Name: Đỗ Thị Anh Tú – ENG2205 IVAA

ID: 1605638
Class: K19C
Assignments for Session 10

Dante’s The Divine Comedy

Based on reading the introductory part to Dante (pp. 1826-1836 of NAWL, vol. B), answer the
following questions:

1. What is the most important significance of Dante’s The Divine Comedy in the history of Italian
literature and of Medieval literature in general?

Dante’s The Divine Comedy is one of the indisputably great works that has been created and
established important significance in the history of Italian literature an of Medieval literature in
general. It is organized with the precision and harmony of the great philosophical systems and the vast
Gothic cathedrals of it’s time. Particularly the central doctrines of Christianity, making it the
foundation text for European literary imagination. It also combines an incredible diversity of literary
styles, including lyric, satiric, biblical, and some unforgettable invective. The poem's bold intermixture
of realities, from the sublime to the horrible, is part of what makes it so contemporary.

2. What structural principles is Dante’s The Divine Comedy organized in?

The structural of Dante’s The Divine Comedy is very united and also organized. There are 3 parts or
canticles – the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso – which are of equal length. There are 33 cantos in
each canticle and in the Inferno has 34 cantos. Most of the time, cantos range from about 136 to
about 151 lines. Not only that, Dante created a verse known as terza rima which rhymes in the Italian
original according to the scheme aba bcb cdc and so on. In addition, since each line contains eleven
syllables, the total number of syllables in each tercet is thirty-three. Each canticle even ends with the
exact words for example stelle (stars), nine (the square of three). Dante's poem includes formal and
cosmological structure, but the poem is also organized to an ethical pattern.

3. Virgil’s Aeneid is considered to be an important influence on Dante’s The Divine Comedy. What
are similarities and differences between Dante’s The Divine Comedy and Virgil’s Aeneid?

- Both poets are known for their mastery of language and their ability to tell stories that are
grand and personal at the same time.
- Both Virgil and Dante had a strong attachment to their homeland, Italy, and their works reflect
this attachment. Virgil and Dante were not only great poets but also great friends. They shared a love
of literature and learning, and they admired each other's abilities. Dante draws on Virgil's depiction of
Hades from The Aeneid in his Divine Comedy, and there are parallels between the Inferno and Hades.

Boccaccio’s Decameron

1. What is the social situation which leads to the tale-telling game in Boccaccio’s Decameron?

When Boccaccio created the tale- telling game, the social at that time was effecting of the Bubonic
plague of 1348-50 on Florence. The effect of this unprecedented disaster was the destruction of both
the social fabric of the city and the moral restraints on individual behavior. Therefore, the tale- telling
game is a way alternative to the social and moral collapse of plague- stricken Florence and also to
lighten up the days and to give pleasure – the only positive thing that happens thin the crucial world.

2. What is the protagonist of the “First story of the first day” of Decameron? What is his main
character? What happens with him when he moves to live in Florence? What does he ask the
fellows to do for him when he is near to death?

- The protagonist of the “ First story of the first day” of Decameron is Ser Cepperello and is called Saint
Ciappelletto.

- He is a notary by profession who lives in France. Cepperello is a dishonest man. He is ashamed of

himself whenever his fake documents are proven honest and trustworthy. He takes great delight in
giving false testimony, he has no scruples about swearing falsely.

- When Ser Cepperello moved to Florence, he lived in a house with 2 Florentine brothers. As the same
as Cepparello, these two brothers is also a trickster in their own business. The two brothers promptly
summoned doctors and servants to attend to him and provided him with everything he needed to
recover his health. But all of their help was in vain because Ser Ciappelletto's doctors reported that he
was getting worse by the day as if he had a fatal illness.

- When the protagonist is near his death, he orders his companions to bring him the holiest and most
able friar they can find and to leave everything to him.

3. What is the protagonist’s last sin he confesses to the friar? What appellation is the

protagonist called after his death?

The protagonist’s last sin he confesses to the friar is “when I was a little boy, I cursed my mother”.
After his death, the appellation the protagonist called is Saint Ciappelletto.
Niccolò Machiavelli

1. According to Machiavelli, what points of princes should be praised and criticized?

According to Machiavelli, princes should be praised for learning how to be not good, and to use that
ability or not as is required. Prince should be criticized if not avoid getting a bad name because he is
given to those vices that will deprive him of his position. “ To wit, one man is thought liberal, another
stingy; one is thought open-handed, another grasping; one cruel, the other compassionate; one is a
breaker of faith, the other reliable; one is effeminate and cowardly, the other vigorous and spirited;
one is philanthropic, the other egotistic; one is lascivious, the other chaste; one is straight-forward, the
other crafty; one hard, the other easy to deal with; one is firm, the other unsettled; one is religious,
the other unbelieving; and so on” ( Chapter 15- p.2524).

=> Courage, compassion, faith, craftiness, and generosity are among the qualities praised. Cowardice,
cruelty, obstinacy, and miserliness are commonly critized.

2. What is the relationship between liberality and parsimony according to Machiavelli? In chapter
16, what purpose does the author mention Julius Caesar for?

- According to Machiaveli, the relationship between liberality and parsimony is opposite. Liberality can
bring damage to the prince if he does not wisely use it. Parsimony only brings a bad name if a prince
shows this side of his to the public. If a prince imposes undue financial obligations on his subjects, they
will learn to despise him and resent his bad judgment. As a result, a wise prince will “not mind being
considered a miser”. His parsimony will be recognized as charity in the end, because it relieves the
people of the weight of excessive taxation.

- In chapter 16, the author mentions Julius Caesar, which is an example of generosity. successful
leaders have come to power and sustained their rule by virtue of their generosity, such as Caesar.
Julius Caesar takes the liberal way, using the fortunes of others to fund his army. He demonstrates his
parsimony and liberality by paying for all he requires to be a prince with a fortune that did not belong
to him.

3. According to Machiavelli, how should a prince use cruelty and pity?

According to Machiavelli, a prince should pity their people to show that he is the one who is worth
dedicating to. If a prince is overly compassionate and fails to adequately punish disloyal subjects, he
creates an atmosphere of disorder, as his subjects are free to do whatever they want, even murder or
acts of plunder. He also has to be cruel to make sure he can keep his army powerful, united, and ready
for every fight.