Dante

Who Was Dante?

Dante Alighieri was a renowned Italian poet and moral philosopher, celebrated primarily for his epic poem The Divine Comedy. This monumental work is structured into three parts that represent the Christian afterlife: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Considered a cornerstone of medieval literature, The Divine Comedy is widely regarded as the greatest literary achievement in the Italian language, presenting a philosophical Christian perspective on humanity’s eternal fate. Dante’s influence on the development of modern Italian is profound, and his literary contributions continue to resonate well beyond his death in 1321.

Early Years

Born in 1265 into a family intricately linked with the complex political landscape of Florence, Dante’s early experiences would later inform the themes found in Inferno, one of the sections of The Divine Comedy. His mother passed away when he was very young, and at approximately 12 years old, it was arranged for him to marry Gemma Donati, the daughter of a family friend. Although the marriage took place around 1285, Dante was deeply in love with another woman, Beatrice Portinari. This unrequited love would significantly influence Dante’s life and work, culminating in her pivotal role in The Divine Comedy. Dante met Beatrice when she was just nine years old, experiencing what he described as love at first sight. Their relationship, characterized by a “courtly” admiration from a distance, remained largely unfulfilled until her untimely death in 1290. In 1295, Dante published Vita Nuova (The New Life), a collection of verses that chronicled his tragic affection for Beatrice. Notably, this work was written in Italian, a significant departure from the predominant Latin of the era.

Following Beatrice’s death, Dante delved deeply into philosophy and the turbulent political dynamics of Florence. During this time, the city was rife with conflict between factions aligned with the papacy and those representing the empire. Dante held several prominent public positions but faced a dramatic shift in his fortunes in 1302 when he was exiled for life by the ruling Black Guelph faction, which included Corso Donati, a distant relative of his wife. This faction had allied with Pope Boniface VIII, whose presence, along with other notable figures from Florentine politics, features prominently in Dante’s depiction of Hell.

Exile

Dante’s exile marked the beginning of a prolific period in his artistic career. During this time, he traveled extensively and began to conceptualize The Divine Comedy, withdrawing from political life. In 1304, he traveled to Bologna, where he commenced work on his unfinished Latin treatise, De Vulgari Eloquentia (The Eloquent Vernacular). In this work, Dante advocated for the enrichment of Italian vernacular—traditionally used for romantic literature—by incorporating elements from various regional dialects, thereby elevating Italian to a legitimate literary language. His vision aimed to foster unity among the fragmented Italian territories.

In March 1306, a wave of expulsions affected Florentine exiles in Bologna, leading Dante to Padua. However, his exact movements during the following years remain uncertain, with reports suggesting he may have visited Paris between 1307 and 1309, although this cannot be confirmed.

In 1308, Henry of Luxembourg was elected as Holy Roman Emperor, igniting hope in Dante for a potential restoration of peace in Italy. He composed his treatise De Monarchia, which argues that imperial authority derives directly from God, independent of papal influence. Nevertheless, Henry’s popularity waned swiftly, and political opposition grew stronger, leading Dante to critique the Florentine government. This action resulted in his inclusion on a list of individuals permanently banned from Florence. It was during this turbulent period that he began writing his magnum opus, The Divine Comedy.

The Divine Comedy

In the spring of 1312, Dante Alighieri appeared to have joined fellow exiles in meeting the newly appointed emperor, Henry VII, in Pisa, who was officially recognized as Holy Roman Emperor that same year. However, the specifics of Dante’s whereabouts during this period remain uncertain. By 1314, he had completed Inferno, the initial segment of The Divine Comedy, which is set in Hell. By 1317, Dante had settled in Ravenna, where he finalized The Divine Comedy shortly before his death in 1321.

The Divine Comedy serves as an allegorical exploration of human existence, depicted as a visionary journey through the Christian afterlife. Written as a cautionary tale for a corrupt society, the poem aims “to remove those living in this life from the state of misery and lead them to the state of felicity.” The narrative unfolds in the first person, chronicling Dante’s journey through the three realms of the dead in Christian theology: Hell, Purgatory, and ultimately Heaven. The Roman poet Virgil guides Dante through Hell (Inferno) and Purgatory (Purgatorio), while Beatrice leads him through Heaven (Paradiso). The journey spans from the night preceding Good Friday to the Wednesday after Easter in the spring of 1300, occurring before Dante’s actual exile from Florence, which significantly influences the themes and undercurrents of his narrative.

The structure of the afterlife consists of a systematic arrangement of nine stages, culminating in a paramount tenth: nine circles of Hell, followed by Lucifer’s level at the bottom; nine rings of Purgatory, with the Garden of Eden at its apex; and the nine celestial spheres of Heaven, culminating in the Empyrean, the highest stage where God resides.

Composed of 100 cantos written in terza rima—a poetic form Dante innovatively adapted—The Divine Comedy incorporates the divine number three in each section. Throughout the poem, Virgil leads Dante through a vivid array of sinners, each confined to specific circles based on their transgressions. Dante’s imaginative portrayal of the punishing landscapes is particularly striking. For instance, in the ninth circle, designated for the treacherous, souls are encased in ice, eternally gnawing on one another, having been forsaken from redemption. In this final circle, Dante encounters Satan, who is trapped in ice, weeping from six eyes while devouring Judas, Cassius, and Brutus—whom Dante regards as the archetypal traitors.

As the narrative transitions to Purgatorio, Virgil accompanies Dante on a rigorous ascent of the Mount of Purgatory, navigating through seven levels that represent the seven deadly sins, ultimately reaching the earthly paradise at the summit. This segment symbolizes the Christian journey, emphasizing Dante’s struggle to forsake the earthly paradise he perceives for the heavenly one that awaits him.

In Paradiso, Beatrice, embodying divine enlightenment, guides Dante through the nine levels of Heaven, illustrated as distinct celestial spheres, ultimately leading to true paradise: the Empyrean, where God resides. Along the way, Dante encounters eminent figures of intellect, faith, justice, and love, including Thomas Aquinas and King Solomon, as well as his own great-great-grandfather. The journey culminates with Dante’s vision of God, portrayed as three concentric circles symbolizing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, marking a moment of profound spiritual and heroic fulfillment.

Legacy

Dante’s Divine Comedy has endured for over 650 years, recognized as a cornerstone of literary achievement since Giovanni Boccaccio authored a biography of Dante in 1373. By the year 1400, at least 12 commentaries had already been penned, examining the poem’s meaning and significance. Today, it stands as a foundational work in the Western canon. T.S. Eliot, a poet profoundly influenced by Dante, placed him in a literary echelon alongside only one other modern poet, Shakespeare, remarking that they “divide the modern world between them. There is no third.”