Category Archives: Assignments for next class

Status Classifications Based On Light

In Canto 1 of Paradiso, Dante classifies light as a hierarchical attribute that administers order in the universe. Dante defines light as “The glory of Him who moves all things penetrates through the universe and shines forth in one place and less elsewhere.” (Canto 1, lines 1-3). Dante perceives light as a manifestation of God’s glory. Dante implies that the unequal distribution of light in the universe is responsible for the nature of Paradiso, Purgatorio, and Inferno. Dante deliberately used the world “penetrate” to point out the physical limitations that explain why some domains receive more sunlight than the other. For example, Paradiso is closest the heavens hence it “receives most of his light.” (Canto 1, line 4). Purgatorio is further away from heaven hence, it receives comparatively less sunlight. Since the inferno is at the core of the earth, light can’t penetrate the surface and hence the inferno receives no sunlight. The degree of light that each place receives classifies the domains based on how close the souls are to God physically and spiritually.

Dante uses light imagery to display his new status among the ranks of souls. Dante claims that in heaven “our intellect goes so deep, that the memory cannot follow it.” (Canto 1, line 7-8). Light provides individuals with clarity which enhances their intellect. Dante claims that “The lantern of the world rises to mortals to divers outlets,” (Canto 1, lines 37-38). Even though the “lantern” is a metaphor for the sun,  the light in a “lantern” is small and eventually extinguishes. Dante implies that mortals can only comprehend  a fraction of God’s grandeur and his inner-workings of the world before they die. Dante deliberately uses the word “divers outlets” to further reiterate that the condemned human civilization  can only experience God’s presence through small outlets. Comparatively, Dante narrates that “I fixed my eyes on the sun beyond our wont.” (Canto 1, line 54). Unlike the other mortals who have to avert their gaze when they look at the sun from a far distance, Dante directly looks at the sun up-close in heaven with Beatrice. Dante subtly distinguishes his status from the rest of the mortals because he can see the full sun hence, he knows more about God’s inner-workings than the rest of the universe. It also implies that he’s closer to God than the rest of the mortals. Moreover, by watching the sun with Beatrice, he puts himself on the same level as her. Though, Dante attempts to humble his character by claiming that “I did not endure it long, yet not so little that I did not see it emitting sparks all around,” (Canto 1, lines 58-59). The phrase is an oxymoron because while he admits to his mortality in comparison to Beatrice who continues to look on, he also claims that he saw it long enough to comprehend its nature that’s unknown to most mortals. Hence, he says that he is a mortal however, he claims to know more than the average mortals, revealing his inner desire to transcend his own mortality.

Dante wants to become a part of the light because he wants to be a savior for the world. Dante appeals to Apollo to make him “a vessel of your [his] power.” (Canto 1, line 14). Apollo is the Greek God of sun and light. He rides the chariot across the sky to make day. Dante wants to be a vessel for God’s light and this reflects his desire to be a savior for this world. He believes that humans have strayed from God’s path, hence, he communicates his journey in the epic to metaphorically bring God’s light back into people’s lives. He also states that “O divine power, if you lend so much of yourself to me that I make manifest the shadow of the blessed kingdom that is stamped within my head” (Canto 1, lines 22-24). He deliberately uses the word “shadow” because only light can create shadows. He wants God to bestow him with enough knowledge about Paradiso that he can communicate that information with the world, hence be a “shadow” of the heavenly kingdom. When he sees the sun, he also claims that “And as a second ray will spring forth from a first, mounting upward like a pilgrim that wishes to return home.” (Canto 1, 49-51). Dante uses a simile to compare the light to a “pilgrim” however, Dante is the pilgrim on this journey, hence he’s comparing himself to the light. While the word “home” is ambiguous, it can have 2 meanings. The ray is “mounting upward” and since heaven is both upward and the origin of the rays, it can mean that the rays want to return to heaven. This can reflect Dante’s desire to be a part of heaven and God’s glory. However, it can also mean that Dante wants to return to Earth as a ray of God’s light. In this sense, his desire to be Apollo’s “vessel”, the “shadow” of heaven’s Kingdom, and the  “second ray,” show that he wants to return to Earth with information about the divine world that he can communicate with his people so that they can mend their ways while they still have time.

