Reporters:

Banaybanay, Hannah J. Consigna, Laisa A.

Etom, Lea Jane V.

MASTERPIECES OF WORLD LITERATURE

ITALIAN LITERATURE

Italian Republic. Repubblica Italiana (Italian)

o Italy is a boot-shaped peninsula that juts out of southern Europe into the Adriatic Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea,
Mediterranean Sea, and other waters.

o Italian Flag : white for the snowy Alps and other mountain regions; green for the plains and the hills; and
red for the blood spilt in the Italian wars of independence.

o The capital city of Italy is Rome. Rome, Italian Roma, historic city and capital of Roma provincia (province),
of Lazio regione (region), and of the country of Italy. Rome is located in the central portion of the Italian
peninsula, on the Tiber River about 15 miles (24 km) in land from the Tyrrhenian Sea.

o Italy comprises some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on Earth and is often described as a country
shaped like a boot. At its broad top stand the Alps, which are among the world’s most rugged mountains.
Italy’s highest points are along Monte Rosa, which peaks in Switzerland, and along Mont Blanc, which
peaks in France.

o The name Italy (in Italian, Italia) evolved from variants of different names used in the ancient world as
early as 600 BC in what we know today as the Italian peninsula.

o Italian is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of
the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by
about 85 million people, Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, and Vatican City.

CULTURE/TRADITION, RELIGION, AND VALUES OF ITALY

CULTURE/TRADITION

Italian culture is the amalgamation of thousands of years of heritage and tradition, tracing its roots
back to the Ancient Roman Empire and beyond. Italian culture is steeped in the arts, family, architecture,
music and food. Home of the Roman Empire and its legendary figures such as Julius Caesar and Nero, it
was also a major center of the Renaissance and the birthplace of fascism under Benito Mussolini. Culture
on the Italian peninsula has flourished for centuries.
 Art and architecture

Italy has given rise to a number of architectural styles, including classical Roman, Renaissance, Baroque
and Neoclassical. Italy is home to some of the most famous structures in the world, including the
Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Italy is also home to many castles, such as the Valle d'Aosta Fort Bard, the Verrès Castle and the Ussel
[Link], Venice and Rome are home to many museums, but art can be viewed in churches and
public buildings. Most notable is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican, painted by Michelangelo
sometime between 1508 and 1512.

Italian traditions are mostly linked to religion, though a few pagan ones are also included in the Italian
Holiday Calendar. Moreover, each city and town has a local religious festivity. During celebrations the
patron Saint statue is carried by believers and taken from one church to another, on their shoulders,
during a folkloristic procession.

Celebrated holidays in Italy

o 6th of January – The Epiphany and Befana- a Catholic holiday marking the symbolic day of the three or
wise men.

o 2nd of June – Festa della Repubblica – marks the symbolic conclusion to the Unification of Italy in 1861
and the founding of the Republic.

o 15th of August – Ferragosto – this Catholic holiday marking the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into
heaven upon her death is more commonly felt by most Italians as carefree Ferragosto, the central
week of the August holiday.

o 8th of December L’immacolata Concenzione- is the traditional start of the Italian Christmas holiday
season, with the Catholic Festa dell’Immacolata Concezione bank holiday (celebrating the Catholic
belief that Mary was born free of sin).

o 26th of December- St. Stephen’s Day (Santo Stefano)- the final bank holiday of the year, Santo Stefano
is a saint’s holiday which allows for back-to-back free days.

Italian festivals

Carnevale

Italy is decorated with the great extravagance and splendor to commemorate the beginning of Lent (a period
in which Christians don’t indulge in revelry and also don’t consume meat) and Easter during the Carnevale.
This festival probably has its roots from the 12th century and Pagan Festival. In numerous towns of Italy,
parties, parades and masquerade balls are organized to keep the people entertained. While the balls may
become pricey for the tourists to attend, you can enjoy various street performances, concerts and boat
parades without paying any cost.

When: February/March

Where: Venice, Viareggio, Ivrea, and Cento

Game Of The Bridge

Interestingly having a violent history and root, the Game of the Bridge is a genteel festival of Italy
characterized by the competitive spirits of the participating teams of north and south of Arno River. A parade
of both north and south teams dressed in 18th-century clothing and armor reach the destination; push the
wooden trolley towards the opposite team’s territory to claim the ultimate ownership of the Ponte di Mezzo
bridge.

