DIVINE By: Dante

Alighieri
COMEDY
THE AUTHOR
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) remains Italy's greatest poet. He was born in the city
of Florence, in the region of Tuscany, Italy in the spring of 1265. He was betrothed
in marriage to Gemma Donati and they were blessed with five children. . He wrote
La Commedia, the Divine Comedy, from 1308 to 1320, completing the work the
year before he died.
The Divine Comedy is one of literature's boldest undertakings, as Dante takes us
through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and then reaches Heaven
(Paradiso), where he is permitted to partake of the Beatific Vision. Dante's journey
serves as an allegory of the progress of the individual soul toward God. The work
is arranged in 100 cantos in 3 parts, 34 for the Inferno, 33 each for Purgatorio and
Paradiso. The work is written in groups of 3 lines, or tercets, reminiscent of the
Trinity. While Dante was critical of the Catholic Church as an institution, his
writings remained faithful to his schooling by the Dominicans, where he learned
the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274).
 The first part:

INFERNO

"Abandon all hope ye who enter here."

At the age of thirty-five, on the night of Good Friday
in the year 1300, Dante finds himself lost in a dark
wood and full of fear. He sees a sun-drenched
mountain in the distance, and he tries to climb it, but
three beasts, a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf, stand in
his way. Dante is forced to return to the forest where
he meets the spirit of Virgil, who promises to lead him
on a journey through Hell so that he may be able to
enter Paradise. Dante agrees to the journey and
follows Virgil through the gates of Hell.
The two poets enter the vestibule of Hell where the souls of the
uncommitted are tormented by biting insects and damned to chase
a blank banner around for eternity. The poets reach the banks of the
river Acheron where souls await passage into Hell proper.

(1) LIMBO
The ferryman, Charon, reluctantly agrees to take the poets across
the river to Limbo, the first circle of Hell, where Virgil
permanently resides. In Limbo, the poets stop to speak with other
great poets, Homer, Ovid, Horace, and Lucan, and then enter a
great citadel where philosophers reside. This circle contains
virtuous pagans who were not sinful but were ignorant of Christ.
(2) LUST
Dante and Virgil enter Hell proper, the second circle,
where monster, Minos, sits in judgment of all of the
damned, and sends them to the proper circle according to
their sin. Here, Dante meets Paolo and Francesca, the
two unfaithful lovers buffeted about in a windy storm.
(3) GLUTTONS
The poets move on to the third circle, the Gluttons,
who are guarded by the monster Cerberus. These
sinners spend eternity wallowing in mud and mire,
and here Dante recognizes a Florentine, Ciacco, who
gives Dante the first of many negative prophesies
about him and Florence.
(4) AVARICE
Upon entering the fourth circle, Dante and Virgil encounter the
Hoarders and the Wasters, who spend eternity rolling giant boulders
at one another.

