The Divine Comedy
(Dante Alighieri)
What is hell like; Where do we go when we die; What is it like. These are the questions we all ask ourselves because we all know that someday, we too, will experience the inevitable: death. Dante answers these questions with his vivid descriptions of the after life. He sheds light on all of our innermost fears and beliefs; he paints an image that will burn through our mind forever.
Born in Florence around May or June of 1265, he was a poet that studied both philosophy and theology. The bible, as well as the VI canto of Virgil's Aeneid were used as models for the Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is a journey through three kingdoms: Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Heaven (Paradiso). Dante gives us a mental as well as physical idea of what the souls are experiencing in the after life. Some are in extreme agony, others are hoping that their suffering will come to an end soon.
Dante himself, as well as his readers are warned throughout this journey that if one does not live a pure life, they will end up suffering in the after world. This is where they will end, in a world so hideous that not even flies will grace their presence in it. Dante himself can be seen as mankind. Once he suffers through the under world, we are given an image of heavenly bliss when he ascends to heaven. The descriptions are so beautiful that we too hope to end up there. Once the reader reaches heaven with Dante, they are reassured that this is where they want to be.
he comedy follows the rules of a morality play from the Middle Ages. Morality plays usually have a main character that is named after a vice such as "mankind," or "Jealously." The plays served religious roles in teaching people the consequences of bad behavior.
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