When: June

Where: Pisa

Easter Procession/Procession Of Mysteries

This is an Easter festivity in the fullest of uniqueness as celebrated with great fervor and dedication in Italy.
Being the longest-running procession in this country that lasts for approximately 24 hours, this festival is said
to be the representation of the eternal journey of Jesus Christ from his passion until death. The wooden
statues displayed during the procession is the depiction of the Mystery of Christ and are a piece-of-art to
describe the true ascent of that unique spirit.

When: April

Where: Sicily

Regatta

The naval prowess of Venice shines brightly during the Regatta Festival as the lagoons and canals in the city
get filled with gondolas and traditional rowing boats. Locals dressed in the period clothing of 1489 participate
in the boat and gondola processions. After that, four races take place between the participants. This Italian
festival is observed to honor the wife of King Cyprus- Caterina Cornaro.

When: September

Where: Venice

La Quintana

A procession consisting of the archers, flag throwers, drummers, musicians as well as locals dressed in the
period clothing parade the streets to mark the beginning of La Quintana Festival in Italy. Craft products and a
variety of food items are sold in the streets and the piazza of the country. Jousting competition among the
different neighborhoods is perhaps the major highlight of this festival.

When: August

Where: Ascoli Piceno

 How do you dress in Italy?

o The traditional Italian dress is generally characterized by colorful embroidered skirts and bodices over
lightweight chemises or blouses. Hair accessories and headwears are also very common, as well as
elaborate hats decorated with flowers or fruit.

o Appearance is a common significant denominator for Italians, as a matter of fact, how you dress can
point out your social status, your family’s background and your education level. Indeed, the concept
of “bella figura” (good impression) is of utter importance to Italians and it doesn’t only apply to the
way you dress but the way you talk and behave (manners!); that is why first impressions are long
lasting and difficult to change.

o Fashion is extremely present in Italian life, especially when it comes to designer labels. Italians are
obsessed with looking good and dressing well: they like to keep fit and go to the gym in winter to get
the perfect body ready for summer; it not unusual for men to follow diets given by nutritionists.

o Women always wear makeup and colour matching clothes and wouldn’t dream to go to the local
supermarket without being presentable. Keeping up the Italian style is so vital that it can cause Italians
with little or moderate financial means to struggle with debts or need to have their parents inject
money into their bank accounts irrespective of their age.

Here are some greetings you can use, together with the times when you can use them.

o From the morning up until past lunch, you can say Buongiorno (good morning), and to say good
evening you would say buonasera (good evening). Please note though that people may respond to
buonasera with buongiorno if it is early afternoon and there is plenty of day light.

o When introducing yourself, a firm handshake is expected as this indicates confidence, determination
and an interest in meeting the person in question. When leaving, arrivederci or arrivederla is used
instead of ciao. In an informal environment some Italians can kiss you on both cheeks regardless of the
gender when introducing themselves and it is also the greeting when meeting your friends.

RELIGION
o The dominant religion in Italy is Roman Catholicism; this is not surprising given that the Vatican City is
located in the heart of Rome and that it is the residence of the Pope. The Vatican is a State on its own
and its residents and working people benefit from exclusive tax reliefs and discounts on goods.

What are some Italian beliefs?

o Catholicism is the dominant religion in Italy, making up 74% of the population. M, The Catholic Church is
headquartered in Vatican City, in the heart of Rome.

Non-Catholic Christian groups, which make up 9.3% of the population, include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Eastern
Orthodox, Evangelicals, Latter Day Saints, and Protestants.

Islam was present in Italy during the Middle Ages, though it disappeared until the 20th century; Islam is not currently
recognized as an official religion, though 3.7% of Italians are Muslim.

An increasing number of Italians identify as atheist or agnostic. They are protected by the constitution, though not
from Italy’s law against blasphemy.
 Other religions in Italy include Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism, the latter of which predates Christianity in
Italy.

o Families generally gather for religious occasions such as baptisms, first communions, confirmations and
weddings. The invitation is typically extended to a large number of relatives invited to enjoy
a luscious lunch or dinner which takes the whole day or evening as it consists of three starters, two
main pasta dishes and one or two main dishes, two side dishes, sorbet, cake, fruits, coffee and amaro
(a digestive liquor).

o A fun fact is Italians like to dress up to go to Church on a Sunday and secretly criticise each other‘s
outfits. The priest is highly regarded by the senior members of the family and might be invited to
celebrate the religious occasions after he has officiated at the functions.