(5) ANGER
They move to the fifth circle, the marsh comprising the river Styx,
where Dante is accosted by a Florentine, Filippo Argenti; he is
amongst the Wrathful that fight and battle one another in the mire of
the Styx.
(6) HERETICS
The city of Dis begins Circle VI, the realm of the violent.
The poets enter and find themselves in Circle VI, realm of
the Heretics, who reside among the thousands in burning
tombs. They were the ones who contradicted the doctrine
and confused the spirit of Christ Dante stops to speak with
two sinners, Farinata degli Uberti, Dante's Ghibelline
enemy, and Cavalcante dei Cavalcanti, father of Dante's
poet friend, Guido.
(7) VIOLENCE
The poets then begin descending through a deep valley. Here, they meet
the Minotaur and see a river of boiling blood, the Phlegethon, where
those violent against their neighbors, tyrants, and war-makers reside,
each in a depth according to their sin.
Virgil arranges for the Centaur, Nessus, to take them across the river
into the second round of circle seven, the Suicides. Here Dante speaks
with the soul of Pier delle Vigne and learns his sad tale.
In the third round of Circle VII, a desert wasteland awash in a rain of
burning snowflakes, Dante recognizes and speaks with Capaneus, a
famous blasphemer. He also speaks to his beloved advisor and scholar,
Brunetto Latini. This is the round held for the Blasphemers, Sodomites,
and the Usurers.
(8) MALICE - FRAUD
The poets then enter Circle VIII, which contains ten chasms,
or ditches. The first chasm houses the Panderers and the
Seducers who spend eternity lashed by whips. The second
chasm houses the Flatterers, who reside in a channel of
excrement. The third chasm houses the Simonists, who are
plunged upside-down in baptismal fonts with the soles of their
feet on fire. Dante speaks with Pope Nicholas, who mistakes
him for Pope Boniface. In the fourth chasm, Dante sees the
Fortune Tellers and Diviners, who spend eternity with their
heads on backwards and their eyes clouded by tears.
At the fifth chasm, the poets see the sinners of Graft plunged deeply
into a river of boiling pitch and slashed at by demons.
At the sixth chasm, the poets encounter the Hypocrites, mainly
religious men damned to walk endlessly in a circle wearing
glittering leaden robes. The chief sinner here, Caiaphas, is crucified
on the ground, and all of the other sinners must step on him to pass.
Two Jovial friars tell the poets the way to the seventh ditch, where
the Thieves have their hands cut off and spend eternity among vipers
that transform them into serpents by biting them. They, in turn, must
bite another sinner to take back a human form.
At the eighth chasm Dante sees many flames that conceal the souls
of the Evil Counselors. Dante speaks to Ulysses, who gives him an
account of his death.
At the ninth chasm, the poets see a mass of horribly mutilated
bodies. They were the sowers of discord, such as Mahomet. They
are walking in a circle. By the time they come around the circle,
their wounds knit, only to be opened again and again. They arrive
at the tenth chasm the Falsifiers. Here they see the sinners afflicted
with terrible plagues, some unable to move, some picking scabs
off of one another.
They arrive at the ninth circle. It is comprised of a giant frozen
lake, Cocytus, in which the sinners are stuck. Dante believes that
he sees towers in the distance, which turn out to be the Giants. One
of the Giants, Antaeus, takes the poets on his palm and gently
places them at the bottom of the well.
(9) MALICE-TREACHERY
Circle IX is composed of four rounds, each housing sinners,
according to the severity of their sin. In the first round,
Caina, the sinners are frozen up to their necks in ice.
In the second round, Antenora, the sinners are frozen closer
to their heads. Here, Dante accidentally kicks a traitor in the
head, and when the traitor will not tell him his name, Dante
treats him savagely. Dante hears the terrible story of Count
Ugolino, who is gnawing the head and neck of Archbishop
Ruggieri, due to Ruggieri's treacherous treatment of him in
the upper world.
In the third round, Ptolomea, where the Traitors to Guests
reside, Dante speaks with a soul who begs him to take the
ice visors, formed from tears, out of his eyes. Dante
promises to do so, but after hearing his story refuses.
The fourth round of Circle IX, and the very final pit of
Hell, Judecca, houses the Traitors to Their Masters, who
are completely covered and fixed in the ice, and Satan,
who is fixed waist deep in the ice and has three heads,
each of which is chewing a traitor: Judas, Brutus, and
Cassius.
(10) SATAN’S SIDE