 

Dante’s Inferno vs The Harrowing of Hell

Azka Irfan

The Christian Doctrine “The Harrowing of Hell” has countless literary adaptations that attempt to make the theology linguistically and culturally accessible in a rapidly modernizing society. The “Harrowing of Hell” describes the Christian belief that Christ descended into Hell before he resurrected in order to save all the righteous souls that existed before him. The Bible briefly mentions the event in St. Peter scriptures however, the event is more vividly described in the Gospel of Nicodemus which postdates the Bible. “Dante’s Inferno” by the Italian poet Dante Allighieri is a 14th Century epic that draws on the Christian doctrine to emphasize the importance of the Christian faith in redeeming the condemned souls in limbo. Likewise, the “Harrowing of Hell” by Dr. Jeff S. Dailey and the American Theatre of Actors is a play primarily based on translated medieval texts that narrate the events leading upto and including the Harrowing of Hell. The play is composed of 4 components: the 14th century medieval play “The Fall of the Angels”, the 20th century poem “The Soliloquy of Satan” by African American poet Eliot Blaine Henderson,  a reading from the Gospel of Nicodemus, and the 13th century poem “The Harrowing of Hell.” Dr. Dailey simplifies the Old English in medieval texts while preserving its authenticity and intended message. The production modernizes the texts in order to convey the importance of Christ’s sacrifice. The poem of “Dante’s Inferno” and the theatre production of the “Harrowing of Hell” both acknowledge that Christ descends to hell to save almost the same souls however, the epic portrays Lucifer as a submissive monster however, the play depicts Lucifer as a grieving angel that transforms into a vengeful monster that controls the mechanisms of hell.

The epic “Dante’s Inferno” establishes Christ’s descent into hell through the physical destruction and presence of love in the inferno.When Dante and Virgil are traveling to the first circle of hell, Virgil notes that the cliff was still intact when he visited hell the last time. He states, “on every this deep, foul valley trembled so that I thought the universe must be feeling love, by which, some believe, / the world has often been turned into Chaos…” (Canto 12, lines 40-42). The Gospel of Matthew states that an earthquake coincided with Christ’s crucifixion. Virgil personifies the “foul valley” trembling to symbolize that earthquake which devastated the inferno during Christ’s death. Virgil mirrors the violent nature of Christ’s death with the violent destruction of the inferno, to show that the inferno only changed when Christ died. He further elaborates on the metaphorical changes in the world and the inferno in terms of the presence and absence of love. The break in the verse “the universe must be feeling love” and “the world has often been turned into chaos” parallels the first time that hell is experiencing love since its creation with the world losing its ability to experience love again. The phrase the “universe must be feeling love” is specifically referring to Christ’s descent into hell. God structured hell in such a manner that the sinners can’t experience love. Thus, the only figure that can exude love in a loveless place is God himself because he’s the one who made the inferno incapable of hosting such emotions in the first place. The verse “the world has often been turned into chaos” specifically refers to the absence of love in the world in the aftermath of Christ’s death. The verse is placed after the clause referring to Christ’s descent into hell to show that Christ’s death took away the love and order that governed the earthly world, hence causing it to spiral into chaos. Virgil establishes Christ’s descent to the inferno following his death on Earth by setting up a parallel between the presence of love in the inferno with the lack of love in the Earthly world.