VALUES

o One of the most prominent Italian values is without doubt family. They are usually larger in the south
and considerably smaller in the centre and the northern parts of the peninsula. It is common for
Italians to come together for Sunday lunch when usually the women cook and serve guided by Nonna,
whilst the men sit at their table chatting and smoking away.

o Senior members are to be respected and hold a place of power with Nonnas playing a matriarchal role
and they are regarded by the young members as a source of wisdom. It is also Nonna who usually
holds the privilege of choosing the menu for holiday celebrations such as Christmas and other
occasions, however, it is very common to invite the family out for lunch when celebrating religious
status such as first communion, confirmation, weddings and so on.

o Most parents still financially support their children during University and if needed they help them
even after they get married. It is common for Italian parents to build house extensions for the kids to
live in once they marry, if that is not feasible they usually buy a property nearby as mamma wants to
be present in their daily life and usually helps with the new born and baby sitting in general.

o Children spend more time with their grandparents than their working parents as the nanny culture is
not wide-spread, especially in the South where it is mostly family who look after the kids.

o The bond between mother and son is extremely powerful and can jeopardise the relationship between
her son and his spouse as the mother in law tend to interfere in the couple’s decisions and is quite
judgmental of her daughter in law.

o The male is raised to be cocco di mamma (mum’s favourite) she exonerates him from house chores
such as cleaning and cooking which are up to females to manage for life. As a matter of fact, it is
common practise for Italians to live at their parents’ home, if they don’t get married, with mamma
serving her son even if he is forty years of age.

o Males have in general more freedom when it comes to socialising, whilst teenager and young females
have to obey to strict rules dictated typically by the father or a senior member of the family such as
Nonna.

o A family in Italy is for life; members typically look after each other with parents trying to preserve their
material possessions for their children to inherit; however, the saying “parenti serpenti” is widely
used; it translates into relatives are snakes referring to poisonous relationships which lead to several
family sagas.

LITERATURE
PART 2
 HISTORY

Italian literature is written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by
Italians or in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian, including
regional varieties and vernacular dialects. Italian literature begins in the 12th century, when in different regions of the
peninsula the Italian vernacular started to be used in a literary manner. The Ritmo laurenziano is the first extant
document of Italian literature.

Early medieval Latin literature

As the Western Roman Empire declined, the Latin tradition was kept alive by writers such as Cassiodorus, Boethius, and
Symmachus. The liberal arts flourished at Ravenna under Theodoric, and the Gothic kings surrounded themselves with
masters of rhetoric and of grammar. Some lay schools remained in Italy, and noted scholars included Magnus Felix
Ennodius, Arator, Venantius Fortunatus, Felix the Grammarian, Peter of Pisa, Paulinus of Aquileia, and many others.

Italians who were interested in theology gravitated towards Paris. Those who remained were typically attracted by the
study of Roman law. This furthered the later establishment of the medieval universities of Bologna, Padua, Vicenza,
Naples, Salerno, Modena and Parma. These helped to spread culture, and prepared the ground in which the new
vernacular literature developed.[6] Classical traditions did not disappear, and affection for the memory of Rome, a
preoccupation with politics, and a preference for practice over theory combined to influence the development of Italian
literature.

High medieval literature

Trovatori

The earliest vernacular literary tradition in Italy was in Occitan, a language spoken in parts of northwest Italy. A tradition
of vernacular lyric poetry arose in Poitou in the early 12th century and spread south and east, eventually reaching Italy
by the end of the 12th century. The first troubadours (trovatori in Italian), as these Occitan lyric poets were called, to
practise in Italy were from elsewhere, but the high aristocracy of the Northern Italy was ready to patronise them.[8] It
was not long before native Italians adopted Occitan as a vehicle for poetic expression, though the term Occitan did not
really appear until the year 1300, "langue d'oc" or "provenzale" being the preferred expressions

Chivalric romance

The Historia de excidio Trojae, attributed to Dares Phrygius, claimed to be an eyewitness account of the Trojan war. It
provided inspiration for writers in other countries such as Benoît de Sainte-Maure, Herbort von Fritzlar, and Konrad von
Würzburg. While Benoît wrote in French, he took his material from a Latin history. Herbort and Konrad used a French
source to make an almost original work in their own language. Guido delle Colonne of Messina, one of the vernacular
poets of the Sicilian school, composed the Historia destructionis Troiae. In his poetry Guido was an imitator of the
Provençals,[7] but in this book he converted Benoît's French romance into what sounded like serious Latin history.

