

Dante's guide rebuffs Malacoda and his fiends between bolgia five and six in the Eighth Circle of Hell, Inferno, Canto 21. Malacoda is a character in Dante Alighieri 's Inferno, part of The Divine Comedy.

Dante climbs the flinty steps in bolgia seven in the Eighth Circle of Hell, Inferno, Canto 26.

The falsifiers, who thrive in a diseased society, are now themselves diseased, Inferno, Canto 30.

The last two circles of Hell punish sins that involve conscious fraud or treachery. The circles can be reached only by descending a vast cliff, which Dante and Virgil do on the back of Geryon, a winged monster represented by Dante as having the face of an honest man and a body that ends in a scorpion-like stinger. In Greek mythology, Geryon ( Geryones, Geyron) son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe and grandson of Medusa was a fearsome (Canto XVII)

The fraudulent—those guilty of deliberate, knowing evil—are located in a circle named Malebolge ("Evil Pockets"), divided into ten bolgie, or ditches of stone, with bridges spanning the ditches:

• Bolgia 1: Panderers (pimps) and seducers march in separate lines in opposite directions, whipped by demons. In Dante Alighieri 's Inferno, part of The Divine Comedy, Malebolge is the eighth circle of Hell. A pimp (also called fleshmonger) finds and manages clients for Prostitutes and engages them in Prostitution (in Brothels in most cases and In Sociology, seduction (also called inveigling or wheedling) is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage in some sort of behavior frequently Just as they misled others in life, they are driven to march by demons for all eternity. In the group of panderers the poets notice Venedico Caccianemico, who sold his own sister to the Marchese d'Este, and in the group of seducers Virgil points out Jason. Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological (Canto XVIII)
• Bolgia 2: Flatterers are steeped in human excrement. This is because their flatteries on earth were nothing but "a load of crap". (Canto XVIII)
• Bolgia 3: Those who committed simony are placed head-first in holes in the rock, with flames burning on the soles of their feet (resembling an inverted baptism). Simony is the Ecclesiastical crime of paying for Holy offices or positions in the hierarchy of a church named after Simon Magus, who appears in the In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted One of them, Pope Nicholas III, denounces as simonists two of his successors, Pope Boniface VIII and Pope Clement V. Pope Nicholas III ( Rome, 1210/1220 &ndash August 22, 1280) born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, Pope from November 25, Pope Boniface VIII (c 1235 &ndash October 11, 1303) born Benedetto Caetani, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1294 Pope Clement V' (About 1264 &ndash April 20, 1314) born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled de Gouth and de (Canto XIX)
• Bolgia 4: Sorcerers and false prophets have their heads twisted around on their bodies backward. A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic, the ability to attain objectives acquire knowledge or perform works of wonder using Supernatural In Religion, the term false prophet is a label given to a person who is viewed as illegitimately claiming Charismatic authority within a Religious group In addition, they cry so many tears that they cannot see. This is symbollic because these people tried to see into the future by forbidden means; thus in Hell they can only see what is behind them and cannot see forward. (Canto XX)
• Bolgia 5: Corrupt politicians (barrators) are immersed in a lake of boiling pitch, which represents the sticky fingers and dark secrets of their corrupt deals. Barratry is the name of two legal concepts one in criminal and civil law, and one in Admiralty law. They are guarded by devils called the Malebranche ("Evil Claws"). Their leader, Malacoda ("Evil Tail"), assigns a troop to escort Virgil and Dante to the next bridge. The troop hook and torment one of the sinners (identified by early commentators as Ciampolo), who names some Italian grafters and then tricks the Malebranche in order to escape back into the pitch. Ciampolo (also Giampolo, " John Paul " is the accepted name of a character in Dante's Divine Comedy. (Cantos XXI through XXIII)
• Bolgia 6: The bridge over this bolgia is broken: the poets climb down into it and find the Hypocrites listlessly walking along wearing gold-gilded lead cloaks. Dante speaks with Catalano and Loderingo, members of the Jovial Friars. Loderingo Andalò (1210&ndash1293 was an Italian nobleman from a Bolognese Ghibelline family The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Frati della Beata Gloriosa Vergine Maria Ordo Militiæ Mariæ Gloriosæ also called the Order of Saint Mary of the Tower or the It is also ironic in this canto that whilst in the company of hypocrites, the poets also discover that the guardians of the fraudulent (the malebranche) are hypocrites themselves, as they find that they have lied to them, giving false directions, when at the same time they are punishing liars for similar sins. (Canto XXIII)
• Bolgia 7: Thieves, guarded by the centaur (as Dante describes him) Cacus, are pursued and bitten by snakes. In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi are a race of creatures composed of part Human In Roman mythology, Cacus was a fire-breathing monster and the son of Vulcan. The snake bites make them undergo various transformations, with some resurrected after being turned to ashes, some mutating into new creatures, and still others exchanging natures with the snakes, becoming snakes themselves that chase the other thieves in turn. Just as the thieves stole other people's substance in life, and because thievery is reptillian in its secrecy, the thieves' substance is eaten away by snakes and their bodies are constantly stolen by other thieves. (Cantos XXIV and XXV)
• Bolgia 8: Fraudulent advisors are encased in individual flames. Dante includes Ulysses and Diomedes together here for their role in the Trojan War. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs Diomēdēs or Diomed ( Greek: Διομήδης English translation: "God-like cunning" or "advised by Zeus" is a Hero In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her Ulysses tells the tale of his fatal final voyage (an invention of Dante's), where he left his home and family to sail to the end of the Earth. He equated life as a pursuit of knowledge that humanity can attain through effort, and in his search God sank his ship outside of Mount Purgatory. This symbolizes the inability of the individual to carve out one's own salvation. Instead, one must be totally subservient to the will of God and realize the inability of one to be a God unto oneself. Guido da Montefeltro recounts how his advice to Pope Boniface VIII resulted in his damnation, despite Boniface's promise of absolution. Guido da Montefeltro (1223 &ndash September 29 1298) was an Italian military strategist and lord of Urbino. Pope Boniface VIII (c 1235 &ndash October 11, 1303) born Benedetto Caetani, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1294 (Cantos XXVI and XXVII)
• Bolgia 9: A sword-wielding demon hacks at the sowers of discord. As they make their rounds the wounds heal, only to have the demon tear apart their bodies again. "How mutilated, see, is Mahomet; In front of me doth Ali weeping go, Cleft in the face from forelock unto chin; And all the others whom thou here beholdest, Disseminators of scandal and of schism. While living were, and therefore are cleft thus. " Muhammad tells Dante to warn the schismatic and heretic Fra Dolcino (Cantos XXVIII and XXIX). IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Fra Dolcino (c 1250 &ndash 1307 was an Italian preacher burnt at the stake in 1307 and often described as being a heretic inspired by the Franciscan Interestingly enough, Dante views both Muhammad and Ali as schismatic Christians, blaming the former for conflict between Christian and Muslim, and the second for conflict between Sunni and Shiite. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic
• Bolgia 10: Here various sorts of falsifiers (alchemists, counterfeiters, perjurers, and impersonators), who are a disease on society, are themselves afflicted with different types of diseases (Cantos XXIX and XXX). Alchemy a part of the Occult Tradition is both a philosophy and a practice with an ultimately unknown aim involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of A counterfeit is an imitation that is made usually with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under Oath or Affirmation in a A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly Potiphar's wife is briefly mentioned here for her false accusation of Joseph. Potiphar (or Potifar) (; Egyptian origin p-di-p-rʿ; "he whom Ra gave Joseph or Yosef (יוֹסֵ Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, يوسف Yusuf; "He In the notes on her translation, Dorothy L. Sayers remarks that Malebolge "began with the sale of the sexual relationship, and went on to the sale of Church and State; now, the very money is itself corrupted, every affirmation has become perjury, and every identity a lie; no medium of exchange remains. Dorothy Leigh Sayers ( IPA: usually pronounced /ˈseɪɜrz/ although Sayers herself preferred /ˈsɛːz/ and encouraged the use of her middle initial to facilitate this In Dante Alighieri 's Inferno, part of The Divine Comedy, Malebolge is the eighth circle of Hell. "^[5]

