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Dante Alighieri The Inferno from The Divine Comedy

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The Inferno from The Divine Comedy

Dante AlighieriThe Infernofrom The Divine ComedyThe Divine ComedyDante Alighieribetween 1303 and 1321

Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso

Represents the souls journey to God

Tuscan dialect Standard Italian Language

InfernoHell

9 Circles of Hell

Dante must travelthrough all to reach the next part of his journey:PurgatoryImportant CharactersDante the author and the hero of this poem; makes the descent into the Underworld

Virgil Dantes spiritual guide; called upon by Beatrice

Beatrice serves as the Muse; Dantes true love in life, and protects him from straying from the True Way in death

God & Satan key figures; Satans domain is Hell; Dante must travel through this domain to reach Gods kingdom, HeavenElements of An Epic PoemMedia ResVast SettingDivine InterventionLong SpeechesDescent to UnderworldInvocation to MuseStatement of ThemeEpithetsEpic CataloguingHero Embodies the Characteristics of CivilizationMedia ResStarts journey at 35 years (Christian faith promises 70)Midway in our lifes journey (Alighieri, 1954, LL. 1-3)

Audience is not aware of how or why, exactly Dante ends up in the Dark WoodI went astray/ from the straight road and woke to find myself/ alone in a dark wood. (Alighieri, 1954, LL. 1-3)

Vast SettingCovers all of Hellincludes nine distinct circles with various sub-sections

Divine InterventionHell demons, Satan, unworthy souls, etc.

Beatrice asks Virgil to show Dante back to the True Way of righteousness

Virgil Dantes spiritual guide through HellLong SpeechesVirgil"You must go by another way who would escape this wilderness, for that mad beast that flees before you there, suffers no man to pass. The [She-Wolf] tracks down all, kills all, and knows no glut, but, feeding, she grows hungrier than she was. She mates with any beast, and will mate with more before the Greyhound comes to hunt her down. He will not feed on lands nor loot, but honor and love and wisdom will make straight his way. He will rise between Feltro and Feltro, and in him shall be the resurrection and new day of that sad Italy for which Nisus died, and Turnus, and Euryalus, and the made Camilla. He shall hunt her through every nation of sick pride till she is driven back forever to Hell whence Envy first released her on the world. Therefore (Alighieri, 1954, LL. 89-122)

Descent to UnderworldDante must descend into Hell to reach purgatory and complete his journey to find the True Way (Gods will)be my guide through the sad halls of Hell. (Alighieri, 1954, L. 126) Invocation to MuseBeatrice is the MuseO Muses! O High Genius! Be my aid! /O Memory, recorder of the vision, /here shall your true nobility be displayed! (Alighieri, 1954, LL. 7-9)

Found in the second Canto

Statement of ThemeSinners and Gods Punishment

I went astray/from the straight road and woke to find myself/alone in a dark wood (Alighieri, 1954, LL. 1-3)

I first wandered there from the True Way. /But at the far end of the valley of evil (Alighieri, 1954, LL. 12-13)

EpithetsThe fountain of purest speech (Virgil) (Alighieri, 1953, LL. 77-78)

Poet (Virgil) (Alighieri, 1954, L. 10)

King of Time (God) (Alighieri, 1954, L. 117)

True master and first author (Virgil) (Alighieri, 1954, L. 82)

Epic CataloguingThere were not many examples of long lists in The Inferno, but there were some. When speaking of the Trojan and Latian war, Virgil does give a list of the names of the ones who died. Nisus died, and Turnus, and Euryalus, and the made Camilla (Alighieri, 1954, L. 101)Hero Embodies Values Not only does Dante make himself the hero of his own story, but he embodies the theme of it as well. Dante is the pilgrim on a quest to find the True Way. Dante the pilgrim has good intentions-once he finds himself again and realizes that he is lost in the Dark Wood, he is horrified and wants to escape.I first wandered there from the True Way virtue leads men straight on every road (Alighieri, 1954, LL. 12, 18)

Important Quotesthrough me you enter into the city of woes through me you enter into eternal pain, through me you enter the population of loss. . . .abandon all hope, you who enter here.

To get back up to the shining world from thereMy guide and I went into that hidden tunnel;. . .Where we came forth, and once more saw the stars.

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Dante's Inferno: Oh, Hell!