The emergence of native vernacular literature

The French and Occitan languages gradually gave way to the native Italian. Hybridism recurred, but it no longer
predominated. In the Bovo d'Antona and the Rainaldo e Lesengrino, Venetian is clearly felt, although the language is
influenced by French forms. These writings, which Graziadio Isaia Ascoli has called miste (mixed), immediately preceded
the appearance of purely Italian works

The 14th century: the roots of Renaissance

Dante Alighieri, one of the greatest of Italian poets, also shows these lyrical tendencies.[48] In 1293 he wrote La Vita
Nuova ("new life" in English, so called to indicate that his first meeting with Beatrice was the beginning of a new life), in
which he idealizes love. It is a collection of poems to which Dante added narration and explication. Everything is
supersensual, aerial, heavenly, and the real Beatrice is supplanted by an idealized vision of her, losing her human nature
and becoming a representation of the divine.[49] Dante is the main character of the work, and the narration purports to
be autobiographical, though historical information about Dante's life proves this to be poetic license.

The 15th century: Renaissance humanism

Renaissance humanism developed during the 14th and the beginning of the 15th centuries, and was a response to the
challenge of Mediæval scholastic education, emphasizing practical, pre-professional and -scientific studies. Scholasticism
focused on preparing men to be doctors, lawyers or professional theologians, and was taught from approved textbooks
in logic, natural philosophy, medicine, law and theology.[81] The main centers of humanism were Florence and Naples.

The 16th century: the High Renaissance

The fundamental characteristic of the literary epoch following that of the Renaissance is that it perfected itself in every
kind of art, in particular uniting the essentially Italian character of its language with classicism of style.[102] This period
lasted from about 1494 to about 1560[1]—1494 being when Charles VIII descended into Italy, marking the beginning of
Italy's foreign domination and political decadence.

The 17th century: A period of decadence

From about the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis (1559), after which centuries of domination of foreign nations over Italy
followed, began a period of decadence in Italian literature.[128] Tommaso Campanella was tortured by the Inquisition,
and Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake. Cesare Balbo says that, if the happiness of the masses consists in peace
without industry, if the nobility's consists in titles without power, if princes are satisfied by acquiescence in their rule
without real independence, without sovereignty, if literary men and artists are content to write, paint and build with the
approbation of their contemporaries, but to the contempt of posterity, if a whole nation is happy in ease without dignity
and the tranquil progress of corruption, then no period ever was so happy for Italy as the 140 years from the Peace of
Cateau Cambrésis to the War of the Spanish Succession. This period is known in the history of Italian literature as the
Secentismo.[129] Its writers resorted to exaggeration; they tried to produce effect with what in art is called mannerism
or barocchism. Writers vied with one another in their use of metaphors, affectations, hyperbole and other oddities and
draw it off from the substantial element of thought.

Children's literature

Italy has a long history of children's literature. In 1634, the Pentamerone from Italy became the first major published
collection of European folk tales.[197]: 7 The Pentamerone contained the first literary European version of the story of
Cinderella. The author, Giambattista Basile, created collections of fairy tales that include the oldest recorded forms of
many well-known European fairy tales.[198] In the 1550s, Giovanni Francesco Straparola released The Facetious Nights
of Straparola. Called the first European storybook to contain fairy-tales, it eventually had 75 separate stories, albeit
intended for an adult audience.[199] Giulio Cesare Croce also borrowed from stories children enjoyed for his books.

Women writers

Italian women writers have always been underrepresented in academia. In many collections of prominent and influential
Italian literature, women's works are not included. "A woman writer," Anna Banti once said, "even if successful, is
marginalized. They will say that she is great among women writers, but they will not equate her to male writers."[204]
There has been an increase in the inclusion of women in academic scholarship in recent years, but representation is still
inequitable. Italian women writers were first acknowledged by critics in the 1960s, and numerous feminist journals
began in the 1970s, which increased readers' accessibility to and awareness of their work.

CHARACTERISTICS
The Italian literature represents the rich culture of the country and depicts the future heroic legends that lived in the
country for ages. The literary language of Italy was Latin before the 13th century. The chronicles, the historical poems
and the religious poems written in that era were all in Latin. The Sicilian was the earliest poetry ever written in Italian.