Ninth Circle

See also: Ugolino and Dante

Dante speaks to the traitors in the ice, Inferno, Canto 32. Count Ugolino della Gherardesca was a person of a Ghibelline Pisan leader that Dante placed in the 9th circle of hell in Inferno because

The Ninth Circle is ringed by classical and Biblical giants. The Mythology and Legends of many different Cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength The giants are standing either on, or on a ledge above, the ninth circle of Hell, and are visible from the waist up at the ninth circle of the Malebolge. The giant Antaeus lowers Dante and Virgil into the pit that forms the ninth circle of Hell. http//enwikipediaorg/wiki/ImageHerkules_und_Ant%C3%A4us_(Mantegna (Canto XXXI) Traitors, distinguished from the "merely" fraudulent in that their acts involve betraying one in a special relationship to the betrayer, are frozen in a lake of ice known as Cocytus. Cocytus or Kokytos, meaning "the river of wailing" (from the Greek κωκυτός, "lamentation" is a river in the underworld in Each group of traitors is encased in ice to a different depth, ranging from only the waist down to complete immersion. The circle is divided into four concentric zones:

• Zone 1: Caïna, named for Cain, is home to traitors to their kindred. The souls here are immersed in the ice up to their necks. (Canto XXXII)
• Zone 2: Antenora is named for Antenor of Troy, who according to medieval tradition betrayed his city to the Greeks. In Greek mythology, Antenor was a son of the Dardanian noble Aesyetes by Cleomestra. Traitors to political entities, such as party, city, or country, are located here. Count Ugolino pauses from gnawing on the head of his rival Archbishop Ruggieri to describe how Ruggieri imprisoned and starved him and his children. Ugolino della Gherardesca (c 1220 &ndash March 1289 count of Donoratico was an Italian noble and naval commander head of the powerful family of della The souls here are immersed at almost the same level as those in Caïna, except they are unable to bend their necks. (Cantos XXXII and XXXIII)
• Zone 3: Ptolomæa is probably named for Ptolemy, the captain of Jericho, who invited Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to a banquet and then killed them. Simon Maccabaeus (died 135 BCE was a son of Mattathias and thus a member of the Hasmonean family Traitors to their guests are punished here. Fra Alberigo explains that sometimes a soul falls here before the time that Atropos (the Fate who cuts the thread of life) should send it. Friar Alberigo (d c 1307 was a 13th century Italian from Faenza. In Greek mythology, Atropos (ˈætɹəˌpɑs (from Greek Άτροπος "without turn" was one of the three Moirae, Goddesses of Their bodies on Earth are immediately possessed by a fiend. The souls here are immersed so much that only half of their faces are visible. As they cry, their tears freeze and seal their eyes shut- they are denied even the comfort of tears. (Canto XXXIII)
• Zone 4: Judecca, named for Judas the Iscariot, Biblical betrayer of Christ, is for traitors to their lords and benefactors. All of the sinners punished within are completely encapsulated in ice, distorted to all conceivable positions.

Satan is trapped in the frozen central zone in the Ninth Circle of Hell, Inferno, Canto 34.