The theatre production “The Harrowing of Hell” establishes Christ’s descent into hell by relating his death to the promise of salvation and eternal life for all those that believe in him. The 13th century poem “The Harrowing of Hell” narrates “He was born for us,/ In this world, in poverty; / In this world he died,/ To deliver us from the evil one.” (Halliwell – Phillipps, lines 33-36). The verse “In this world, in poverty;” the “world” refers to the earthly world because “poverty” is a vice that is exclusive to the materialistic world. Heaven, purgatory, and hell don’t have poverty because the souls aren’t defined by their economic status but by their virtues in those domains. The 3rd verse “In this world he died,” also refers to the earthly world because only the living can experience death, souls cannot die. The 4th verse states “To deliver us from the evil one,” however the “us” does not refer to the living souls but to the virtuous souls trapped in the inferno and the “evil one” refers to Lucifer. Christ’s birth and death all occurred in the earthly world however the souls that are being saved are in the inferno. The narrator cleverly showcases that even though Christ was born on Earth and guided the humans to live a more virtuous life, his purpose was not only to offer a path to redemption to all the living souls but to also save the repentant and virtuous souls that already died. The poem narrates “When Jesus had shed his blood/ For us, upon the cross,/ In his divinity he proceeded/ Toward the gates of hell.” (Halliwell – Phillipps, line 37-40). The bible states that “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Thus, when Christ bled on the cross, he offered humans a path towards forgiveness and salvation. God warned Adam and Eve that if they consume the apple “you [they] will surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17), the death refers to a physical and spiritual death. When Adam and Eve consumed the apple, they condemned all of mankind to this absolute death. However, when Christ died on the cross, he was the perfect sacrifice that promised eternal life to all those that believed in him. The bible states “He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” (Colossians 1:22). His sacrificed cleansed mankind of its sins and offered them a path to redemption, salvation, and eternal life. However, the souls in the inferno that died before him are also bought by his sacrifice. Hence, the play showcases that Christ’s blood on the cross saved the souls in the inferno.

Christ outside the Gates of Dis

The epic  “Dante’s inferno” shows that Christ saved the almost the same souls as the ones in the play because they had faith in him.  In the inferno, Virgil claims that “But certainly, if I remembered well, a little before he came who took the city from Dis the great spoils of the highest circle,” (Canto 12, line 36 – 37). The souls are not allowed to leave the inferno because their punishment is eternal. The “he” pronoun refers to Christ and the “great spoils of the highest circle” refers to Adam and Eve who formerly resided in the Earthly Paradise before their disobedience led to their placement in the inferno. The text implies that Christ saved Adam and Eve from limbo. Virgil also narrates that “I was still in this condition, when I saw a powerful one come, crowned with a sign of victory./ He led forth from here the shade of our first parent, of Abel his son, and that of Noah and Moses, lawgiver and obedient,/ Abraham and the patriarch and David the King, Israel with his father, and his children, and Raechel for whom he did so much,/ and many others, and he made them blessed.” (Canto 4, lines 51-60) Virgil is referring to Christ when he says “the powerful one” because the phrase  “crowned” with victory is a play on the thorn crown that Christ wore when he died. The verse “the shade of our first parent” refers to Adam and Eve who are the parents of all mankind. The other figures including Noah, Moses, Abraham, David the King, Israel, Raechel and others are the ones that were virtuous in their life and had faith in Christ, thus, they were granted salvation. In the South Atlantic Review, the article “Dear life redeems you”: The Winter’s Tale and the Harrowing of Hell” by Christina Romanelli states that “Looking at The Winter’s Tale through the lens of the Harrowing of Hell shows how this play is an argument against the skepticism that leads to secularization. Both a doctrine and narrative tradition, the Harrowing of Hell serves as a nexus of religious, magical, and scientific discourses that explains how Christ defeated Satan in Hell.” (Romanelli).  The Harrowing of Hell has many adaptations however many famous writers including Shakespeare claimed that since the Harrowing of Hell is absent from the bible, Christ never descended into hell and came to the “conclusion that the one God did not exist.”(Romanelli). However Romanelli argues that the intention of the medieval play is to have faith. She even claims that “I argue that this tradition offers a model of identification with Christ that empowers early modern subjects to combat negative forces in their lives” (Romanelli).  The souls in the inferno knew that they were eternally condemned because of the inherent sin of Adam and Eve yet they still believed that Christ would come to save them despite their suffering in hell. Romanelli argues that the novel allows society to modernize but it still teaches them to have faith in their hardships and turmoils.