The other notable feature of the Italian literature is the epic poem of the Dante The Divine Comedy. The Divine comedy
is a dramatization of the medieval theology and philosophy and is a guided tor through the three worlds known as the
paradise, hell and purgatory. This was some basic information about the literature in Italy.

The main part of the Italys literature is that it is often depicted in the form of plays, theaters and movies, which try to
promote the Italian culture in general and literature in [Link] next time you visit Italy see to it that you have
knowledge about the literature of Italy to make the most out of your Italian holiday.

FAMOUS AUTHORS AND THEIR WORKS

DANTE ALIGHIERI

Work - The Divine Comedy

FRANCESCO PETRARCA

Work - The Trionfi

GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO

Work - Decameron

NICCOLO DI BERNARDO DEI MACHIAVELLI

Work - Il Principe di Machiavelli

LUDOVICO ARIOSTO

Work - Orlando Furioso

ALESSANDRO MANZONI

Work - The Bethroned

ALBERTO MORAVIA

Work - Gli Indifferenti

PRIMO MICHELE LEVI

Work - This is a Man

ITALO CALVINO

Work - Ultimo Viene il Corvo

UMBERTO ECO

Work - The Name of the Rose

 THE DIVINE COMEDY

by DANTE ALIGHIERI

INTRODUCTION

o Written by Dante Alighieri in 1314.

o Dante’s inferno is the first part of the Divine Comedy.
o There are three parts to the Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
o Comedy did not mean humor when the divine comedy was written.
o The title Divine Comedy refers to the ancient definition of comedy, which describes the perfect union
of man and God in heaven.

Durante Di Alighiero Degli Alighieri

 He was born on c. May 21–June 20, 1265, Florence [Italy]—died September 13/14, 1321, Ravenna)

 He was the son of Alighiero di Bellincione Alighieri and Bella degli Abati.

 In 1285 Dante married Gemma Donati and together they had four children: Giovanni, Pietro, Jacopo,
and Antoni.

 He died because of his illness, Quartan Malaria.

Who was Dante Alighieri?

Dante Alighieri, popularly known as Dante, was a chief Italian poet during the middle ages. Born in
Florence, he spent a large portion of his life in exile. Although more famous for his long poem, ‘Divine
Comedy’, he was also a distinguished prose writer, literally theorist, philosopher and political thinker.

At a time, when majority of poets and writers wrote in Latin, Dante used Tuscan dialect, thus not only
enabling the common man to enjoy his work, but also set a precedence, which would later be followed by
writers like Petrarch and Boccaccio. Thus he influenced the course of the development of Italian literature
and for this he is often referred as the ‘Father of Italian Language’.

Moreover, his works, especially his ‘Divine Comedy’ provided inspiration for many Western artists and
influenced many great poets like John Milton, Geoffrey Chaucer and Alfred Tennyson. However, he was
also an able statesman and on the conspiracy of his political opponents, he had to spend the last part of
his life in exile, pining fruitlessly to return home; but died in Ravenna at the age of 56.

Dante's Education

Dante started his education at home, later entering a Franciscan school at Santa Croce. Here among other
subjects, he studied Tuscan poetry, which sparked his interest in the Occitan poetry of the troubadours. Later,
he is also believed to have studied at the University of Bologna.

Personal Life & Legacy

When Dante was just twelve years old, he was betrothed to Gemma di Manetto Donati, the daughter
of Manetto Donati of the powerful Donati family. They got married around in 1285 and had three
children; Pietro, Jacopo and Antonia.
Although he married Gemma, the love of his life was Beatrice Portinari. She is believed to be the
daughter of well-known banker, Folco Portinari, and the wife of another banker, Simone dei Bardi.

Dante first saw her when he was nine years old and immediately fell in love with her. Thereafter, he
met her only once. Yet, she is believed to be the chief inspiration behind his first major work, ‘Vita
Nuava’ as well as the character of ‘Beatrice’ in ‘Divine Comedy’.
Dante spent the last years of his life at Ravenna. In 1321, he went on a diplomatic mission to Venice.
On his way back, he contracted malaria and died from it on 14 September 1321. He was buried at the
Church of San Pier Maggiore at Ravenna.

Dante’s works continues to inspire poets even to this day. His ‘Divine Comedy’ is now considered a
major part of Western canon. On April 30, 1921, Pope Benedict XV, promulgated the eleventh
encyclical, ‘In praeclara summorum’, in his honor.
Trivia
Dante is believed to be the first person to use the interlocking three-line rhyme scheme, known as the
terza rima.
In June 2008, the City Council of Florence passed a resolution, revoking Dante's death sentence.