Dante and Virgil, with no one to talk to, quickly move on to the center of hell. Condemned to the very center of hell for committing the ultimate sin (treachery against God) is Satan, who has three faces, one red, one black, and one a pale yellow, each having a mouth that chews on a prominent traitor. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Satan himself is represented as a giant, terrifying beast, weeping tears from his six eyes, which mix with the traitors' blood sickeningly. He is waist deep in ice, and beats his six wings as if trying to escape, but the icy wind that emanates only further ensures his imprisonment (as well as that of the others in the ring). The sinners in the mouths of Satan are Brutus and Cassius in the left and right mouths, respectively, who were involved in the assassination of Julius Caesar (an act which, to Dante, represented the destruction of a unified Italy), and Judas Iscariot (the namesake of this zone) in the central, most vicious mouth, who betrayed Jesus. Marcus Junius Brutus (85&ndash42 BC or Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. For the Roman consul see Gaius Cassius Longinus (consul 171 BC. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Judas Iscariot, יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ was according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Judas is being administered the most horrifying torture of the three traitors, his head in the mouth of Lucifer, and his back being forever skinned by the claws of Lucifer. (Canto XXXIV) What is seen here is a perverted trinity. Satan is impotent, ignorant, and evil while God can be attributed as the opposite: all powerful, all knowing, and good. The two poets escape by climbing down the ragged fur of Lucifer, passing through the center of the earth, emerging in the other hemisphere just before dawn on Easter Sunday beneath a sky studded with stars. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year.

Purgatorio

Dante gazes at Mount Purgatory in an allegorical portrait by Agnolo Bronzino, painted circa 1530.

Plan of Mount Purgatory. As with Paradise, the structure is of the form 2+7+1=9+1=10.

Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil 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). Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere, created with earth taken from the excavation of hell. At the shores of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil are attracted by a musical performance by Casella, but are reprimanded by Cato, a pagan who has been placed by God as the general guardian of the approach to the mountain. See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Marcus Porcius Catō Uticensis (95 BC&ndash46 BC known as Cato the Younger ( Cato Minor) to distinguish him from his great-grandfather ( Cato the Elder The text gives no indication whether or not Cato's soul is destined for heaven: his symbolic significance has been much debated. (Cantos I and II).

Allegorically, the Purgatorio represents the Christian life. Christian souls arrive escorted by an angel, singing in exitu Israel de Aegypto. In his Letter to Cangrande, Dante explains that this reference to Israel leaving Egypt refers both to the redemption of Christ and to "the conversion of the soul from the sorrow and misery of sin to the state of grace. Cangrande (christened Can Francesco) della Scala (9 March 1291 – 22 July 1329 was an Italian nobleman the most celebrated of the della Scala family In Theology, salvation can mean three related things being saved from or Liberation from something such as Suffering or the punishment of Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " "^[6] Appropriately, therefore, it is Easter Sunday when Dante and Virgil arrive. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year.

The Purgatorio is notable for demonstrating the medieval knowledge of a spherical Earth. The concept of a spherical Earth dates back to around the 6th century BC in ancient Greek philosophy and possibly ancient Indian philosophy. During the poem, Dante discusses the different stars visible in the southern hemisphere, the altered position of the sun, and the various timezones of the Earth. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. At this stage it is, Dante says, sunset at Jerusalem, midnight on the River Ganges, and sunrise in Purgatory. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The Ganges (ˈgænʤiːz also Ganga, Devanāgarī: hi गंगा in most Indian languages) is the major river in the Indian subcontinent

Dante starts the ascent of Mount Purgatory at sunrise. On the lower slopes (designated as "ante-Purgatory" by commentators) Dante meets first a group of excommunicates, detained for a period thirty times as long as their period of contumacy. Contumacy is the refusal to obey a court order which is usually punished as Contempt of court. Ascending higher, he encounters those too lazy to repent until shortly before death, and those who suffered violent deaths (often due to leading extremely sinful lives). These souls will be admitted to Purgatory thanks to their genuine repentance, but must wait outside for an amount of time equal to their lives on earth (Cantos III through VI). Finally, Dante is shown a beautiful valley where he sees the lately-deceased monarchs of the great nations of Europe, and a number of other persons whose devotion to public and private duties hampered their faith (Cantos VII and VIII). Dante's beautiful description of evening in this valley (Canto VIII) was the inspiration for a similar passage in Byron's Don Juan. Don Juan (dɒn dʒuən is a long digressive satiric poem by Lord Byron, based on the legend of Don Juan, which Byron reverses portraying Juan not as ^[7] From this valley Dante is carried (while asleep) up to the gates of Purgatory proper (Canto IX).

The gate of Purgatory is guarded by an angel who uses the point of his sword to draw the letter "P" (signifying peccatum, sin) seven times on Dante's forehead, abjuring him to "wash you those wounds within. " The angel uses two keys, silver (remorse) and gold (reconciliation) to open the gate – both are necessary. ^[8] The angel at the gate then warns Dante not to look back, lest he should find himself outside the gate again, symbolizing Dante having to overcome and rise above the hell that he has just left and thusly leaving his sinning ways behind him.

From there, Virgil guides the pilgrim Dante through the seven terraces of Purgatory. See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification These correspond to the seven deadly sins, each terrace purging a particular sin in an appropriate manner. The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of Vices that were originally used in early Christian Those in purgatory can leave their circle whenever they like, but essentially there is an honor system where no one leaves until they have corrected the nature within themselves that caused them to commit that sin. See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification Souls can only move upwards and never backwards, since the intent of Purgatory is for souls to ascend towards God in Heaven, and can ascend only during daylight hours, since the light of God is the only true guidance.

