Dante’s Divine Comedy Symbolism & Elaboration Dante’s Divine Comedy is a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise full of symbols, ideals, historical and allegorical references.
Moral and ethical meaning of "Divine Comedy" Big questions in the Divine Comedy are: What is man? Why does he act as he does? What is Good and what is Evil? When it so often looks like “The Good loses,” why should anyone be good? Main Symbols in Dante’s Divine Comedy
There are hundreds of symbols in Dante’s Divine Comedy; the entire story of The Divine Comedy itself, symbolizing the spiritual quest of human life. Many of the symbols are clear and easily interpretable, such as the beast Geryon - with the head of an innocent man and the body of a foul serpent, he represents dishonesty and fraud. Others are much more nuanced and difficult to understand. When reading, it is extremely important to consider each element of the poem according to how it fits into Dante’s larger system of symbolism - what it says about the scene, story, and themes of the work and about human life.
The most important use of symbolism in Inferno involve the punishments of the sinners, which are always constructed so as to reflect the sins that they committed in life. The Lustful, for example, who were blown about by passion in life, are now doomed to be blown about by a ferocious storm for all of time.
Other major types of symbols include figures who represent human qualities, such as Virgil, representative of reason and wisdom, and Beatrice, representative of spiritual love and balance.
Settings represent emotional states, such as the dark forest in stands for Dante’s confusion and fear. Figures among the damned represent something more than their sins, such as Farinata, who seems to represent qualities of leadership and political commitment that transcend his identity as a Heretic in Hell. NUMBERS Dante's Divine Comedy is divided into three sections: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Each section is further divided into 33 poems (called cantos). Dante meets three beasts, Satan has three mouths, and three is a symbolic number in Christian theology for the Trinity - the three parts of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three major types of sin are incontinence, violence, and fraud. The hound that guards the gates of hell, Cerberus, has three heads. There are many other important "3s".
Hell is divided into nine circles which each represent a different type of sin (nine is the square root of three). The circles are sub-divided into upper and lower circles and circle number 8 is sub- divided into 10 types of frauds. Dante believed that fraud was a sin that could only be committed by man, so therefore God hated fraud more than anything else. Fraud included panderers, flatterers, corrupt church practices (having to pay for receiving the sacraments of the church), sorcery, etc.
Ten is a number of completeness or perfection in the Bible. The number of "canti" in the poem is 100, the square of the perfect number, 10. There are 10 commandments, there were 10 plagues sent by God to punish Egypt, and the Anti-Christ's realm is predicted to consist of 10 kingdoms, among many other significant illustrations of this perfect number. NUMBER 3
The number 3 is a very mystical and spiritual number featured in many folktales (three wishes, three guesses, three little pigs, three bears, three billy goats gruff). In ancient Babylon the three primary gods were Anu, Bel (Baal), and Ea, representing Heaven, Earth, and the Abyss. Plato saw 3 as being symbolic of the triangle, the simplest spatial shape, and considered the world to have been built from triangles. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606–07) there are three witches, and their spell begins, “Thrice the brindled cat hath mewed,” reflecting such superstitions. The Pythagoreans taught that the number three was the first true number.
Three is the first number that forms a geometrical figure – the triangle.
Three was considered the number of harmony, wisdom and understanding.
Three is the number of time:
Past Present Future
Birth Life Death
Beginning Middle End
Three is the number of the divine. NUMBER 10
It is the number of heaven and the world and universal creation. Humans have ten fingers and ten toes. Counting on fingers probably led to the decimal number system The decad contains all numbers and therefore all things and possibilities. It is the radix or turning point of all counting. Ten is the very first number that needs a separate part. Number ten was the holiest of numbers according to the Pythagoreans. They took their oaths by number ten. Deca -10 greek - the first letter in the Greek word “deca” (ten) is formed like a triangle. In the Tarot ten is the card of the Wheel of Fortune. The Ten Year Journey of Odysseus The War of Troy lasted ten years. The Ten Plagues of Egypt Hinduism teaches that the god Vishnu will be reincarnated ten times. Number 10 is formed of the pillar and the circle. It is both masculine and feminine, or Father/Mother principles. The Ten Commandments of the Bible Buddhism has its own ten commandments NUMBER 100
The Divine Comedy includes on the whole 100 songs of which 33 are devoted to the Purgatory, 33 to the Sky and 34 to the Hell.