The play the “Harrowing of Hell” shows that Christ saved some of the same souls mentioned in the inferno because they had faith in him however, the play leaves out some of the ones that Dante mentions. In the play, Christ walks in a white robe with a thorn crown to Adam and Eve. He claims “Adam, I have given my life,/ For thee and for Eve thy wife./ Thinkest thou I died for nought?/ By my death was mankind bought.” (Halliwell – Phillipps, lines 179-182). In the play, Adam and Eve beg God to take them away from “this hateful place [hell]” (Halliwell – Phillipps, lines 177). Christ asks Adam and Eve the rhetorical question “Thinkest thou I died for nought?” which translates into “Do you think I died for nothing?” Christ states to Adam and Eve that “I have my life” to you and “bought” mankind because Adam and Eve’s condemnation was inherited by their children. However, when Christ died, he not only offered mankind the opportunity to salvation but he also freed the souls that still believed in him including Adam and Eve despite their initial disobedience. In another exchange, Abraham says to Christ that God told him “Should a child be born;/ who would rescue us from pain,-/ Me and with me all mine.” (Halliwell – Phillipps, lines 186-188). The child refers to “Christ” as he is considered the son of God and a physical manifestation of his grace. The “us” that Abraham is referring to are the souls trapped in the inferno with him including King David, John the Saint, and Moses that still believed in God. “Dante’s Inferno” mentioned many more souls that were saved that the play did not mention such as Abel, Noah, Israel with his family, and Raechel. However, the play also mentioned St. John which “Dante’s Inferno” did not mention. In the Journal of English and Germanic philology, the article “The Performance of Power in Medieval English households: the Case of the Harrowing of Hell” by Ingrid Nelson states that “Adam, Eve, and the patriarchs (Abraham, David, John the Baptist, and Moses) then speak to Christ in turn, and he releases each of them from Hell.” (Nelson). He confirms that all medieval texts mention these souls explicitly however, there is an “improvisational spirit among scribes, who adapted the framing material to fit its material context.” Since Dante’s inferno is written after the integration of the Harrowing of Hell in biblical readings, he might’ve included more souls. Despite this disparity, in “Dante’s Inferno,” Virgil states that there were others that were “blessed” and in the play “The Harrowing of Hell,” Abraham mentions “us” ambiguously. Thus, there is the possibility that there are other souls in both adaptations which could’ve been the same but were not specified. Nevertheless, both adaptations show that Christ saved most of the same souls because they had had faith in him.

Christ with Adam and Eve

Christ with Abraham

 

 

In Dante’s inferno, Lucifer is portrayed as a submissive creature that is physically integral to the mechanisms of the inferno. Dante describes Lucifer as the “The emperor of the dolores Kingdom issued from the ice at the mid-point of his breast;” (Canto 34, lines 28-29). The “emperor” refers to Lucifer and he rules over a “dolores” or sorrowful Kingdom. The “ice at the midpoint of his breast” holds Lucifer in place so that he’s immobile. However, Lucifer is a King “issued from” this ice to show that Lucifer is the “emperor” not because he has a choice but because the ice holds him in place and integrates him into the structure of the inferno. He’s an emperor because he’s stuck in the inferno. Dante further describes that he had “three faces on his head”(Canto 34, lines 37)  and “beneath each one came out two great wings, such as befitted so great a bird:” (Canto 34, lines 45). The deliberate simile that Lucifer’s wings resemble a bird’s is ironic because a bird can fly however Lucifer despite having wings is unable to. This emphasizes that even though Lucifer is a giant with multi-heads and wings, he’s incapacitated and rendered helpless because he “lifted his brow against his maker.” (Canto 34, lines 34). Dante further elaborates that Lucifer was “fanning them, so that three winds went out from under him:/ by them Cocytus was frozen.” (Canto 34, lines 48- 52). When a bird wants to fly, it fans it wings out before it takes flight. Likewise, Lucifer is fanning his wings out but he’s can’t fly. Instead, the wings produce a wind that further freezes hell and incapacitates him further. The theme that this Lucifer is in this position through fault of his own is reiterated in this canto. Lucifer defied God thus he was punished for his rebellion. Likewise, he’s stuck in the inferno because he keeps on fanning his wings which further freezes him. Dante narrates “with six eyes he was weeping, and down three chins dripped the tears and the bloody slobber.” (Canto 34, line 52). Usually, the depiction of multiple heads means that a person is unfaithful or has ulterior motives but all 3 of Lucifer’s faces are “weeping” to show that he genuinely feels repentance, pain, and sorrow in all of his being. The “bloody slobber” is traveling down his chin because he’s chewing on Judas, Cassius, and Brutus. There is a parallel between Lucifer’s betrayal of God and the sinners that betrayed their loyalties. Judas betrayed Jesus when he called him a “rabbi” whereas Brutus and Cassius betrayed Julius Caesar which inevitably led to the fall of the Roman Republic. The epic portrays Lucifer as a submissive, repentant creature that is eternally punished for his betrayal of God.

