Dante Alighieri's Influence on Italian Culture Essay examples

Who is Dante? He was a man that had a desire to find the truths of heaven and earth even from a very young age; his goal was to understand the three worlds in his mind of hell, purgatory and paradise so that he could find the true everlasting happiness. In Dante’s age there was not really a separation between church and state. “Dante 's philosophical view was also a political view. In Dante 's time, there were two major political factions, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Originally, the Ghibellines represented the medieval aristocracy, which wished to retain the power of the Holy Roman Emperor in Italy, as well as in other parts of Europe. The Ghibellines fought hard in this struggle for the nobility to retain its feudal powers over the land and the people in contrast, the Guelphs, of which Dante was a member, were mainly supported by the rising middle class, represented by rich merchants, bankers, and new landowners. The enemy was politically, philosophically, and theologically wrong — and thus a Heretic” He was a supporter of the papacy which was a direct opposition to the Holy Roman Emperor, therefore putting himself in danger of his beliefs.

In Dante’s Inferno, Dante (the poet) targets the balance of power between the papacy and empire. The imbalance between the two is at fault of the papacy, according to Dante, which is understood to be due to the great refusal. With the great refusal, the papacy was able to fulfill its greed for power which ultimately resulted in Dante’s exile. However, unlike other poets and other influential individuals of his time, specifically Thomas Aquinas, Dante took the next step to show how all these sins came together to contribute to social disorder. Dante’s divine comedy infiltrates the corruption in the church and its contribution to the political instability in Florence and even all of Italy (which was not unified) at the time. Dante explores the

More commonly known as Dante, Inferno, The Divine Comedy: Inferno is a telling of Dante the pilgrim’s journey though the many rings of Hell by Dante Alighieri. At the time of its creation the poem carried a lot of weight by using nearly all of the prominent figures of the time to establish the dos and don’ts of Christianity. For example, when Dante’s journey begins he finds himself in the circle of the lustful where he lays his eyes on many recognizable figures that even those of us today can recognize, those such as; Dido, Helen of Troy, and Achilles. The story very carefully exaggerates the cardinal sin of these people in a way that clearly lines out how it lead to their doom, a brilliant teaching tool for new Christians. However, this

Dante’s years of exile were years of difficult peregrinations from one place to another—as he himself repeatedly says, most effectively in Paradiso [XVII], in Cacciaguida’s moving lamentation that “bitter is the taste of another man’s bread and . . . heavy the way up and down another man’s stair.” Throughout his exile Dante nevertheless was sustained by work on his great poem. The Divine Comedy was possibly begun prior to 1308 and completed just before his death in 1321, but the exact dates are uncertain. In addition, in his final years Dante was received honourably in many noble houses in the north of Italy, most notably by Guido Novello da Polenta, the nephew of the remarkable Francesca, in Ravenna. There at his death Dante was given an honourable

Dante was a man with a vision. He lived in a world that was “Torn by discord” (Limentani,117). Born in 1265, Dante’s Florence was the center of a war ravaged Italy. He became involved in politics at a young age and before too long became a White Guelph, one who supported the Papacy in the fight against invading Germanic kings. 1301 was a tragic year because it marked the beginning of the Black Guelph regime and saw Dante exiled from his home town forever. These experiences made Dante quickly realize that this world is corrupt to the core. “Greed for material things is the main fault, greed which is allowed to dictate the actions of men. Only a cessation of strife, the establishment of universal peace can ensure the happiness of mankind and allow men to pursue the ultimate aim for which God has destined them on earth, that of exercising constantly and to the full their distinctive quality, the ‘Virtus Intellective’ (virtuous intellect)” (Limentani,117). He believed that all life on this earth has a purpose and meaning to it. This can be seen in the Inferno because during the long trek through Hell Dante does almost nothing but work to arrive a Paradise, the heavenly end to all those lacking wickedness. He traveled far trying to make his life purposeful by working his way up to Heaven.

Dante Alighieri was a major Italian poet of the Late Middle Ages, he was born into a family with a complex involvement in the Florence political scene. In the Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Inferno, Dante, the protagonist, witnesses the Circles of Hell, guided by Virgil the character representing Human Reason. Alighieri shows compassion towards different sinners in Hell, which provides an insight on the way he feels about people who do not repent. Although they are illustrated as good people by the poet, they are punished within the different circles of Hell because they did not cleanse themselves of sin. Through the uses of diction, actions of Dante and Virgil, and imagery, Alighieri was able to show readers he felt compassion towards Farinata Degli Uberti, Pier Delle Vigne, and Count Ugliono.