Because our notational system for numbers is decimal (base 10), the number 100 takes on a significance. It is a round number and holds hints of perfection. The Western calendar is divided into the decade (10 years), century (100 years), and millennium (1,000 years), with the century as the most important unit.
This number corresponds to the Hebraic letter "qoph", and to the nineteenth mystery of the Tarot: the Sun, symbol of individuality.
In the Christian literature, the number 100 appears as symbol of the celestial bliss. According to the Gospel of Barnabas, Adam and Eve cried during 100 years their sin after their fall. In some occult sects, the numbers 1, 10 and 100 represent "the unit", or the "ordinal perfection". SENSES Dante uses opposing physical sensations (sight, smell, and sound) to convey his experiences. Light and dark represent good and evil in all three realms such that overwhelming darkness fills Hell while Dante finds himself blinded by the brilliant lights in Heaven. The vile stench of Hell increases the agony of the sinners in Hell while sweet-smelling flowers welcome Dante as he enters Earthly Paradise. Thunder and the shrieks of tormented sinners compound the punishment faced by the underworld shades while spirits sing beautiful hymns throughout Purgatory and Heaven.
PUNISHMENT The punishment assigned to the sinners in Hell represent their sins on Earth. For example, a person who was a overly concerned with physical beauty spends eternity immersed in excrement. Thieves spend eternity running from reptiles that overtake their bodies and turn them into ash, stealing their forms just as the thieves had stole things that belonged to others on Earth. Main symbol (in these punishments) is importance of balance and justice in societies. Sinners suffer punishment to a degree befitting the gravity of their sin, in a manner matching that sin’s nature.
Just Repentance: Like the sinners in Hell who must relive their sins on Earth, the spirits in Purgatory must repent in ways parallel to the sins that they committed on Earth. POLITICAL INFLUENCES An unquestionably significant part of Dante’s aim in writing Inferno was to offer a large-scale commentary on the political nightmare of fourteenth-century Florence, from which he was exiled. First, he condemns political figures with whom he disagreed by scattering them ruthlessly throughout Hell. Second, because Dante sets the action of Inferno several years before the years in which he wrote it, he can predict, as it were, certain events that had already taken place by the time of his writing. Dante condemns political figures with whom he disagreed by scattering them ruthlessly throughout Hell. Dante sets the action of Inferno several years before the years in which he wrote it, so he can predict, as it were, certain events that had already taken place by the time of his writing. He issues these seeming predictions via the voices of the damned with prophetic powers. In these souls’ emphasis on the corruption and turmoil of the so-called future Florence, Dante aims pointed criticism at his former home. Dante asserts throughout the poem his personal political belief that church and state should exist as separate but equal powers on Earth, with the former governing man’s spirit. Thus, in his many references to Rome, Dante carefully mentions both its spiritual and secular importance. Lucifer chews both on Judas (the betrayer of Christ, the ultimate spiritual leader) and on Cassius and Brutus (the betrayers of Caesar, the ultimate political leader). Treachery against religion and against government both warrant placement in Hell’s final circle. Dante emphasizes the equality of these two institutions, he also asserts the necessity of their separation. He assigns particularly harsh punishments to souls guilty of broaching this separation, such as priests or popes who accepted bribes or yearned for political power. LITERATURE AND MYTHOLOGY Dante’s Christian Hell features a large variety of mythological and ancient literary creatures, ranging from the Centaurs to Minos to Ulysses. He even incorporates mythological places. Dante often refers to and imitates the styles of great classical writers such as Homer, Ovid, Lucan, and Virgil himself.
Throughout the poem, Dante refers to people and events from Classical and Biblical history and mythology, the history of Christianity, and the Europe of the Medieval period up to and including his own day. A knowledge of at least the most important of these references can aid in understanding the poem fully. 9 CIRCLES OF INFERNO
First Circle (Limbo) – The virtuous Pagans
Here reside the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans, who, though not sinful, did not accept Christ.
Heaven does not claim them, Hell does not want them. They are not punished in an active sense, but rather grieve only because of their separation from God, without hope of reconciliation. Without baptism (“the portal of the faith that you embrace”) they lacked the hope for something greater than rational minds can conceive. Limbo includes green fields and a castle, the dwelling place of the wisest men of antiquity.