The play “The Harrowing of Hell” depicts Lucifer as initially repentant fallen angel that transforms into a vengeful creature that wants to possess all human souls under his domain. In the “Soliloquy of Satan,” Lucifer is surrounded by darkness and his shrieks are resonating on stage. He’s crying “Fool! Hast thou been, proud Lucifer!/ To God thou shall yet bend in tears,/ Brought to the gravity of thy fate/ Clothed in the mantle of dire fears.” (Henderson, pg 9). Despite his hatred for humankind, he’s suffering the same problems as humans. Humans “bend” and pray for God’s forgiveness, likewise he’s also “bending” and asking God for forgiveness. Humans have to worry about their “fate” because its not in their control. Before Christ’s harrowing of hell, Adam and Eve’s sin condemned all humankind to the same fate of death. However, Lucifer also has to worry about his “fate” because part of God’s punishment is that he’s destined to suffer in the inferno for eternity. Moreover, humans wear clothes because they’re aware of their sexuality. Likewise, when Lucifer was cast from the heavens, his clothe burned with him and he became aware of the gruesomeness of his own body, thus he wears clothes. Humans also experience “fear” because they’re uncertain about their survival, likewise, Lucifer is also experiencing “fear” because he’s uncertain whether any former remnants of his glorious self will survive in hell. In many ways, Lucifer has been reduced to the same status of the humans that he despises. Lucifer implores to the heavens “Could my entreaty move thy will,/ For reinstatement ‘ round Thy Throne,/ Gladly would I flee to thee,/ Where dwell the glories of thy own.” (Henderson pg 9). Even though Lucifer desires his former place in the heavens around “Thy [God’s] Throne,” he says “could my entreaty move thy will” depicting uncertainty on his own faith and God’s ability to forgive. The condemned souls knew their fate and still chose to believe in God, hence they received salvation. However Lucifer hypothesized that God would never forgive him without even trying. He eventually concludes that “For every tear that I have shed,/ For every plea struck from my tongue,/ Summon! Thy most destructive powers,/ Let souls from Earth this hour be flung.” Lucifer’s pride makes him ashamed that he even pleaded with God thus, he calls upon his “most destructive powers” or the former angels that turned into demons. He commands them to “flung” the souls from Earth into the inferno. For every “tear” and “plea” that God made him cry because he didn’t respect humans, he wants a human soul thrown into the inferno so that it can also suffer under his mandate. He claims that the “law of Lucifer” (Henderson, pg 15) states that “Well might’st thy try to remove God’s throne,/ As try to touch this heart of stone!” (Henderson,  pg 15). He dares that someone might as well attempt to dethrone God than appeal to his heart. He claims that he is just as immovable as God once against making the fault of equalizing himself with God and sealing his fateful doom.

