Dante's Divine Comedy

Dante’s Divine Comedy

In the early fourteenth century, Dante Alighieri wrote his masterpiece. “The poem is a narrative of a journey down through Hell, up the mountain of Purgatory, and through the revolving heavens into the presence of God (Cary, 4)”. The Divine Comedy is viewed as a poem of grandeur that defies any classification (Critical Survey, 1230). The poem was so named because Dante wrote it in Italian, the “vulgar” language. Also because the poem begins in despair and ends in pure bliss (Witt 325). The Divine Comedy was written to express Dante’s interest in human nature and individual dilemmas. On the whole it is a Christian poem that builds on all aspects of life and points toward the wonder and awe of God. To further express his views, Dante relied heavily on numbers that become apparent symbols throughout the poem. The poem summarizes his theology, philosophy, and life (Kuiper). Throughout the Divine Comedy, Dante uses number symbolism and vivid...