Associated with each terrace are historical and mythological examples of the relevant deadly sin and of its opposite virtue, together with an appropriate prayer and beatitude. The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of Vices that were originally used in early Christian The seven virtues are a set of seven cardinal virtues recognized in Christian Philosophy, especially Virtue ethics, and Theology. Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit The Beatitudes (from Latin beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy" is the beginning portion of the Sermon on the Mount of the Gospel of

The Terraces of Purgatory

In an example of humility, the Emperor Trajan stops to render justice to a poor widow, Purgatorio, Canto 10

Dante's meeting with Matelda, lithograph by Cairoli (1889)

On the first three terraces of Purgatory are purified those whose sins were caused by perverted love directed towards actual harm of others. Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who

• First Terrace. The proud are purged by carrying giant stones on their backs, unable to stand up straight (Cantos X through XII). Pride is a lofty view of one's self or one's own Pride often manifests itself as a high opinion of one's Nation (national pride Ethnicity (ethnic pride or appearance This teaches the sinner that pride puts weight on the soul and it is better to throw it off. Furthermore, there are carvings of historical and mythological examples of pride and humility to learn from. With the weight on one's back, one cannot help but see this carved pavement and learn from it. The prayer for this terrace is the Lord's Prayer, and the beatitude is blessed are the poor in spirit. The Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father or Pater noster, is probably the best-known Prayer in Christianity. The Beatitudes (from Latin beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy" is the beginning portion of the Sermon on the Mount of the Gospel of At the ascent to the next terrace, an angel clears a letter P from Dante's head. This process is repeated on each terrace. Each time a P is removed, Dante's body feels lighter, because he becomes less and less weighed down by sin.

• Second Terrace. The envious are purged by having their eyes sewn shut and wearing clothing that makes the soul indistinguishable from the ground (Cantos XIII through XV). Envy (also called invidiousness) may be defined as an Emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality achievement or possession and This is akin to a falconer's sewing the eyes of a falcon shut in order to train it. Falconry or hawking is an Art or Sport which involves the use of trained raptors (birds of prey to hunt or pursue game for humans God is the falconer and is training the souls not to envy others and to direct their love towards Him. Two examples of envy (Cain who was jealous of his brother, and Aglauros who was jealous of her sister) are contrasted with three of generosity. Aglaulus or Agraulos (Ἄγραυλος is a name attributed to three figures in Greek mythology. Because the souls here cannot see, the examples are voices on the air, including Jesus' words "love your enemies. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) " As he is leaving the terrace, the dazzling light of the angel causes Dante to observe that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection "as theory and experiment will show. Reflection is the change in direction of a Wave front at an interface between two different media so that the wave front returns into the medium from which "^[9]

• Third Terrace. The wrathful are purged by walking around in acrid smoke (Cantos XV through XVII). Anger is an emotional state that may range from minor irritation to intense rage Souls correct themselves by learning how wrath has blinded their vision, impeding their judgment (the sin of wrath represents a perversion of the natural love of justice). The prayer for this terrace is the Agnus Dei, and the beatitude is blessed are the peacemakers. Agnus Dei is a Latin term meaning Lamb of God, and was originally used to refer to Jesus Christ in his role of the perfect sacrificial The Beatitudes (from Latin beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy" is the beginning portion of the Sermon on the Mount of the Gospel of

On the fourth terrace we find sinners whose sin was that of deficient love—that is, sloth or acedia. In the Christian Moral Tradition, sloth ( Latin: acedia, accidia, pigritia) is one of the seven capital sins

• Fourth Terrace. The slothful are purged by continually running (Cantos XVIII and XIX). In the Christian Moral Tradition, sloth ( Latin: acedia, accidia, pigritia) is one of the seven capital sins Those who were slothful in life can only purge this sin by being zealous in their desire for penance. Allegorically, spiritual laziness and lack of caring lead to sadness, and so the beatitude for this terrace is blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. The Beatitudes (from Latin beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy" is the beginning portion of the Sermon on the Mount of the Gospel of ^[10]

On the fifth through seventh terraces are those who sinned by loving good things, but loving them in a disordered way.

• Fifth Terrace. The avaricious and prodigal are purged by lying face-down on the ground, unable to move (Cantos XIX through XXI). Greed is the Selfish desire for or pursuit of Money, Wealth, power, Food, or other Possessions, especially when this denies Excessive concern for earthly goods—whether in the form of greed or extravagance—is punished and purified. The sinner learns to turn his desire from possessions, power or position to God. It is here that the poets meet the soul of Statius, who has completed his purgation and joins them on their ascent to paradise. Publius Papinius Statius (ca 45-96 was a Roman Poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature, born in Naples, Italy.

• Sixth Terrace. The gluttonous are purged by abstaining from any food or drink (Cantos XXII through XXIV). Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow gluttony is the over-indulgence and Over-consumption of food drink or intoxicants Here, the soul's desire to eat a forbidden fruit causes its shade to starve. Forbidden Fruit is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone (1933-2003 To sharpen the pains of hunger, the former gluttons on this terrace are forced to pass by cascades of cool water without stopping to drink. (Considering Dante's use of Greek myth, this may be inspired by Tantalus. In Greek mythology Tantalus ( Greek Τάνταλος was a son of Zeus and the Nymph Plouto. )

• Seventh Terrace. The lustful are purged by burning in an immense wall of flames (Cantos XXV through XXVII). Literature In Dante's Inferno, the first Canticle of the Divine Comedy, the lustful are punished by being continuously All of those who committed sexual sins, both heterosexual and homosexual, are purified by the fire. Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Excessive sexual desire misdirects one's love from God and this terrace is meant to correct that. In addition, perhaps because all sin has its roots in misguided love, every soul who has completed his penance on the lower six cornices must pass through the wall of flame before ascending to the Earthly Paradise. Here Dante, too, must share the penance of the redeemed as the last "P" is removed from his forehead.