The poets climb Satan's side, passing the center of

gravity, and find themselves at the edge of the river
Lethe, ready to make the long journey to the upper
world. They enter the upper world just before dawn
on Easter Sunday, and they see the stars overhead.
Each sinner is subjected to a punishment that is
synonymous with his or her sin — or else the
antithesis of that sin.
The second part:
PURGATORIO
Souls that are repentant of their sins against God
and man go to Purgatory and become free of
temptation, and know that they will eventually be
with God. Purgatory is a Mountain with seven
ledges or cornices, one for each of the seven deadly
sins (pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and
lust). The renunciation of sin occurs in Purgatory, as
one begins his ascent to Purity by practicing virtue.
The two travelers find themselves on the island of Mount Purgatory at
the dawn of a new day. On the shores of the island, Dante and Virgil
watch a boat arrive. Guided by an angel, the boat shuttles a new batch
of penitent souls to Purgatory. Like these souls, Dante is about to climb
Mount Purgatory.
(1) ANTE-PURGATORY
Before beginning to scale the mountain, Dante and Virgil must first
pass through ante-Purgatory. They meet a variety of souls, most of
whom are shocked to see that Dante casts a shadow, showing that he's
alive. Along their travels they pass though the First Spur of the Indolent
and the Second Spur of the Late-Repentants. They travel to the Valley
of the Rulers and meet a bunch of deceased kings. In the valley, a
serpent appears at dusk, only to be driven away by two angels.
The penitent souls are unable to travel in Purgatory at night,
so, although Virgil is in a hurry, he and Dante rest until
morning. Dante sleeps and dreams about an eagle abducting
him. When he wakes up, he finds himself at the entrance to
Purgatory proper. Virgil informs him that St. Lucia came
while he slept and carried him to the gate to Purgatory. They
climb the three steps to the gate, and the angel guarding the
entrance carves seven P’s into Dante’s forehead.
Now in Purgatory proper, Dante and Virgil have seven
terraces to pass through, each of which corresponds to one
of the seven deadly sins.
(2) PRIDEFUL
On the first terrace of the Prideful, Dante and Virgil
observe in the wall of the cliff sculptures representing
humility. They come across the Prideful penitents, who are
being punished for their sin of pride by carrying massive
weights on their backs. The penitents are permanently
hunched over, and Dante takes on their bent position in
order to speak with them. Dante remains in this position
through the entire first terrace, identifying with the
Prideful, until they reach the exit, where an angel erases
one P from Dante’s forehead.
(3) ENVIOUS
Dante and Virgil climb to the second terrace of the
Envious. Voices there call out examples of fraternal
love. They witness the Envious penitents being
punished by having their eyelids sewn shut with iron
wire. Voices call out examples of punished envy.
Dante and Virgil exit the second terrace, and another
angel removes a P from Dante's forehead.
(4) WRATHFUL
Now in the third terrace of the Wrathful, Dante has a
vision containing examples of gentleness. Black
smoke, the punishment of the Wrathful, envelops
them, rendering them blind. In the smoke, they meet
a man named Marco Lombardo, who discourses on
free will and political corruption. Dante and Virgil
meet the angel who removes the third P from Dante’s
forehead.
(5) SLOTHFUL
As they travel to the fourth terrace of the Slothful,
Virgil explains how love determines the structure of
Purgatory. He continues to lecture on love and free
will. The Slothful penitents, meanwhile, shout
examples of zeal and show that their punishment is to
run without rest. Dante has a nightmare about a Siren,
but the next morning, they exit the terrace and an
angel removes Dante’s fourth P.
(6) AVARICIOUS AND PRODIGAL
Dante and Virgil ascend to the fifth terrace of the
Avaricious and Prodigal, where they witness the
penitents' punishment: lying stretched face down on
the ground and bound by hand and foot. The
penitents shout examples of poverty and generosity.
Suddenly, Mount Purgatory trembles. We learn that
this happens every time a penitent soul becomes
completely purged and ready to ascend to Heaven. An
epic poet named Statius joins Dante and Virgil. He
turns out to be a big fan of Virgil; and he is also the
purged soul for whom the mountain trembled. The trio
