The divine Comedy by Dante and The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din Attar are both examples of medieval literature. Though the two works were written by authors with very different belief systems and cultures they share multiple similarities. These similarities include: a focus on spiritual development, use of metaphorical ideas and circumstances as integral plot devices, and the presence of a guiding mentor throughout the narrative. However, there are many differences between the two works, such as the concepts of god, the stages of their journey, and the style of guidance afforded by their mentors. It is both the similarities and the differences which make these two works classics of the medieval period. Both of these works focus around a central element, religious belief and spiritual growth, this is the basis for the journeys both Dante and the birds undertake. It is the context of these journeys which is different, Dante undertakes his journey at the urging of Virgil and Beatrice in …show more content…
Dante encounters nine circles in his path through the Inferno, each one dedicated to a sin or group of sinners. In the Conference of the birds they must travel through seven valleys each one representative of a virtue a follower of god should possess. These experiences are similar in that they represent stages of spiritual growth within the narrative, and both serve as obstacles between the main characters and god, “ before we reach our goal[…] the journeys seven valleys lie ahead.” (ʻAṭṭār 180) Another way the valleys are similar to the circles of hell is that each valley is a trial, and includes some hardship which must be overcome. While the circles of hell are not trails, rather they are punishments, there are some parallels between the circles and the valleys. For example the second circle, and the valley of love, or the third circle and the valley of
The purpose of the pilgrim's journey through hell is to show, first hand, the divine justice of God and how Christian morality dictates how, and to what degree, sinners are punished. Also, the journey shows the significance of God's grace and how it affects not only the living, but the deceased as well. During his trip through hell, the character of Dante witnesses the true perfection of God's justice in that every sinner is punished in the same nature as their sins. For instance, the wrathful are to attack each other for all eternity and the soothsayers are forever to walk around with their heads on backwards. Furthermore, Dante discovers that hell is comprised of nine different circles containing
There are many similarities between Dante’s The Inferno and Virgil’s The Aeneid, be it their characterizations or descriptive imagery, but foremost in their ideas of what the afterlife consisted of. Each each epic hero in the works here have descended in to the depths of hell, with The Inferno depicting Dante’s descent into the depths of hell and with Virgil in Book VI of The Aeneid depicting Aeneas’s decent into hell. It can be argued that although different, the knowledge acquired by each character’s descent was equally important to accomplishing their greater tasks at the ends of their journey. Had their descent into hell been skipped their outcomes would have concluded in a different way because their voyages to Hell each played a crucial role in the advancing each narrative.
"Its shoulders glowed already with the sweet rays of that planet/ whose virtue leads men straight on every road,. (I 16-18) The Inferno is one-third of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. This fictional poem is a narrative. In the poem Alighieri made his own character symbolic to the Human soul and his idol, Virgil, symbolic to human reason. Together they journey through the Nine Circles of hell. Dante is able to complete his journey through hell because Virgil helps him through.
In the poem, The Divine Comedy, Dante (the author) demonstrates the basic stages of the Monomyth while making his way through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. His writing mirrors each stage which includes the departure or separation, The initiation or challenge, and the return. In stage one, the hero finds himself in an unusual world of adventure (not the “real world”). His journey involves assistance from many which helps him cross the threshold into the imaginative world. Stage two continues with the hero successfully meeting and defeating several challenges and roadblocks in his way. The last Monomyth stage contributes to the hero completing his journey successfully and finding his way back to the mundane world. This paper will demonstrate and define Dante’s journey to adventure, crisis, and victory using the three stages of the Monomyth in the poem.
In this section, Dante depicts hell as a downward decent through each ring. The structure portrays that hell gets darker the farther you are from heaven. Another example come from the Vestibule of hell. This passage shows how the coward angels were not treated the same as the rebel angels. The degrees of punishment based on the actions committed is a clear connection to the Great Chain of Beings structure.
In Dante’s Inferno, there are many important and reoccurring theme’s that are introduced into the story, which is something that both books have in common. In Inferno, the perfection of God’s justice is one of them. What happens to a soul in the mortal world, such as each sin it has committed, is transferred into the punishment received in hell. “Justice moved my high maker, in power divine, Wisdom supreme, love primal. No things were Before me not eternal; Eternal I remain.” It is believed that hell was made by justice, even if there is nothing but suffering inside and that all who enters should “Abandon all hope.” Man must first understand the foundations of sin before he can hope to climb the mountain of salvation, which is being blocked by three beasts in which represent pride, envy, and avarice. Only once he has taken his journey through hell will he be able to pass these beasts. The journey symbolizes man falling into sin before he is able to be forgiven for his sins and saved.
Dante’s inferno uses symbolism to represent different punishments and to categorize the different types of sins that humans have committed. One particular group of sin is called the lustful sins and can include actions such as adultery or incest. These lustful sins are represented by the mysterious She-wolf because a woman is known for her sexual disloyalty throughout all of the ancient times. As well as using animals to symbolize the sins, he also uses levels and circles of hell to display the severity of each sin. For example homosexuality is placed on the second circle, while its compared sodomy is placed far down below homosexuality in the bottom ring of the seventh circle.
The Inferno and Perceval contain epic heroes, both of which have similarities and differences to each other. First of all, these two epic heroes leave home. In the Inferno, Dante is taken from his home, and goes on a journey through
Dante, the pilgrim, is surprised by invitation to be among the most respected and noted poets in the World. He was not boastful and didn’t even pride of the experience. Instead, felt unworthy to join but remembered that it was an invitation by another classical
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
Jeovan Medina Professor Ohayon 04/14/15 Dante’s Inferno Literary poems and essays started booming during the twelfth centaury. From these great works we have Dante’s Divine comedy. In Dante’s comedy we have three parts that elaborate his journey through The Inferno, Pulgatorio, and lastly Paraiso. Dante’s portrayal of Hell in the Inferno is an undisputed masterpiece of visual and allegorical imagery, enriched not only by extensive use of figurative language, but by concrete physical descriptions as well. With his vivid and extensive imagery we will see Dante draws themes from biblical allusions, history sources, and classical.
Journeys can be taken many ways. Some people take the path less traveled and some people take the easy way out. Dante happens to be on journey that is less traveled, by exploring the depths of Hell in the Inferno. The epic poem’s story is about self-realization and transformation. It sees Dante over coming many things to realize he is a completely different person from the start of the Inferno journey. Dante sees many things that help him gain courage in order to prove to himself and the reader that accepting change and gaining courage can help one to grow as a person and realize their full potential. After seeing people going through certain punishment Dante realizes that he must not seek pity on himself and others in order to fully realize his true potential.
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
The beginning lines of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri indicate a pragmatic journey through the dark woods. It is soon evident that The Divine Comedy is in terms of an allegory. Midway through his life, Dante finds himself lost and in darkness. He is confused and unaware of how he has ended up in these dark woods. Dante soon comes across Italian poet Virgil, who will guide him through the Nine Circles of Hell. Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: Inferno portrays Dante’s life and adventure through Hell which allegorically represents a much broader subject: man’s journey through life to salvation.
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.