Dante's meeting with Beatrice, by John William Waterhouse

The ascent of the mountain culminates at the summit, which is in fact the Garden of Eden (Cantos XXVIII through XXXIII). John William Waterhouse ( April 6, 1849 &ndash February 10, 1917) was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter most Not to be confused with Eden Gardens.The Garden of Eden ( Hebrew "pleasure" גַּן עֵדֶן Arabic: جنات عدن, This place is meant to return one to a state of innocence that existed before the sin of Adam and Eve caused the fall from grace. See also Adam and Eve Adam ( Hebrew: אָדָם was according to a literal interpretation of Genesis, the first man created by In Genesis, Eve is the first woman the wife of Adam. God created her from Adam's rib as his helpmate Here Dante meets Matelda, a woman of grace and beauty who prepares souls for their ascent to heaven. With her Dante witnesses a highly symbolic procession that may be read as an allegorical masque of the Church and the Sacrament. The procession forms an allegory within the allegory, a little like Shakespeare's play within a play. William Shakespeare ( baptised A story within a story is a Literary device or Conceit in which one story is told during the action of another story One participant in the procession is Beatrice, whom Dante loved in childhood, and at whose request Virgil was commissioned to bring Dante on his journey. Beatrice Portinari, real name Bice di Folco Portinari (1266&ndash1290 was a woman from Florence Italy, who was the principal inspiration for Dante Alighieri

Virgil, as a pagan, is a permanent denizen of Limbo, the first circle of Hell, and may not enter Paradise; he vanishes. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world See also Intermediate state Purgatory|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity In Roman Catholic theology Limbo (Latin limbus Beatrice then becomes the second guide, and will accompany Dante in his vision of Heaven.

Dante drinks from the River Lethe, which causes the soul to forget past sins, and then from the River Eunoë, which effects the renewal of memories of good deeds. In Classical Greek, Lethe (λήθη Classical Greek, Modern Greek:) literally means "forgetfulness" or "concealment" Thus purified, souls can direct their love fully towards God to the best of their inherent capability to do so. They are then ready to leave Mount Purgatory for Paradise. Being totally purged of sin, Purgatorio ends with Dante's vision aimed at the stars, anticipating his ascent to heaven.

Paradiso

Dante and Beatrice speak to Piccarda and Constance of Sicily, in a fresco by Philipp Veit, Paradiso, Canto 3

After an initial ascension (Canto I), Beatrice guides Dante through the nine celestial spheres of Heaven. Piccarda Donati was a 13th century Italian noblewoman She appears as a character in Dante 's classic Divine Comedy. Constance of Sicily (1154 &ndash November 27, 1198) was the heiress of the Norman kings of Sicily and the wife of Henry VI Holy Roman Emperor Philipp Veit ( 13 February 1793 &ndash 18 December 1877) was a German Romantic painter. Beatrice Portinari, real name Bice di Folco Portinari (1266&ndash1290 was a woman from Florence Italy, who was the principal inspiration for Dante Alighieri The celestial spheres or celestial orbs were the fundamental celestial entities of the cosmological celestial mechanics first invented by Eudoxus, and developed by Aristotle Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond These are concentric and spherical, similar to Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca Dante admits that the vision of heaven he receives is the one that his human eyes permit him to see. Thus, the vision of heaven found in the Cantos is Dante's own personal vision, ambiguous in its true construction. The addition of a moral dimension means that a soul that has reached Paradise stops at the level applicable to it. Souls are allotted to the point of heaven that fits with their human ability to love God. Thus, there is a heavenly hierarchy. All parts of heaven are accessible to the heavenly soul. That is to say all experience God but there is a hierarchy in the sense that some souls are more spiritually developed than others. This is not determined by time or learning as such but by their proximity to God (how much they allow themselves to experience Him above other things). It must be remembered in Dante's schema that all souls in Heaven are on some level always in contact with God.

While the structures of the Inferno and Purgatorio were based around different classifications of sin, the structure of the Paradiso is based on the four cardinal virtues and the three theological virtues. In some Christian traditions there are four cardinal virtues: Prudence - to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time The three Theological Virtues listed in the Bible are Faith ( - steadfastness in belief Hope ( - expectation of and desire

The Spheres of Heaven

The nine spheres are:

• First Sphere. The sphere of the Moon is that of souls who abandoned their vows, and so were deficient in the virtue of fortitude (Cantos II through V). A vow ( Lat votum, vow promise see Vote) is a promise or Oath. Gallantry redirects here Or see Gallant for other meanings Courage, also known as bravery, will, intrepidity Dante meets Piccarda, sister of Dante's friend Forese Donati, who died shortly after being forcibly removed from her convent. Piccarda Donati was a 13th century Italian noblewoman She appears as a character in Dante 's classic Divine Comedy. Forese Donati (d 1296 Forese Donati brother of Corso and Piccarda Donati, was a childhood friend of Dante Alighieri. Beatrice discourses on the freedom of the will, and the inviolability of sacred vows.

• Second Sphere. The sphere of Mercury is that of souls who did good out of a desire for fame, but who, being ambitious, were deficient in the virtue of justice (Cantos V through VII). See also Justice Justice is one of the four Cardinal virtues in classical European philosophy and Roman Catholicism Justinian recounts the history of the Roman Empire. Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or Beatrice explains to Dante the atonement of Christ for the sins of humanity. The atonement is a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism.

