Myko Honczarenko

English 4 Regents

Period H

1/12/11

Dante's Divine Comedy is one of the most influential works of its time. This

epic poem, written by Dante Alighieri, was recorded during the last thirteen years of his

life. It contains three parts: Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. In each of these, Dante

narrates the travels of his alter ego, referred to as “the Pilgrim”, as he travels through hell,

purgatory and heaven. The poem is, literally, about “The state of souls after death”, as

Dante informs Can Grande Della Scala, his patron, in a letter. Written to direct the reader

in achieving a better understanding of their place in the universe and to prepare them for

their life after death, this work is truly one of the most prominent of its era. It moved

people of its time, religiously and philosophically, terrifying and intriguing to those who

flipped through its pages and made sense of all they read.

The Divine Comedy, a daring reflection on what Dante believed a life after death

existed as, was a poem few, if any, lacked an opinion in. “Both praised and hated, The

Divine Comedy, will always have a place in the great collections of poetry” –

associatedcontent.com. The poem was shocking; it dared to venture into a realm not

many had thought to go before, fascinating its readers with its gory images of hell,

challenging depiction of purgatory, and glorious heaven. Scaring many, hell was a place

the poem goes so far as to suggest the reader may end up, claiming, “The darkest places
in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis” (The

Divine Comedy). Is this not something many do, even today? This man had the audacity

to suggest that by merely being an innocent bystander, one my commit a crime so far

beyond a level of one who had gone out of their way to sin. In this quote, the poem does

not address on those who have killed as those who are placed in the darkest areas of hell,

it does not address anyone who had stolen or cheated or brought harm upon another, it

addresses the man who could have and yet did not stop these things from happening. And

so, as Dante and those who read and trusted his work believed, many men who had done

no outright wrong were to be placed in hell.

Dante’s work was influential also in its writing technique, a style and ideology

many have attempted to mimic time and time again. This man was singlehandedly, with

pen and paper, able to, “weave together pagan myth, literature, philosophy; Christian

theology and doctrine, physics, astrology, cartography, mathematics, literary theory,

history, and politics into a complex poem that a wide audience, not just the highly

educated, could read” –enotes.com. He shamelessly chose to write this poem in Italian,

his native language, instead of the language of the Church, State, and epic poetry of his

time, which was Latin. The impact of his choice was so great that his Tuscan dialect is

now what we recognize as modern Italian.

The Divine Comedy is eminent not only in how bold it is, but in the aspect of its

timelessness and relevance to all humankind. Nearly seven hundred years later, men and

women all over the world are able to read it and find meaning in its pages. Perhaps this is

because Dante Alighieri, although his poem was written in an era completely different

than today’s, wrote about concerns that continue to plague the mind of humankind, as
death and what comes after is something people have been unable to come to terms with

nor understand since the beginning of time. The poem answers questions that many

wrestle with: What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose in it? Is there an afterlife?

If so, how can I prepare for it? What is this afterlife like? Dante, although each reader

may interpret his answers to these questions differently, forces the reader to not only ask,

but also wonder how to answer them. It is through this thought that, “The reader in effect

experiences Dante's vigor, which is the essence of his succinct poetic powers” -

findarticles.com.

The Divine Comedy continues to play a large factor in the influence of modern

works today. A prime example of this is The Dante Club, a murder mystery containing a

group of scholars from Harvard University who assisted Henry Longfellow in completing

the original full-length American translation of Dante Alighieri’s epic work. In short, his

writing has affected not only the writing of the late Middle Ages, but even pieces

composed in the current era.

Dante’s epic poem, The Divine Comedy is one of the most prominent of its time,

continuing to influence writing into the twenty-first century. Through his bold portrayal,

his vivid descriptions and stunning ideas, he has frightened and fascinated his readers

since its completion shortly before Dante’s death in 1321.

Works Cited

"Dante's Divine Comedy in America. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines,

Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online

Library. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. <http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Dante's divine

comedy in America.-a0139587034>.

"Dante's Divine Comedy in America | Modern Age | Find Articles at BNET." Find

Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on

All Topics. Web. 12 Jan. 2011.

<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0354/is_3_47/ai_n15928611/>.

"The Divine Comedy Summary & Study Guide - Dante Alighieri - ENotes.com."

ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 12 Jan. 2011.

<http://www.enotes.com/divine-comedy>.

Galt, John. "The Effect of the Divine Comedy on Modern Literature." Associated

Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. Web. 12 Jan. 2011.

<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/390124/the_effect_of_the_divin

e_comedy_on.html?cat=38>.