Analyzing Dantes The Divine Comedy - 2313 Words

Part 1 How does Dante use metaphors/allegories as mechanisms for articulating his vision of Christian ethos? Consider how the work is structured and how punishment is meted out and his use of contrapasso. Durante degli Alighieri, usually referred to as Dante (1265-1321), was an Italian poet, moral philosophers, and political thinker best known for his epic poem La divina commedia. Essentially, The Divine Comedy describes Dantes journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise guided at first by the Roman poet Virgil, and then by Beatrice, the subject of his undying love. In many ways, though, the poem is both a literary story of a journey and a commentary about the political and moral issues of the time; Christianity, royalty, privilege, class, and most certainly the concept of sin and the Devil. Besides being a treatise on the socio-political climate of the time, Dante used the concept of Hell and Satan to explain human imperfection and a way to see another organization within the temporal world. Dante parodies the Trinity in the three parts of Satan, but also paints a mythology that became truth for many, and certainly part and parcel of modern popular culture. Satan in Dantes works is quite familiar to the mModern individual: demonic, able to possess a humans free will, lizard like but able to pretend, a liar, thief of sould, and the archenemy of God and all that is good in the universe (Anderson, 2010, 365-75). As a poem, The Divine Comedy uses metaphors quiteShow MoreRelatedInterpretation Of The Translation Of Dante s Divine Comedies1296 Words   |  6 Pagescertain word choices to convey a specific meaning, which could lead to an incorrect interpretation of the work based on the translator’s bias. In reference to Dante’s Divine Comedies unless we can read the original Italian words, we are dependent on the translator’s interpretation of Dante’s words to guide us on the correct path of analyzing the literature. This leaves lots of room for error and miscommunication which could lead to the wrong understanding of the allegorical purpose of this poem. HoweverRead MoreAquinas’ and Dante’s Common Ideals1153 Words   |  5 PagesAquinas’ and Dante’s Common Ideals While St. Thomas Aquinas established himself as the New Aristotle of the 13th century, Dante Alighieri established himself the new Virgil. The two men made an immense impact in their respective fields (poetry and philosophy). Yet surprisingly, the two share common ideals. In each of their respective literary and philosophical views, they establish the importance of the relationship between nature and grace. In Dante’s Inferno the unique relationship ofRead MoreThe Inferno : Warning Or Threat?1385 Words   |  6 Pages Warning Or Threat? The Inferno, is the first part of the trilogy within the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri. The Inferno incompasses the story of Dante’s journey through Hell to reach the path of righteousness going toward Heaven’s Gate. Across the immeasurable and extensive journey of Dante and Virgil, both together observe the punishments brought upon oneself, as a result of the sins committed by the hopeless residents of Hell. Within the novel, the severity of punishment and the disciplineRead MoreEssay about Apocalypse Now1649 Words   |  7 Pagesjourney, and creates the effect of multiple levels of meaning. In addition to a superbly constructed story, Apocalypse Now can be viewed as a social commentary, an exploration of human conscience, or a moral metaphor. I truly enjoy dissecting and analyzing movies, as well as literate, at this level. I try to understand what the author, or film maker is really trying to say. Looking at the movie from one angle, it can be considered a social commentary of the war in Viet Nam. By including such characters