Lucifer bending towards God in the Soliloquy of Satan

 

Lucifer torturing the souls

Both the epic “Dante’s inferno” and the play “The Harrowing of Hell” emphasize the importance of having faith in Christ as the ultimate path to salvation. However, the epic and the play depict Lucifer differently to fit their themes. The epic portrays Lucifer as a submissive creature to show that God is the true divine force that controls all of the domains including the inferno. However, the play shows Lucifer as this developed and internally broken antagonist to exaggerate the effect of the suspenseful confrontation between Christ and Lucifer. This conforms to the traditional portrayal of Christ as this hero like figure that prevails over the eternally vengeful Lucifer who holds much of mankind in his captivity.

 

Bibliography

Allen, Thomas Powers. A Critical Edition of the English Gospel of Nicodemus. 1968.

Alighieri, Dante, et al. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. Oxford University Press, 2013.

“1. The Barkers’ Play: The Fall of the Angels.” York Pageant 1: The Barkers’ Play, groups.chass.utoronto.ca/plspls/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/York01.html.

Halliwell-Phillipps, J. O. The Harrowing of Hell, a Miracle-Play Written in the Reign of Edward the Second, Now First Published from the Original Manuscript in the British Museum, with an Introduction, Translation, and Notes, by James Orchard Halliwell .. John Russell Smith, 1840.

HENDERSON, ELLIOTT BLAINE. SOLILOQUY OF SATAN: and Other Poems (Classic Reprint). FORGOTTEN Books, 2015.

Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments: King James Version. American Bible Society, 2010.

Romanelli, Christina. “‘Dear life redeems you’: The Winter’s Tale and the Harrowing of Hell.” South Atlantic Review, vol. 81, no. 1, 2016, p. 8+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A450903880/AONE?u=cuny_hunter&sid=AONE&xid=f3389777.

Vol. 112, No. 1, January 2013 of The Journal of English …www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/jenglgermphil.112.1.issue-1.

 

Reflection Post-2

Truthfully, these past few weeks has been informative. With the knowledge that I’ve learned, I feel as though my mind is ready to tackle these texts. There is so much to learn from the Divine Comedy. Sadly, the few weeks of classes were not enough to fully experience the whole journey with Dante. Now my time and energy is on focusing my final paper. I feel confident in translating my ideas and thoughts about the text into paper.

I’ve remembered all those past posts and those nights where I had no idea how to interpret or even understand the reading. Yet somehow, I managed. All these observations and theories from our class discussion has help me better understand Dante’s intention. My most memorable post was when we were assigned to analyze paintings and statues in the MET. What was most striking for me was the statue Ugolino and his sons. I know the symbolic meaning behind his sons grabbing his legs in concern for his well being, but Ugolino’s face is menacing and haunting. It feels like it is looming over you, judging you for actions you aren’t aware of. Anyways, I was spellbound by his enraged face. I look forward to find more art that incorporates fear and rage. Which is great, for this is the kind of theme i’m working on for my final paper.

Pride and Position

Dante watches as the prideful purge themselves, Title: Proud Penitents (Oderisi da Gubbio), Illustration by Gustave Doré, Source: Danteworlds (UTexas) (Galleries of Purgatory (Terrace of Pride))

As Dante and Virgil continue to voyage through purgatory they find themselves on the first terrace in canto 10. Each of the seven terraces symbolize the seven capital vices, of which the travelers encounter the prideful souls. Dante, as the author, purposefully creates parallels between cantos of the same number in purgatory and inferno. As an example, upon entrance in both the sixth circle of heresy and the terrace of pride, not a single soul is visible in sight. The reason for this could possibly be that the arrogance with which the souls carry themselves push them to believe that any visitors that come their way aren’t worthy of seeing who they are immediately nor are the visitors worthy of knowing who they are. While this may not be true for all the souls of the sixth circle, the behavior of the souls that Dante does get to meet indicate otherwise. As for purgatory, the reason for this has to do with the contrapasso of the punishments of the prideful. Each of the souls are forced to look at the ground because of the tremendously heavy stones weighing them down on their spines. This is an opposition to the overly-confident attitudes that the souls have in their living days where their attitudes kept their heads up high during every encounter. The punishment allows them to understand the negative traits they possess and how one cannot spend eternity as someone who treats others as though they are below them. The simultaneous pounding of their chests reflects the process of the purging of the souls into better versions of who they used to be giving them an element of sincerity that lacks in the souls of inferno.