• Third Sphere. The sphere of Venus is that of souls who did good out of love, but were deficient in the virtue of temperance (Cantos VIII and IX). The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University Temperance ( Sophrosyne in Greek) is the practice of Moderation. Dante meets Charles Martel of Anjou, who decries those who adopt inappropriate vocations, and Cunizza da Romano. Charles Martel ( September 8 1271 – August 12 1295, Naples) of the Angevin dynasty also known as Charles I Martel Cunizza da Romano (born c 1198 was an Italian Noblewoman, the third daughter of Ezzelino II da Romano and Adelaide di Mangona and sister to Ezzelino III Folquet de Marseilles points out Rahab, the brightest soul among those of this sphere, and condemns the city of Florence for producing that "cursed flower" (the florin) which is responsible for the corruption of the Church. Folquet de Marselha, alternatively Folquet de Marseille, Foulques de Toulouse, Fulk of Toulouse (c Rahab, (Heb רחב rachav; ie "broad" "large" was according to the Book of Joshua, a woman who lived in the city of Jericho in

Folquet de Marseilles bemoans the corruption of the Church, in a miniature by Giovanni di Paolo, Paradiso, Canto 9

Illustration of Dante's Paradiso, showing Thomas Aquinas and 11 other teachers of wisdom in the sphere of the Sun, by Giovanni di Paolo (between 1442 and c. Folquet de Marselha, alternatively Folquet de Marseille, Foulques de Toulouse, Fulk of Toulouse (c Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia (1399 or 1403 - 1482 was an Italian painter working primarily in Siena. Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia (1399 or 1403 - 1482 was an Italian painter working primarily in Siena. 1450)

Dante and Beatrice see God as a point of light surrounded by angels; from Gustave Doré's illustrations for the Divine Comedy, Paradiso, Canto 28

• Fourth Sphere. The sphere of the Sun is that of souls of the wise, who embody prudence (Cantos X through XIV). The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. Prudence (latprudentia is classically considered to be a Virtue, and indeed one of the Cardinal Virtues. Dante is addressed by St. Thomas Aquinas, who recounts the life of St. Francis of Assisi and laments the corruption of his own Dominican Order. For the opera by Olivier Messiaen see Saint-François d'Assise. The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is Dante is then met by St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, who recounts the life of St. Dominic, and laments the corruption of the Franciscan Order. Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (San Bonaventura (1221 &ndash July 15, 1274) born John of Fidanza (Giovanni di Fidanza was the eighth Minister The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic Saint Dominic (Domingo also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo de Guzmán Garcés (1170 &ndash August 6 The two orders were not always friendly on earth, and having members of one order praising the founder of the other shows the love present in Heaven. Dante arranges the wise into two rings of twelve; his choices of who to include give his assessment of the significant philosophers of medieval times. Finally, Aquinas introduces King Solomon, who answers Dante's question about the doctrine of the resurrection of the body. King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace"

• Fifth Sphere. The sphere of Mars is that of souls who fought for Christianity, and who embody fortitude (Cantos XIV through XVIII). Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Gallantry redirects here Or see Gallant for other meanings Courage, also known as bravery, will, intrepidity The souls in this sphere form an enormous cross. Dante speaks with the soul of his ancestor Cacciaguida, who praises the former virtues of the residents of Florence, recounts the rise and fall of Florentine families and foretells Dante's exile from Florence, before finally introducing some notable warrior souls (among them Joshua, Roland, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon). Cacciaguida degli Elisei (c 1091 &ndash c 1148 was an Italian Crusader the great-great-grandfather of Dante Alighieri. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Joshua, Jehoshuah, or Yehoshua ( 'יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Tiberian: jə Roland ( Italian: Orlando or Rolando, Frankish: Hruodland, Dutch: Roeland, Spanish: Roldán Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his Godfrey of Bouillon (c 1060 Boulogne-sur-Mer &ndash 18 July 1100, Jerusalem) was a medieval knight who was a leader of the First

• Sixth Sphere. The sphere of Jupiter is that of souls who personified justice, something of great concern to Dante (Cantos XVIII through XX). See also Justice Justice is one of the four Cardinal virtues in classical European philosophy and Roman Catholicism The souls here spell out the Latin for "Love justice, ye that judge the earth," and then arrange themselves into the shape of an imperial eagle. Present here are David, Hezekiah, Trajan (converted to Christianity according to a medieval legend), Constantine, William II of Sicily, and (Dante is amazed at this) Rhipeus the Trojan, saved by the mercy of God. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Hezekiah (or Ezekias) ( Hebrew: Ḥizqiyyāhu Khizkiyahu or Yəḥizqiyyāhu Y'khizkiyahu " the {{LORD}} has strengthened" compare Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine William II (French language Guillaume II, 1155 &ndash November 11 1189 Palermo) called the Good, was king of Sicily

• Seventh Sphere. The sphere of Saturn is that of the contemplatives, who embody temperance (Cantos XXI and XXII). Temperance ( Sophrosyne in Greek) is the practice of Moderation. Dante here meets Peter Damian, and discusses with him monasticism, the doctrine of predestination, and the sad state of the Church. Saint Peter Damian, OSB ( Petrus Damiani, also Pietro Damiani or Pier Damiani; c Those living the monastic life are known by the generic terms Monks (men and Nuns (women Predestination (also linked with Foreknowledge) is a religious concept which involves the relationship between God and His creation Beatrice, who represents theology, becomes increasingly lovely here, indicating the contemplative's closer insight into the truth of God. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective

• Eighth Sphere. The sphere of fixed stars is the sphere of the Church Triumphant (Cantos XXII through XXVII). A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth Here, Dante sees visions of Christ and of the Virgin Mary. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " He is tested on faith by Saint Peter, hope by Saint James, and love by Saint John the Evangelist. Christianity, Faith, like in other Abrahamic faiths, centers on a belief in God, a belief in the reality of a transcendent domain Hope is one of the three Theological virtues in Christian tradition For people and places called Saint James, see the Saint James disambiguation page In Christian Theology charity, or love ( Agapē) means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others Saint John the Evangelist (d ca 110 יוחנן " The LORD is merciful" Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew Dante justifies his medieval belief in astrology, that the power of the constellations is drawn from God. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems

• Ninth Sphere. The Primum Mobile ("first moved" sphere) is the abode of angels (Cantos XXVII through XXIX). In medieval and Renaissance astronomy the Primum Mobile, or "first moved" is the outermost moving sphere in the Geocentric model of the Universe. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition Dante sees God as a point of light surrounded by nine rings of angels, and is told about the creation of the universe.