Summary of The Story

Characters

 Dante- the author and protagonist of Inferno. A thirty-five-year-old man, spiritually lost and
wandering away from the True Way — the path of righteousness and of God. Dante has
become weak and is in need of spiritual guidance. Luckily, a guide is sent to him and he
embarks on a spiritual journey to learn the true nature of sin.
 Virgil- Dante’s guide through the depths of Hell. Virgil is a poet of antiquity, much admired by
Dante, and the perfect guide for Dante's journey. He is said to represent human reason and
wisdom. Virgil is a strong and competent guide but needs Divine intervention to complete the
journey safely.
 Beatrice- one of the blessed in Heaven, Beatrice aids Dante’s journey by asking an angel to find
Virgil and bid him guide Dante through Hell.
 Charon-a figure that Dante appropriates from Greek mythology, Charon is an old man who
ferries souls across the river Acheron to Hell. The Ferryman of the river Acheron in Hell.
 Paolo and Francesca da Rimini- a pair of lovers condemned to the Second Circle of Hell for an
adulterous love affair that they began after reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere.
 Lucifer- The prince of Hell, also referred to as Dis. Lucifer resides at the bottom of the Ninth
(and final) Circle of Hell, beneath the Earth’s surface, with his body jutting through the planet’s
center. An enormous giant, he has three faces but does not speak; his three mouths are busy
chewing three of history’s greatest traitors: Judas, the betrayer of Christ, and Cassius and
Brutus, the betrayers of Julius Caesar.
 Minos- The king of Crete in Greek mythology, Minos is portrayed by Dante as a giant beast who
stands at the Second Circle of Hell, deciding where the souls of sinners shall be sent for
torment. Upon hearing a given sinner’s confession, Minos curls his tail around himself a specific
number of times to represent the circle of Hell to which the soul should be consigned.
 Pope Boniface VIII
 A notoriously corrupt pope who reigned from 1294 to 1303, Boniface made a concerted
attempt to increase the political might of the Catholic Church and was thus a political enemy of
Dante, who advocated a separation of church and state.
 Farinata
A Ghibelline political leader from Dante’s era who resides among the Heretics in the Sixth Circle
of Hell. Farinata is doomed to continue his intense obsession with Florentine politics, which he
is now helpless to affect.
 Phlegyas
The boatman who rows Dante and Virgil across the river [Link] of the river Styx in Hell
 Filippo Argenti
A Black Guelph, a political enemy of Dante who is now in the Fifth Circle of Hell. Argenti resides
among the Wrathful in the river Styx.
  Nessus
The Centaur (half man and half horse) who carries Dante through the First Ring of the Seventh
Circle of [Link], of the Centaurs, killed by Hercules.
 Pier della Vigna
A former advisor to Emperor Frederick II, della Vigna committed suicide when he fell into
disfavor at the court. He now must spend eternity in the form of a tree.
 Geryon
The massive serpentine monster that transports Dante and Virgil from the Seventh to the
Eighth Circle of Hell.
 Malacoda
The leader of the Malabranche, the demons who guard the Fifth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of
Hell. Malacoda (his name means “evil tail”) intentionally furnishes Virgil and Dante with
erroneous directions.
 Vanni Fucci
A thief punished in the Seventh Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell who prophesies the defeat of
the White Guelphs. A defiant soul, Fucci curses God and aims an obscene gesture at Him before
Dante journeys on.
 Ulysses
The great hero of the Homeric epics the Iliad and the Odyssey. Ulysses was a bold and cunning
man who is now imprisoned in the Eighth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell among those guilty
of Spiritual Theft.
 Guido da Montefeltro
An advisor to Pope Boniface VIII, da Montefeltro was promised anticipatory absolution—
forgiveness for a sin given prior to the perpetration of the sin itself. Da Montefeltro now suffers
in Hell, since absolution cannot be gained without repentance and it is impossible to repent a
sin before committing it.
 Antaeus
The giant who transports Dante and Virgil from the Eighth to the Ninth Circle of Hell.
 Count Ugolino
A traitor condemned to the Second Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell. Ugolino gnaws on the head
of another damned traitor, Archbishop Ruggieri. When Ruggieri imprisoned Ugolino and his
sons, denying them food, Ugolino was driven to eat the corpses of his starved sons.
 Fra Alberigo and Branca d’Oria
Sinners condemned to the Third Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell. Fra Alberigo and Branca d’Oria
are unlike the other sinners Dante encounters: their crimes were deemed to be so great that
devils snatched their souls from their living bodies; thus, their souls reside in Hell while their
bodies live on, now guided and possessed by demons.

