Niesha Morales

Wisdom of Tradition Essay

Story of Christianity
Dr. Leap
04/27/2020
The Divine Comedy and Its Effects

The Divine Comedy is a narrative poem that was written by Dante Alighieri. He began his
writing in 1308 and finished it in 1320, the year before his death in 1321. After reading both
Dante’s Inferno as well as some background on his life and what had occurred when he started
his writing. Due to being from a decently wealthy family Dante grew up to hold quite a few
political offices. In 1290 there was a division in the Guelph party that was in power in Florence
in time. They divided into White, which Dante was a party of and wanted freedom from papal
rule, and the Black, who wanted to restore their power by working with the pope. The Black
would eventually gain control of Florence in 1301 and by the next year Dante would be facing
exile. These changes would then lead to Dante having strong opinions on the pope and those
connected to him. These opinions would be shown in Dante’s Inferno where the pope and others
from political situations are shown to reside in Hell. Another part of his life that really affected
his writing of the Divine Comedy came before his exile. While Dante had been in an arranged
marriage, there was a woman that he had a forbidden love with. Unfortunately this woman, who
is called Beatrice, died in 1290. Because of her death it is believed that “he converted his ideal
love for her into a veneration that formed the central axel” of his writing for the Divine Comedy.
(Seblini, 18)

Focusing on the Divine Comedy we see that it is a narrative poem written in three
different parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso. The first is Inferno which follows Dante as he
journeys through hell and the seven circles of Hell. The second is Purgatorio which represents
purgatory which Dante explains as the place where “the human soul is cleansed of sin,
becoming worthy of ascent to Heaven." (Alighieri, 5-6) He describes it as a place that is
divided into three different sections and on the lower part is reserved for those whose atonement
is delayed. The Last part is Paradiso which represents heaven. At this point it is seen that Dante
reconciles with Beatrice, the woman he loves who died. In his writing Beatrice is one of two
important people mentioned, the other referred to as the other woman. If you take a look at the
importance of Beatrice it can give a new perspective to the poem. One perspective is to consider
“Dante’s journey not as a choice between different kinds of ladies, but rather as the loss and
recovery, the absence and presence, of one lady, Beatrice.”(Holmes, 2) Another important
characteristic of the Divine Comedy is that while there are three parts, each part is split in two.
The extra three parts are commentary on what had occurred in the first parts. While these might
often be overlooked it is good to take notice and see how the commentary helps to explain or add
to the poem.

When taking a look at the Divine Comedy it's also important to look at the effect that it
had. Not only on Christians but on people around the time it was published as well as modern
day people. While Dante’s writing isn’t often spoken about in casual conversation, it has inspired
art as well as what is seen as the common images for Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Even in
today’s society when thinking about Hell people will think about whether they go there and if
they do where they will end up. This leads to them thinking of the seven circles of Hell. Just like
in the poem the circles are described in much the same way, with each circle representing one of
the cardinal sins. The same can also be said for Purgatory and Heaven. The poem has also
inspired quite a number of pieces of art. Famous artists like Sandro Botticelli and Gustave Dore
have taken the writing and breathed it into their paintings and drawings. Just like Dante brought
to life his journey by writing it down, these artists brought it to life. They have helped not only to
show people what occurred during the journey but have also helped to spread the reading and its
messages. Not only did his narrative poem inspire people of his time but it has continued to
inspire people even into today's society. Even when his writing isn’t mentioned by name, parts of
them, such as mentioning the circles of hell, have been discussed in movies, songs, and books.
 I had originally chosen this piece because I had briefly read Dante’s Inferno when I was a
junior in high school. It had peaked my interest because while I had heard of the seven circles of
hell, I never truly knew what they were, where they came from, or what they represented. One of
my earliest memories of hearing about the circles had been in a tv show and while I had
forgotten about it at first, occasionally I had wondered what it was and wished we had discussed
it more in my class. When I started this project I was very pleased to get the answers to my
questions. But I was also surprised by what I found. Growing up in a Christian family I had
always heard of where we go when we die depending on how we lived. On reading the other two
parts of the Divine Comedy I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the poem and what
I had been taught. For example when I earlier described Purgatory it is also very close to what
my elders have told me. While I didn’t have an image of what the place would look like I was
always told of what it was for. Even though I am not Christian, I still appreciate the poem,
especially the fact that it is written as a journey. This is important to me because I believe a lot of
people view life in much the same way, a journey that is taken. And just like Dante’s journey,
lessons are learned and the experience changes people.

When I look back and think about what I learned from this research and the reading I see
how it could change people. When I first read Inferno our class had a discussion on what we
thought and what it had made us feel. Many people in my class had talked about how the reading
had opened their eyes and had further shown them multiple things. Such as even people who
claim to be holy or to speak for God could be lying and would be punished for it. Others had
been like myself, raised hearing of these places but not completely sure of them. The reading on
the Inferno had then driven them to read the rest of the Divine Comedy. This would then give
them not only images to go with the names but also in depth descriptions that would help them to
strive to be better in their faith and life.

I think this is a very important reading and would go on to say that while it shouldn’t be
required. It should always be available and an option for those interested. I say this because the
Divine Comedy is an inspiration to many people. It has led to many people changing their lives
and working to be better and for others to be better. It has been the inspiration of art, which has
helped to convey the story in another way. And for those like me it has given me a way to
understand those of a religion different from my own. I believe that to have a better world we
could start by trying to understand one another, including the religions that we follow. In my
opinion the Divine Comedy is a good way to start understanding the Christian faith.

Work Cited

1. Seblini, Nour. “On Mystical Metamorphosis in Christianity and Islam: Dante's Divine
Comedy and Rumi's Masnavi in Comparative Perspective,” September 1, 2016.
https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/clear/3/2/article-p16.xml.
2. “Digital Dante.” Purgatorio 1 – Digital Dante. Accessed May 1, 2020.
https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/purgatorio/purgatorio-1/.
3. Holmes, Olivia. “Dante's Two Beloveds: Ethics and Erotics in the Divine Comedy.”
Shibboleth Authentication Request, August 2012.
https://www-jstor-org.setonhill.idm.oclc.org/stable/10.1086/666515?seq=2.