From the Primum Mobile, Dante ascends to a region beyond physical existence, called the Empyrean (Cantos XXX through XXXIII). Empyrean, from the Medieval Latin empyreus, an adaptation of the Ancient Greek, "in or on the Fire ( pyr)" properly Here the souls of all the believers form the petals of an enormous rose. Beatrice leaves Dante with Saint Bernard, because theology has here reached its limits. Bernard of Clairvaux, OCist ( 1090 - August 20, 1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order Saint Bernard prays to Mary on behalf of Dante. Finally, Dante comes face-to-face with God Himself, and is granted understanding of the Divine and of human nature. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Divinity and divine (sometimes 'the Divinity' or 'the Divine' are broadly applied but loosely defined terms used variously within different faiths and belief systems — Human nature is the concept that there are a set of logical characteristics including ways of thinking feeling and acting that all 'normal' human beings have in common His vision is improved beyond that of human comprehension. God appears as three equally large circles within each other representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit with the essence of each part of God, separate yet one. The book ends with Dante trying to understand how the circles fit together, how the Son is separate yet one with the Father but as Dante put it "that was not a flight for my wings" and the vision of God becomes equally inimitable and inexplicable that no word or intellectual exercise can come close to explaining what he saw. Dante's soul, through God's absolute love, experiences a unification with itself and all things "but already my desire and my will were being turned like a wheel, all at one speed by the Love that turns the sun and all the other stars".

Earliest manuscripts

Detail of a manuscript in Milan's Biblioteca Trivulziana (MS 1080), written in 1337 by Francesco di ser Nardo da Barberino, showing the beginning of Dante's Comedy.

According to the Società Dantesca Italiana, no original manuscript written by Dante has survived, though there are many manuscript copies from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries (more than 825 are listed on their site [2]). The oldest belongs to the 1330s, almost a decade after Dante's death. The most precious ones are the three full copies made by Giovanni Boccaccio (1360s), who himself did not have the original manuscript as a source.

The first printed edition was published in Foligno, Italy, by Johann Numeister and Evangelista Angelini on 11 April 1472. Foligno, (Latin Fulginiae Fulginium) is an ancient town of Italy in the Province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river Of the 300 copies printed, fourteen still survive. The original printing press is on display in the Oratorio della Nunziatella in Foligno.

Printing press of the first printed edition

Thematic concerns

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings. An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Cangrande I della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical). Cangrande (christened Can Francesco) della Scala (9 March 1291 – 22 July 1329 was an Italian nobleman the most celebrated of the della Scala family Anagoge is a Greek word suggesting a "climb" or "ascent" upwards

The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines. The poem is often lauded for 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. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Dante's use of 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. Dorothy Leigh Sayers ( IPA: usually pronounced /ˈseɪɜrz/ although Sayers herself preferred /ˈsɛːz/ and encouraged the use of her middle initial to facilitate this "

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 14th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") 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 Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic. Boccaccio's account that an early version of the poem was begun by Dante in Latin is still controversial^[11][12]. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

The Divine Comedy and Islamic philosophy

In 1919 Professor Miguel Asín Palacios, a Spanish scholar and a Catholic priest, published La Escatología musulmana en la Divina Comedia ("Islamic Eschatology in the Divine Comedy"), an account of parallels between early Islamic philosophy and the Divine Comedy. Miguel Asín Palacios (1871-1944 was a Spanish scholar (an Arabist) and a Roman Catholic Priest. Early Islamic philosophy or classical Islamic philosophy is a period of intense philosophical development beginning in the 2nd century AH of the Islamic calendar Palacios argued that Dante derived many features of and episodes about the hereafter directly or indirectly from the spiritual writings of Ibn Arabi and from the Isra and Mi'raj or night journey of Muhammad to heaven. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Ibn Arabi (ابن عربي ( July 28, 1165 - November 10, 1240) was an In Islamic tradition the Isra and Mi'raj (الإسراء والمعراج) are the two parts of a journey that Muhammad took in one night around the year 620 IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics The latter is described in the Hadith and the Kitab al Miraj (translated into Latin in 1264 or shortly before^[13] as Liber Scale Machometi, "The Book of Muhammad's Ladder"), and has some slight similarities to the Paradiso, such as a seven-fold division of Paradise. Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic The Kitab al Miraj (Arabic كتاب المعراج "Book of Ascension" is a Muslim book concerned with Muhammad 's ascension into the Heavens (known as In ancient astronomy before the telescope was invented people referred to the Sun, Moon, and the five planets visible with the naked eye as the Seven heavenly objects ^[14]

