About Dante (1265-1321)

2. About Dante (1265-1321) • Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321, Italian poet, author of The Divine Comedy. A Florentine patrician, he fought on the side of the Guelphs but later supported the imperial party. In 1290, after the death of his exalted Beatrice (Beatrice Portinari, 1266-90), he plunged into the study of philosophy and Provençal poetry. Politically active in Florence from 1295, he was banished in 1302 and became a citizen of all Italy, dying in Ravenna. • The Divine Comedy, a vernacular poem in 100 cantos (more than 14,000 lines), was composed in exile. It is the tale of the poet's journey through Hell and Purgatory (guided by Vergil) and through Heaven (guided by Beatrice, to whom the poem is a memorial.)Written in a complex pentameter form, terza rima, it is a magnificent synthesis of the medieval outlook, picturing a changeless universe ordered by God. Through it Dante established Tuscan as the literary language of Italy and gave rise to a vast literature. His works also include La vita nuova (c.1292), a collection of prose and lyrics celebrating Beatrice and ideal love; treatises on language and politics; eclogues; and epistles.

3. Literary Terms to Know Allegory – a literary work with two levels of meaning – the literal and the symbolic. • Every detail, character, and plot point has an equivalent symbolic meaning For example, an allegory in which a rowboat floating down a river symbolizes the journey of life might have these symbolic equivalents: - rowboat = person - water = flow of time - two oars = hard work and persistence - rudder = love or guidance

4. The Divine Comedy is a complex allegory in which a literal journey symbolizes a man’s struggle for redemption. As you read, try to identify the allegorical meanings of the places and the characters Dante encounters.

5. Connecting Literary Elements Imagery – the use of language that appeals to one or more of the five senses and creates mental pictures for the reader. Dante uses imagery to make the allegorical world of his poem seem tangible and real, helping the reader feel the ideas. As you read, notice language that appeals to the senses and creates powerful word pictures in your mind.

6. Vocabulary for Canto I and III Flounders (v.) – struggles to move Tremulous (adj.) – quivering; shaking Zeal (n.) – ardor; fervor Putrid (adj.) – rotten; stinking Despicable (adj.) – deserving to be despised; contemptible Lamentation (n.) – weeping; wailing Scorn (v.) – reject Reprimand (n.) – a severe or formal rebuke

7. Vocabulary Dante Alighieri – An Italian poet who lived from 1265-1321, considered one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages. Inferno – Literally, intense heat; also used to refer to a place with the characteristics of hell. Moral Redemption – The capacity to transcend one’s own limitations and reach a new level of self-knowledge. **According to Dante, the road to moral redemption can be reached only after confronting evil in the world and in one’s self.

8. Nine Circles of Hell – The designation of different kinds of sins beginning with sins of weakness, moving down to sins of malice, followed by sins of fraud and disloyalty, and finally descending to sins of betrayal and pride. Virgil – A poet who lived in ancient Rome between 70 and 19 B.C., considered one of the great poets of world literature.

9. Connecting to the Literature Imagine a movie that begins with a lone man lost in a dark forest. Suddenly, a leopard and a lion leap from the shadows, baring their fangs. The man runs, only to come face to face with a vicious wolf. This selection opens with just the same scene and contains all the drama of a Hollywood film.