Dante Alighieri was an italian poet and philosopher who is known worldwide for his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, which details Dante's journey through purgatory, hell, and paradise or heaven. The Comedy represents the christian idea of fate, and the soul's journey towards god, and is widely considered the greatest piece of literature ever composed in the italian language. He wrote several other great works, including Convivio (The Banquet), La Vita Nuova (The New Life), and De Vulgari Eloquentia (on the eloquence of vernacular). He is widely considered the father of the italian language, and many have likened Dante’s literary achievements to those of Shakespeare.

Coming from the Dante's Divine comedy, one of the three canticles in which is mainly the most famous one and perhaps the one with the most meaning behind it. It perfectly explains so much about the era and time that Dante lived in and perhaps even some of his background can be felt and seen during the whole story itself. From a Florencia decent, especially in the middle age civilization, some of his hate or perhaps just cultural feelings of dislike towards some of the Greek, warriors and even top religious figures can be seen and understand the reason why he placed them in one of the nine parts of hell in his story.

Born and raised in Florence during periods of political instability and fragmentation, Dante Alighieri, a devoted White Guelph and poet, became very familiar with the conflicts rising between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines––and between the Blacks and Whites. When the Blacks eventually overpowered the Whites, Alighieri was exiled and wrote The Inferno, in which he directly described the politics of his life and pressed on the topics of sin, treachery, and loyalty, while mentioning specific Florentine people he respected and others who, he felt, were deserving of harsh punishments because of their actions throughout their lives. In this epic poem, Alighieri writes himself as the main protagonist, Dante, in describing his journey through the nine circles of Hell, while meeting several sinners and witnessing their tormenting punishments along the way. When Dante encounters both loyal and traitorous Florentines, Alighieri uses diction, imagery, and actions to express compassion to three Sodomites––Jacopo Rusticucci, Guido Guerra, and Tegghiaio Aldobrandi––and Farinata Degli Uberti, and hostility to Bocca Degli Abati, revealing that Alighieri’s amount of sympathy and malevolence towards the sinners depended on their loyalty or betrayal to Florence.

In Dante’s Inferno, the relationship between Dante the Pilgrim and Virgil the Guide is an ever-evolving one. By analyzing the transformation of this relationship as the two sojourn through the circles of hell, one is able to learn more about the mindset of Dante the Poet.  At the outset, Dante is clearly subservient to Virgil, whom he holds in high esteem for his literary genius. However, as the work progresses, Virgil facilitates Dante’s spiritual enlightenment, so that by the end, Dante has ascended to Virgil’s spiritual level and has in many respects surpassed him. In Dante’s journey with respect to Virgil, one can see

With his writing style and the implementation of some literature firsts, Dante assured his name in history. His mastery of language, his sensitivity to the sights and sounds of nature, and his infinite store of information allow him to capture and draw the reader into the realm of the terrestrial Hell. His vast store of knowledge of Greek mythology and the history of his society assists Dante in the

Dante's `Divine Comedy', the account of his journey through hell, purgatory and heaven is one of the worlds great poems, and a prime example of a most splendidly realized integration of life with art. More than being merely great poetry, or a chronicle of contemporary events, which it also is, the `Comedy' is a study of human nature by a man quite experienced with it. The main argument I will make in this essay is that Dante's `Comedy' is chiefly a work of historical significance because in it lies the essence of human life across all boundaries of time and place. I feel that such a reading is justified, nay invited, by Dante himself when he says;

Dante was a poet in Italy in the 13th century and the events in Dante's life shape Dante's Inferno. There were political problems in Florence, Italy, and there were two groups, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines.

The Divine Comedy is considered the greatest work of Dante. The author worked on it for many years and inserted all his internal and external experience in it. He called this poem a comedy meaning its middle style and a happy ending. The Divine Comedy is written in the genre of vision which was highly popular in medieval literature. In this genre, authors described people walking through torments. Dante modified greatly this genre, adding the whole universe to the abyss of Hell. Moreover, he goes personally through all the circles of the otherworldly place where he to his surprise comprehends such entities as truth, love, and beauty. The Divine Comedy is infused with the theme of love, which is especially noticeable when Dante enters Heaven and meets his beloved.

Throughout the Middle Ages, art and philosophy has been lost in darkness, but with the reintroduction of ideas that came with the Renaissance in Italy, brought about a literary revival. One of the writers that influenced this revival is Dante Alighieri, a 13th century poet from Florence, Italy. His world famous epic, La Commedia, or more commonly known as The Divine Comedy remains a poetic masterpiece depicting truth and sin. The Divine Comedy, through the journey into the three hells, expresses a universal truth of good versus evil. Alighieri’s life of heartbreak with the influences of other famous poets like Homer and Virgil has affected his writing style, and through reviews by literary experts and their interpretation of Alighieri’s