Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy combines allegory and reality to promote a spiritual path for readers. Before writing it, he wrote Vita Nuova, celebrating his chaste love for Beatrice Portinari, who inspired the Comedy. Dante’s philosophy is defined in Convivo, and he was a member of the White Guelph party. The Comedy is divided into three sections, with Virgil as his guide through Hell and Purgatory, and Beatrice in Heaven. Satan is trapped in agony in Hell, and Purgatory is a journey of penitence. Heaven is infused with Catholic imagery and requires a good guide for understanding.
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) is considered one of the most important and inspired writers of the Middle Ages. His major work, the Comedy or Divine Comedy, is a work in verse that combines allegory and reality, in the hopes of promoting a true spiritual path for readers to redemption and ascension into heaven. Dante’s life is, for many, less interesting than his primary work, but it should still be noted before studying the Comedy.
Before writing the Divine Comedy, Dante wrote the Vita Nuova which recounts and celebrates his chaste love for Beatrice Portinari, whom he first met at the age of 10. Beatrice remains his muse and inspirer for the Divine Comedy, but it is significant to note that the Vita Nuova ends with the lines that Dante will never write again, «until I can write such a woman has never been written before». The writer was also shaken by the early death of Beatrice in 1290 at the age of 24.
By the time Dante wrote the Divine Comedy, he had elevated his muse to beatification status. It was his guide through the Paradiso section of the work. This nonsexual union, which for Dante clearly discourages illicit sexual encounters, was perhaps all the writer ever wished for Beatrice. Medieval marriage was not based on love but on property. The fact that you love Beatrice in a romantic sense is more indicative of “courtly love,” of knights to ladies, which often meant nothing in terms of sexual gratification.
Of Dante’s other works, the Convivo, which precedes the Comedy, is perhaps the most significant as it defines the writer’s philosophy, defends his politics, and initiates his discussion of how men must live to reach heaven. Dante was a member of the White Guelph party, a political group that wanted more personal freedoms. The Black Guelphs supported rule mainly from the papacy, while the White Guelphs supported various rulers. With the Black Guelph triumphs came the exile of many White Guelphs. Dante spent much of his life after exile wandering the various courts of other parts of Italy, such as Verona and Lucca.
Studying comedy is an intricate process. The work is divided into three sections: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Virgil is Dante’s guide through Hell and Purgatory, while Beatrice becomes his guide in Heaven. The Beginning of Hell evokes a necessary spiritual journey for all men in their middle age. In this way the Comedy can be related to other literary searches of the time, such as that for the Holy Grail in the Arthurian legends.
While in Hell, Dante meets many political figures of his time whom his critics claim he placed in Hell to score political points and sympathy for his views. There are 24 circles of hell, with the innermost inhabited by Satan. Satan is not the master of fire, as he is often portrayed later, but trapped in agony. His huge wings beat continuously, freezing him in the ice from the middle down. Satan, for Dante, is so corrupt that he will never be able to free himself, and will be continually ensnared by his own malice. Virtually everyone in Hell is most tormented by the knowledge that they will never see God.
While in Hell, Dante’s role as a character is more that of an observer. In Purgatory he identifies himself as a penitent, truly belonging to it until he can free himself from those sins that keep him separated from Heaven. Dante’s journey through Purgatory resembles the journey of all its inhabitants, with the reward of a glimpse of Paradise with Beatrice.
Heaven often loses its readers because it is infused with Catholic imagery which obscures much of its symbolism, even if the reader is a practicing Roman Catholic. It is recommended to read the entire Comedy with a good guide. One of the best translations available is that of John Sinclair, published by Oxford University Press in 1961. Each section of the verse is followed by comments and explanations, which are very helpful.
Another translation that many appreciate is the 1949 verse translation by Dorothy Sayers, the famous mystery writer. Sinclair’s version, however, is superior to all who are not students of medieval Catholicism. The Sayers version is a great choice after studying Sinclair’s translation, or the two can be read together. Of course, Italian scholars may appreciate the original version best, but the modern translations are so excellent that the non-Italian reader will find the study of the Commedia a rich pursuit.
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