Charles River Editors - Everything You Need to Know About the Divine Comedy: A Study Guide for Dantes Classic

Michelinos fresco depicting Dante holding a copy ofDivine Comedynext to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above

1. Dante is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, poet epic or otherwise of all time. The magnitude of his most major work, The Divine Comedy, is unsurpassed; however, what also sets him apart from his literary rivals is that the Tuscan dialect in which he wrote became Italys national language. Further, he paved the way for poets to write in the vernacular, choosing his dialect over Latin, the language of the Church, the State and epic poets who preceded him. Even Shakespeare in all his genius did not have this level of influence on his language, English, which he, for all intents and purposes, inherited.
2. Dante is credited with advancing, if not truly creating the poetic technique of terza rima, which is an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. Most notably, Chaucer borrowed the technique for The Canterbury Tales.
3. The Divine Comedy is steeped in theological references, even in structure: it is made up of three parts, each with 33 cantos. Three is extremely symbolic in Christianity, due to the belief in the Holy Trinity God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Thirty-three is also very significant, as this is the age at which Jesus was crucified.
4. Inferno has 34 cantos, but the first in considered an introduction.
5. Although exiled from his city of Florence for the last nineteen years of his life, Dantes loyalty never waned. He always considered himself not an Italian, not a Tuscan, but a Florentine until the day he died.
6. Dantes exile was due to his political leanings, and specifically, the Florentine GuelphGhibelline conflict. He intended the Divine Comedy to be something of a platform to share his belief in what was fundamentally the separation of church and state, and point the finger at corrupt leadership, both political and religious.
7. Dante placed himself at the center of the Divine Comedy as the Pilgrim. Even though characters certainly reflect a writers position and/or beliefs, and may display many of their creators own personal traits, few writers have been so bold as to employ this literary technique.
8. There is a school of critics that believes Dante suffered from an over-inflated sense of importance well beyond that of an artist. Instead, it has been argued by scholars that he considered himself worthy of being included in the elevated category of prophet, as The Divine Comedy tackles enormous metaphysical and religious themes, and offers a redemptive path for sinners to follow.
9. Each of the three canticas that make up The Divine Comedy - Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Paradise, or Heaven) - ends in the word stelle (stars).
10. No original copy of Dantes masterpiece survives today, but many priceless copies do exist. The first printed copy dates back to the late 1400s.

In many ways, The Divine Comedy serves as a handbook to the Middle Ages and the trends of thought it advanced. Dantes work touches upon the scientific, political, and spiritual tenets of the day, with real life references to some of his own contemporaries, to historical figures that played a part in the development of western civilization as a whole.

Look at any diagram or map available that corresponds to the Hell, Purgatory and Heaven of the poem and you will find incredibly studied details that reflect the science of the times. Dante incorporates many of the ideas that were considered fact by his period. His outline of how each place stands in its relation to each other tries to acknowledge all available knowledge of the sun, moon, stars and planets. Not satisfied to keep these tenets contained within their own parameters, he extends his questions to the more mysterious, blending theology with science by asking such things as why do people exhibit such drastic differences in mindsets and beliefs, or what happens to us when we die, or is sin material. These probing questions would have great appeal to his contemporary audience, and frankly, still do today.