Dante lived in a Europe of substantial literary and philosophical contact with the Muslim world, encouraged by such factors as Averroism and the patronage of Alfonso X of Castile. Averroism is the term applied to either of two philosophical trends among scholastics in the late 13th century, the first of which was based on the Alfonso X (November 23 1221 Toledo Spain &ndash April 4 1284 Seville Spain) was a Spanish monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, Of the twelve wise men Dante meets in Canto X of the Paradiso, Thomas Aquinas and, even more so, Sigier of Brabant were strongly influenced by Arabic commentators on Aristotle. Siger of Brabant ( Sigerus, Sighier, Sigieri or Sygerius de Brabantia; c Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ^[15] Medieval Christian mysticism also shared the Neoplatonic influence of Sufis such as Ibn Arabi. Christian Mysticism is traditionally practised through the disciplines of Prayer (including oratio meditation and Contemplation Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical Philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD founded by Sufi cosmology (الكوزمولوجية الصوفية is a general term for cosmological doctrines associated with the mysticism of Sufism. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Ibn Arabi (ابن عربي ( July 28, 1165 - November 10, 1240) was an Philosopher Frederick Copleston argued in 1950 that Dante's respectful treatment of Averroes, Avicenna, and Sigier of Brabant indicates his acknowledgement of a "considerable debt" to Islamic philosophy. Fr Frederick Charles Copleston SJ, CBE (April 10 1907 Taunton, Somerset, England – February 3 1994 London, Abū 'l-Walīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Rushd (Arabicأبو الوليد محمد بن احمد بن رشد better known just as Ibn Rushd (ابن رشد and in European TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> ( Persian /ابو علی الحسین ابن عبدالله ابن سینا (born Siger of Brabant ( Sigerus, Sighier, Sigieri or Sygerius de Brabantia; c ^[16]

Although this philosophical influence is generally acknowledged, many scholars have not been satisfied that Dante was influenced by the Kitab al Miraj. The Kitab al Miraj (Arabic كتاب المعراج "Book of Ascension" is a Muslim book concerned with Muhammad 's ascension into the Heavens (known as The twentieth century Orientalist Francesco Gabrieli expressed skepticism regarding the claimed similarities, and the lack of evidence of a vehicle through which it could have been transmitted to Dante. Even so, while dismissing the probability of some influences posited in Palacios' work, Gabrieli recognized that it was "at least possible, if not probable, that Dante may have known the Liber scalae and have taken from it certain images and concepts of Muslim eschatology". The Kitab al Miraj (Arabic كتاب المعراج "Book of Ascension" is a Muslim book concerned with Muhammad 's ascension into the Heavens (known as Shortly before her death the Italian philologist Maria Corti pointed out that, during his stay at the court of Alfonso X, Dante's mentor Brunetto Latini met Bonaventura de Siena, a Tuscan who had translated the Liber scalae from Arabic into Latin. Alfonso X (November 23 1221 Toledo Spain &ndash April 4 1284 Seville Spain) was a Spanish monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, Brunetto Latini (c 1220&ndash1294 (signed his name Burnectus Latinus in Latin and Burnecto Latino in Italian was an Italian Philosopher, The Kitab al Miraj (Arabic كتاب المعراج "Book of Ascension" is a Muslim book concerned with Muhammad 's ascension into the Heavens (known as According to Corti,^[17] Brunetto may have provided a copy of that work to Dante, though there is no evidence that this occurred.

Literary influence in the English-speaking world and beyond

The work was not always so well regarded. After being recognized as a masterpiece in the first centuries following its publication^[18], the work was largely ignored during the Enlightenment, only to be "rediscovered" by William Blake - who illustrated several passages of the epic - and the romantic writers of the 19th century. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Later authors such as T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Samuel Beckett, and James Joyce have drawn on it for inspiration. Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. Ezra Weston Loomis Pound ( Hailey, Idaho Territory, United States October 30 1885 – Venice, Italy November 1 1972 was an American Expatriate Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was its first American translator, and modern poets, including Seamus Heaney^[19], Robert Pinsky, John Ciardi, and William Merwin, have also given translations of all or parts of the book. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " Robert Pinsky (born October 20 1940) is an American Poet, Essayist, literary critic, and Translator. John Anthony Ciardi ( June 24, 1916 - March 30, 1986) was an American Poet, translator, and Etymologist William Stanley Merwin (born September 30 1927 in New York City) is an American poet In Russia, beyond Pushkin's memorable translation of a few triplets, Osip Mandelstam's late poetry has been said to bear of the mark of a "tormented meditation" on the Comedy ^[20]. Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam (also spelled Mandelshtam) (О́сип Эми́льевич Мандельшта́м ( &ndash December 27, 1938) was a In 1934 he gave a disturbingly modern reading of the poem in his labyrinthine "Conversation on Dante"^[21] . Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The Divine Comedy in the arts

Main article: Dante and his Divine Comedy in popular culture

The Divine Comedy has been a source of inspiration for countless artists for almost seven centuries — as one of the most well known and greatest artistic works in the Western tradition, its influence on culture cannot be overstated. Dante Alighieri and his masterpiece Divine Comedy, have been a source of inspiration for countless artists for almost seven centuries

See also

• Bangsian fantasy
• List of cultural references in The Divine Comedy

Footnotes

External links

• Princeton Dante Project Website that offers the complete text of the Divine Comedy (and Dante's other works) in Italian and English along with audio accompaniment in both languages. Includes historical and interpretive annotation.
• Dante Dartmouth Project: Full text of more than 70 Italian, Latin, and English commentaries on the Commedia, ranging in date from 1322 (Iacopo Alighieri) to the 2000s (Robert Hollander)
• Dante's Divine Comedy presented by the Electronic Literature Foundation. Multiple editions, with Italian and English facing page and interpolated versions.
• The Comedy in English: trans. Cary (with Doré's illustrations) (HTML), trans. Cary (with Doré's illustrations) (zipped HTML downloadable from Project Gutenberg), Cary/Longfellow/Mandelbaum parallel edition
• Concordances to the Divine Comedy
• Audiobooks: Public domain recordings from LibriVox (in Italian, Longfellow translation); some additional recordings
• Divine Comedy, audio with the complete text. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
• Danteworlds, multimedia presentation of the Divine Comedy for students by Guy Raffa of the University of Texas
• Dante's Places: a map (still a prototype) of the places named by Dante in the Commedia, created with GoogleMaps. An explanatory PDF is available for download at the same page