meets an angel who erases Dante’s fifth P.
(7) GLUTTONOUS
On the sixth terrace of the Gluttonous, they encounter a
strange tree. A disembodied voice cites examples of
temperance. They encounter a man named Forese
Donati, who explains the punishment of the Gluttonous
as agonizing thirst and hunger through Fasting and
Abstinence. He points out the poet Bonagiunta da
Lucca, who chats with Dante about poetry. At the exit
of the sixth terrace, an angel removes Dante’s sixth P.
(8) LUSTFUL
Dante, Virgil, and Statius climb to the seventh terrace of the
Lustful. Reflecting on the thin penitents he encountered in
the terrace of the Gluttonous, Dante asks how souls can
grow lean if they don’t need food. Virgil cedes the floor to
Statius, who explains the generation of the soul and their
aerial bodies. Here among the Lustful, however, they
witness the punishment of the penitents, who walk in
flames. The Lustful shout examples of chastity.
Dante meets the poet Guido Guinizzelli, whom he
reveres, and also the poet Arnaut Daniel. At sunset,
the travelers reach the exit to the seventh terrace, and
an angel removes Dante’s final P. However, to leave
the terrace, Dante must first walk through a wall of
flames. He hesitates with fear, but Virgil lures him
through with the promise that he will see Beatrice on
the other side. Past the fire, Dante sleeps. In the
morning, Virgil announces Dante’s readiness for the
Earthly Paradise.
(9) EARTHLY PARADISE
In the Earthly Paradise, Dante meets a woman named Matilda,
who explains the origins of wind and water in the forest of the
Earthy Paradise. At the banks of the river Lethe, an
extraordinary procession passes by, halting before Dante.
Virgil disappears, to Dante’s distress, but Beatrice appears.
Beatrice, however, rebukes Dante for crying over Virgil’s
disappearance. She continues accusing him of his sins and
faults. Dante confesses to his sins, then passes out from the
sight of Beatrice’s beauty. Matilda immerses the unconscious
Dante in the waters of the Lethe and he wakes up. The
procession proceeds to the Tree of Knowledge, where Dante
falls asleep.
When he wakes, Beatrice charges him with a mission: to
observe and write down everything he sees here for use in
his poetry when he goes back to earth. Dante witnesses the
procession's chariot attacked by an eagle, a fox, the eagle
again, and a dragon. Then the chariot turns into a whore,
courted by a giant. Beatrice prophesies God’s vengeance on
the dragon, whore, and giant.
At the closing of Purgatorio, Matilda leads Dante to the
river Eunoe, and immerses him in the water. He is now
ready to ascend to Heaven, with Statius and Beatrice as his
guides.
The last part:
PARADISO
Paradiso is Dante's imaginative conception of
Heaven. The more one loves on earth, the closer
in Heaven one is to God, who is All-Love.
(1) MOON
The moon containins the inconstant, whose vows to
God waned as the moon and thus lack fortitude.
(2) MERCURY
It containins the ambitious, who were virtuous for
glory and thus lacked justice.
(3) VENUS
It contains the lovers, whose love was directed towards
another than God and thus lacked Temperance.
(4) SUN
It containins the prudent, whose wisdom lighted the
way for the other virtues, to which the others are
bound (constituting a category on its own).
(5) MARS
It contains the men of fortitude who died in the cause
of Christianity.
(6) JUPITER
It contains the kings of Justice.
(7) SATURN
It contains the temperate, the monks who abided by the
contemplative lifestyle.
(8)
The eighth sphere of the fixed stars contains those who achieved
the theological virtues of faith, hope and love, and represent the
Church Triumphant – the total perfection of humanity, cleansed
of all the sins and carrying all the virtues of heaven
(9) PRIMUM MOBILE
The ninth circle, or Primum Mobile (corresponding to the
Geocentricism of Medieval astronomy), which contains
the angels, creatures never poisoned by original sin.

(10) EMPYREAN
Topping them all is the Empyrean, which contains the
essence of God, completing the 9-fold division to 10.
Dante meets and converses with several great saints of the
Church, including Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Saint
Peter, and St. John. The Divine Comedy finishes with
Dante seeing the Triune God. In a flash of understanding
that he cannot express, Dante finally understands the
mystery of Christ's divinity and humanity, and his soul
becomes aligned with God's love.