SETTING

 Dante’s Inferno is set both in medieval Italy and in an imaginary, intricate version of Hell
designed to warn against sin and encourage readers to have faith in God.

PLOT

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 with the inscription of “Abandon every hope, all ye who enter
here” 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. 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.

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.

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.

Upon entering the fourth circle, Dante and Virgil encounter the Hoarders and the Wasters, who spend
eternity rolling giant boulders at one another.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

At the beginning of the second part of The Divine Comedy, Dante and Virgil find themselves at the dawn of a new day.
They stand at the shore and see a boat arrive. On the boat are souls brought by an angel who will climb Mount
Purgatory - created by the displacement of rock which resulted when Satan's fall created Hell, along with Dante, to rid
themselves of sins and proceed to Heaven. Dante cannot waste any time, but he is forced to spend the night outside of
Purgatory with other souls, who, unlike him, cannot travel at night. Dante falls asleep, and when he wakes up, Virgil tells
him that St. Lucia helped him and carried him straight to the gates of Purgatory.

In Purgatory, they have seven terraces to journey through. Before they enter, an angel puts the seven 'P's on Dante's
forehead. They correspond to the seven deadly sins. The angel says that every time a terrace of sin is surpassed, a 'P' will
be removed.

The first terrace is of Pride. There, the pilgrim Dante and Virgil see penitents carry heavy weights up the mountain of
humility to cure them of their pride:

The second terrace is dedicated to Envy. The envious penitents there are treated with their eyelids sewn shut with iron
wire. Voices shout examples of punished envy to intensify the effect.
The third terrace has to do with Wrath. The penitents here are treated with black smoke that gets into their eyes and
makes them blind.

The fourth terrace is of the Slothful. They are punished by running without stopping or any rest.

On the fifth terrace, they punish greedy and avaricious souls. The punished are tied by their feet and arms, face down on
the ground. To rid themselves of these sins, they must shout examples of poverty and generosity.

The sixth terrace is dedicated to Gluttony. Here, penitents clean their souls by experiencing extreme hunger and thirst.

The seventh and final terrace is of Lust, where the penitents walk in flames and shout out examples of virtue.

At sunset, they reach the exit of the last terrace, and Dante's last 'P' is removed by the angel. To proceed, he must go
through a wall of flames that separates Purgatorio and Paradiso. He is very scared and hesitates, but Virgil convinces him
to cheer up and be brave because he will finally see Beatrice once he is through this obstacle. When Dante passes
through the flames, he falls asleep. He wakes up the following morning, ready to start his journey through Paradiso.
They approach the banks of the river Lethe, and suddenly, Virgil disappears, and instead, Beatrice appears in front of the
protagonist. He is devastated by the loss of his friend and grieves.

Beatrice is portrayed as Dante's guide through Purgatorio. She is very knowledgeable, a little strict, and obviously
believes in the good in Dante. She believes that this trip will save his soul and grant him salvation. She is a
personification of divine knowledge, wisdom, and good, righteous judgment.

Dante confesses to Beatrice all of his sins. She judges him for them and expresses her disappointment in this quote:

Canto 2

“What trenches did you meet, what chains or rope

Did you find barring you from passing on,

That you should have divested all your hope?”

A woman named Matilda washes them off in the river Lethe when Dante falls asleep. When he wakes up, Beatrice tells
him that he can proceed under one condition: he has to write about everything he sees in Paradiso when he returns to
Earth.

Then, Matilda submerges Dante in the river Eunoe, which makes him ready to ascend to Heaven alongside Beatrice.

Paradiso Summary

Paradiso consists of nine spheres:

The first sphere is the Moon. Beatrice explains to Dante the structure of the universe. She says the Moon is the home for
souls that broke their vows. Their words lacked courage and could not be trusted.

The second sphere is Mercury. There, Dante and Beatrice meet Justinian, who explains the history of Ancient Rome. This
sphere is situated too close to the Sun; it represents those who did good deeds for fame and glory.

The third sphere is Venus. There, Dante encounters Charles Martel of Anjou. He talks to Dante about the importance of
societal diversity and improving its function by including people with different backgrounds.

