Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy

In today's lesson we are going to travel to the universe of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) to talk about his most important work, The Divine Comedy. Which is considered the main work of Humanism and the maximum literary expression of the fourteenth century, where medieval and Renaissance religious thought converge.

This epic tells us about a spiritual journey that Dante himself makes through the Hell, the Purgatory and the Paradise, from the hand of the poet Virgil and with the objective of redeeming his earthly sins and being able to ascend to the Sky. If you want to read a short summary of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, keep reading because in a PROFESSOR we explain everything to you. The class begins!

We started this summary of The Divine Comedy, one of the most important works of world literature written by Dante over 20 years in Tuscan and was originally published under the name of Comedy. Would be called The Divine Comedy for Boccaccio and was published under that name in 1355.

This is one

allegorical epic or epic-religious poem which is divided into a introduction and three main parts (Hell, Purgatory, Paradise) by 33 songs (in triplets and approximately 100 verses) and which has Dante himself as the main character.

Our protagonist goes on a journey through the Hell (composed of 9 circles), the Purgatory (9 stages) and the Paradise (9 heavens), from the hand of the poet Virgil (the reason and human wisdom) and with the aim of redeeming his sins and being able to ascend to the Sky (to achieve grace and union with God).

In this way, Dante's journey is the spiritual journey into the light by a wandering soul and plunged in darkness. Hence, it begins in a dark jungle (the antithesis of the celestial) in which Dante is lost and where he meets Virgilio, who informs him that he has come to him by order of Beatriz (his beloved of him and the personification of the divine wisdom) to save it.

We follow this summary of The Divine Comedy speaking of Hell. And it is that Dante, accompanied by Virgilio, enters Hell through some doors that are flanked by the Arqueon River and get on the demon boat Charon, beginning his journey through Hell through the nine circles:

• Circle 1st the Limbo: Place where those who are not baptized and those who lived in pagan times are located: Horacio, Aeneas, Socrates, Aristotle…). It is also where the judge is located Minos, which is the one who decides which circle of Hell the souls go to.
• Circle 2: Where do the lustful, punished by constant whirlwinds.
• Circle 3: Where are the sweet tooth, walking in a rain of black water, snow and hail. This is guarded by Cerberus (three-headed dog).
• Circle 4: Place of the greedy, which are in constant fight.
• Circle 5: Where are the souls of the angry and sad.
• Circle 6: Place of the heretics, where there are all kinds of vices.
• Circle 7: Place of the suicidal and of the violent (aggression against the neighbor and against God). These are found within a river of boiling blood.
• Circle 8: Where are those who have committed fraud, bribery, Sidonia or sorcery. They are punished in 10 different pits.
• Circle 9: It is the most terrible place in Hell, an icy area where all the traitors and the same Lucifer. Here, the devil has three faces and each of his mouth chews a traitor: Judas, Brutus and Cassius (traitors to Caesar).

We end this summary of The Divine Comedy talking about the paradise that Dante presents. Free from sin Dante is guided in Paradise by Beatrice across nine skies:

• Moon Sky: The souls of those who consecrated themselves to monastic life.
• Mercury Sky: The souls of those who did good deeds while seeking glory.
• Sky of Venus: The souls of those who acted moved by love.
• Sun Sky: The place of the wise.
• Sky of Mars: Knights who fought for the Church.
• Jupiter's sky: The souls of the righteous.
• Saturn Sky: The souls of the contemplatives.
• Starry Skies: The souls of the blessed.
• Crystal Sky: The souls of those who manifested their love for God.
• Heaven Empirio: Disembodied area where it resides God and where peace and redemption are achieved.