Meanwhile, the sinners of canto 10 in inferno have mainly committed heresy but one character, known as Farinata, shows evidence of pride and arrogance. Dante narrates, “I had already fixed my eyes in his; and he was/ rising up with his breast and forehead as if he had/ Hell in great disdain,” (34-37, 173, Inferno). The focus on his breast and forehead symbolize the importance of courage. Farinata keeps his head held high, which forces Dante to look up to him while they’re conversing as he stands at the base of Farinata’s tomb. This, consequently, creates a hierarchy between the two characters putting Farinata above Dante. As Farinata rises from his tomb in a prideful and arrogant manner, he maintains a calm and collected demeanor despite the circumstances he finds himself in. His pride is further emphasized when Dante proclaims, “…as if he had Hell in great disdain. (34-35, 157, Inferno). The superior tone, in sharp contrast to the souls of purgatory, implies an attitude of superiority that lacks in the atmosphere, itself, of purgatory. Farinata acts as though he is above the afflictions of Hell and cannot be bothered to concern himself with the sufferings that surround him. Furthermore, his bearing implies a concern with social status which is emphasized when he asks Dante if he comes from the opposing political faction of Guelphs. Such attitudes aren’t present either at Dante’s first encounter with the prideful, despite their vices, because if they behave in such a manner, which counters the will of God and his reasoning for placing the souls in either inferno, purgatory or paradise, then the purging souls would not be where they are now in the first place.

The social statuses, however, that Farinata preoccupies himself with are understandable because, the deeper one delves into inferno, the rougher, harsher and more terrifying the souls’ punishments become. Perhaps, he is attempting to prove to Dante that although he is in the sixth circle of Hell, he is worth much more than what God deems him to be, who consequently places him in this petrifying circle. When it comes to purgatory, the higher one climbs the levels of purgatory, the closer they come to the entrance of paradise and all the goodness and light it contains. This signifies that even though the prideful souls are in the first terrace and as a result, aren’t as close to paradise as the rest of the souls, their purging is considered worth the journey. Their social statuses, unlike the souls of inferno, are temporary and are subject to transforming into a brighter and more peaceful eternity as opposed to the devastating and never ending torments of inferno.

Assignment 1 Canto 5

https://library.artstor.org/#/asset/SS35197_35197_19446895

Pinelli, Bartolomeo (Italian sculptor, painter, and printmaker, 1781-1835)

This is a image of Dante fainting after listening to the bitter love story of Francesca.

When Dante and Virgil enter the second Hell they are met with a raging tempest, “The infernal whirlwind, which never rests, drives the spirits before its violence; turning and striking, it tortures them. ” (31-33). The sinners of the second hell are those that fell victim to their own lust and weak will and are thus punished by losing control of their bodies like they have when they succumbed to their sins. The whirlwind is intense throwing bodies back and forth to the wails of occupants “Now the grief-stricken note begin to make themselves heard; now i have come where much weeping assails me” (25-27). Dante listens as Virgil starts to point out those in the storm slowly giving him bits of their respective history. Dante, prompted by Virgil, calls out to a couple and listens to their bitter tale of love. Overwhelmed with pity for Francesca and Paolo he falls over and faints after their tragic story is finished.

Assignment 1 – Canto 1

 

http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/prologue.html

I found these images using the resources under the “Resources” tab on the site. The image is a collation of multiple works of art by Suloni Robertson. I believe this image stuck out to me the most because it displays a clear and vivid image of how Dante perceives his first journey into the dark wood.