The fourth sphere is the sphere of the Sun. There, St. Thomas, along with another eleven souls, explains to Dante the
importance of not judging hastily and being aware of prudence.

The fifth heavenly sphere is Mars. It has to do with warriors who died for their faith and God. There, Dante meets
Cacciaguida, who tells him about the noble past of Florentines, and Dante’s mission in delivering all the knowledge he
has gained on his journey to Florence and its citizens.

The sixth sphere is Jupiter. It is a place of kings who display justice. A giant eagle speaks to Dante of divine justice and
the rulers of the past, such as Constantine and Trajan.

The seventh level of heaven is the sphere of Saturn. It is dedicated to those who live by temperance and pray vigorously.
He witnesses people who climb up and down a golden ladder. Here, Dante meets St. Peter Damian, who lectures him on
clergy corruption and predestination. They discuss the moral decline of the institute of the church.

The eighth level is called the Fixed Stars. Dante and Beatrice find the Virgin Mary and other Biblical characters, such as
Adam, John, Peter, and James. They explain to Dante the complexities of Heaven and Eden.

The ninth sphere is known as the Premium Mobile. It is controlled by God specifically and therefore affects all the lower
spheres accordingly. It is the place where angels live. Beatrice explains to Dante the story of the creation of the universe
and angels’ lives. They slowly ascend to Empyrean, the highest place in heaven. Once they get there, Dante becomes
covered in light, allowing him to see God and the Holy Trinity.

After his journey has ended, Dante realizes that God’s love is eternal. He now fully understands the mystery of the
Incarnation. The answer is blessed upon Dante by God’s hand, and now he fully grasps the complete picture of the
world.

THEMES

Main Theme

The main theme of The Divine Comedy is the spiritual journey of man through life. In this journey he learns
about the nature of sin and its consequences. And comes to abhor it (sin) after understanding its nature and
how it corrupts the soul and draws man away from God. The subject of the whole work, taken literally, is the
condition of souls after death. But if the work is taken allegorically, the subject is man, how by actions of merit
or demerit, through freedom of will, he justly deserves to be rewarded or punishment. It is the story of man's
pilgrimage to God.

Minor Themes

The political theme running through the poem forms an important minor theme. Political strife had rent
Florence into two bitter halves - the Guelf and the Ghibellines. Dante's family was affiliated with the Guelf
party. Eventually, because of political reasons Dante was permanently exiled from Florence. Dante’s
conception of Hell is partly the product of medieval theology and the violence and misery of constant wars.
Some of it, however, is the result of his own inextinguishable bitterness for the long years of impoverished
exile, living on the charity of noblemen. While he could have been an honored man in Florence.
 MOOD

The poem starts with the Pilgrim's fear and confusion as he finds himself lost and confined in the dark woods.
Virgil's appearance on the scene infuses energy and hope in him. Although ‘Inferno’, as the name suggests is
mostly about sin and punishment, the mood of the poem is not just morbid and sober. The education Dante
received each step of the way is an affirmation of life and goodness. So the ‘Inferno’ imports a lot of energy to
its readers. Another dimension of the ‘Inferno’ is that of wonder and breathless anticipation as new sinners
and their punishments unfold. The final Canto reveals, and Dis (Lucifer) is the point where all eagerness and
fear crystallize and the final effect is of victory because one sees evil trapped, defeated and punished.

Influence to literature
Ever since Dante’s Divine Comedy was published, it both ascended to the canon of Western literature
and inspired countless artistic interpretations of the poet’s journey through the otherworld as he and his
guides traverse the depths of Hell, climb Mount Purgatory, and then ascend to Paradise. “Artists in all media
have responded to the Commedia with an abundance and enthusiasm that even the Bible has not matched,”
writes Jean-Pierre Barricelli in the paper “Dante in the Arts: A Survey” published in the 1996 edition of Dante
Studies.

Painters have long recognized the importance of understanding the source material intimately:
through their execution, they sought to transcribe the poet’s vision.

“Dante’s imaginative comparisons and vivid descriptions of the afterlife have sparked the imaginations
of innumerable artists,” Deborah Parker, Professor of Italian at the University of Virginia, tells Art & Object.
“Many artists introduce changes, some subtle, others more striking,” she continued. Gustave Doré and Sandro
Botticelli—she cites as examples—while generally faithful to Dante’s text, also introduced changes to their
works. Doré, for example, added more women among the damned. “Artists don’t just depict, they interpret,”
she said.

References

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