As i was reading canto 1, I thought that he had encountered 3 actual beats, those being the lion, she-wolf, and leopard but I’ve come to the conclusions that these “beasts” are reflections of Dante’s own Fraud(Leopard), violence(Lion), and disordered appetite(she-wolf). the allegory behind this canto is very important towards understanding Dante as a poet. He introduces Virgil who in Inferno is his guide since Dante himself is a pilgrim. From lines 79-84 of Canto 1, you can tell how much respect Dante has towards and how wise Dante expresses Virgil to be “O honor and light of the other poets, let my long study and great love avail me, that has caused me to search through your volume.(81-83)”. Virgil explains to Dante that he will guide him through the path of hell so that he doesn’t fall into any traps while on the way to purgatory (line 134).

Post 1: Canto 1

Image Creator: Botticelli, Sandro (c.1480-c.1495)

Source: The World Of Dante [ http://www.worldofdante.org/pop_up_query.php?dbid=I002&show=more ]

I came across this image in the Wrold of Dante link provided in the resoruces section of this site. The image portrays Dante and Virgil in the dark wood amongst the three beasts.  This section of the text along side this image spoke to me because they portray the medieval dream sequence trope so powerfully. The text stating, “I came to myself in a dark wood, for the straight way was lost” (1-2), introduces the reader to the medieval physicality of dreams/visions, which are also represented in texts such as the vita of Christina the astonishing and the vision of the monk of Eynsham. Another aspect besides the physicality of medieval dream/vision iterature is the notion of the dream guide. Lines 112 to 114 of Canto 1 depict Virgil offering his servaces as Dante’s guide through “an eternal place” (114), which is also depicted in the texts listed above of a guide taking the dreamer through the etherial landscape of their visions, which is typically hell and/or purgatory.

Also these lines introduces the reader to the medieval tropic imagery of the wood, which serves as a signifier of a mystical and allegorical venture in the wake of the characters. Examples of this trope can be found in Aurthruian romances and other courtly romances such as Eric and Enide. The image by Sandro Botticelli (c.1445-1510) represents the mystical and the allegorical dispositon of this text. The wood being the place where Dante encountered the three beasts who are allegroies of the three separations of hell appitite, violence and fraud; this is also where he encounters the dead Roman poet Virgil who will guide him, thus the mystical and allegorcal nature of the wood. Botticelli depicts the encounters sequentially and the wood surrounding the encounters, this is typical of late medieval/rennaisance art where all the events of a particular scene are represented in one image and , like in the literature the image reprsents, the wood serves as the signifier of the surreal in the image. The wood indicates that the image being represnted is a dreamscape.

“To do before class #2”

http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/prologue.html

This image was found from the databases provided, I first scanned the list and clicked on the Danteworlds (UTexas) I then clicked on the Inferno circle/ image provided and then I clicked on the tab “Dark Wood” and this painting is from is from Canto 1. The artist is Gustave Doré and this painting is called “The Leopard.” The database to me seems like it’s a research website that was produced from other websites and other networks. I don’t believe it’s in the public domain. This image refers to lines “And almost where the hillside starts to rise— look there!—a leopard, very quick and lithe, a leopard covered with a spotted hide.”

This image clearly shows and demonstrates the lines above because it’s Dante’s encounter with the leopard. He is looking at the leopard but his head is titled downwards in the image therefore he seems to be on a small hill surrounded by rocks. It seems in the image as if Dante has one leg lifted and another leg down therefore it seems to me how he may be trying to step forward, however, the leopard seems to be trying to lure its way forward trying to get closer to Dante and out of fear Dante is hesitating to move forward.

To do before class 2

Read canto 1-5 (even though I said 1-6, we’ll have plenty to discuss already with 5!).

Take the plagiarism quiz under Tutorials.

Write your first post by Feb. 4:

  • Find one image in the databases under resources that refer to canto 1 or 2 or 5.
  • Write a post including the image (try to understand if it’s in the public domain) or a link to the website.
  • Include: the name of the artist and work of art. The verses it refers to if you can locate them. A small description. Say how you found it.
  • Your post should look like a narration. Don’t give just the information.
  • You can also engage with the text if you feel like. This is mandatory starting next week, but your first post is to become familiar with this tool.