Second Circle – The Lustful
In the Second Circle of Hell, Dante and his companion Virgil find people who were overcome by lust. They are punished by being blown violently back and forth by strong winds, preventing them to find peace and rest. Strong winds symbolize the restlessness of a person who is led by desire for fleshly pleasures. Again, Dante sees many notable people from history and mythology including Cleopatra, Tristan, Helen of Troy and others who were adulterous during their lifetime. Third Circle – The Gluttonous
When reaching the Third Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil find souls of gluttons who are overlooked by a worm- monster Cerberus. Sinners in this circle of Hell are punished by being forced to lie in a vile slush that is produced by never ending icy rain. The vile slush symbolizes personal degradation of one who overindulges in food, drink and other worldly pleasures, while the inability to see others lying nearby represents the gluttons’ selfishness and coldness. Here, Dante speaks to a character called Ciacco who also tells him that the Guelphs (a fraction supporting the Pope) will defeat and expel the Ghibellines (a fraction supporting the Emperor to which Dante adhered) from Florence which happened in 1302, before the poem was written (after 1308).
Forth Circle – The Hoarders & Wasters (greed)
In the Fourth Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see the souls of people who are punished for greed. They are divided into two groups – those who hoarded possessions and those who lavishly spent it – jousting. They use great weights as a weapon, pushing it with their chests which symbolizes their selfish drive for fortune during lifetime. The two groups that are guarded by a character called Pluto (probably the ancient Greek ruler of the underworld) are so occupied with their activity that the two poets don’t try to speak to them. Here, Dante says to see many clergymen including cardinals and popes. Fifth Circle – The Wrathful (Angry)
The Fifth Circle of Hell is where the wrathful and sullen are punished for their sins. Transported on a boat by Phlegyas, Dante and Virgil see the wrathful fighting each other on the surface of the river Styx and the sullen gurgling beneath the surface of the water. Again, the punishment reflects the type of the sin committed during lifetime. While passing through, the poets are approached by Filippo Argenti, a prominent Florentine politician who confiscated Dante’s property after his expulsion from Florence.
Sixth Circle – The Heretics
When reaching the Sixth Circle of Hell, Dante and Virgil see heretics who are condemned to eternity in flaming tombs. Here, Dante talks with a couple of Florentines – Farinata degli Uberti and Cavalcante de’ Cavalcanti – but he also sees other notable historical figures including the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Pope Anastasius II. The latter, however, is according to some modern scholars condemned by Dante as heretic by a mistake. Instead, as some scholars argue, the poet probably meant the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I. Seventh Circle – The Violent
The Seventh Circle of Hell is divided into three rings. The Outer Ring houses murderers and others who were violent to other people and property. Here, Dante sees Alexander the Great (disputed), Dionysius I of Syracuse, Guy de Montfort and many other notable historical and mythological figures such as the Centaurus, sank into a river of boiling blood and fire. In the Middle Ring, the poet sees suicides who have been turned into trees and bushes which are fed upon by harpies. But he also sees here profligates, chased and torn to pieces by dogs. In the Inner Ring are blasphemers and sodomites, residing in a desert of burning sand and burning rain falling from the sky.
Eighth Circle – Fraud
The Eight Circle of Hell is resided by the fraudulent. Dante and Virgil reach it on the back of Geryon, a flying monster with different natures, just like the fraudulent. This circle of Hell is divided into 10 Bolgias or stony ditches with bridges between them. In Bolgia 1, Dante sees panderers and seducer. In Bolgia 2 he finds flatterers. After crossing the bridge to Bolgia 3, he and Virgil see those who are guilty of simony. After crossing another bridge between the ditches to Bolgia 4, they find sorcerers and false prophets. In Bolgia 5 are housed corrupt politicians, in Bolgia 6 are hypocrites and in the remaining 4 ditches, Dante finds hypocrites (Bolgia 7), thieves (Bolgia 7), evil counselors and advisers (Bolgia 8), divisive individuals (Bolgia 9) and various falsifiers such as alchemists, perjurers and counterfeits (Bolgia 10). Ninth Circle (Treachery) The last Ninth Circle of Hell is divided into 4 Rounds according to the seriousness of the sin though all residents are frozen in an icy lake. Those who committed more severe sin are deeper within the ice. Each of the 4 Rounds is named after an individual who personifies the sin. Thus Round 1 is named Caina after Cain who killed his brother Abel, Round 2 is named Antenora after Anthenor of Troy who was Priam’s counselor during the Trojan War, Round 3 is named Ptolomaea after Ptolemy (son of Abubus), while Round 4 is named Judecca after Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus with a kiss. PURGATORY - 7 TERRACES - 7 DEADLY SINS
Dante and Virgil have just emerged from their tour through Hell. 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, learning lessons, and cleansing himself of sin in preparation for ascending to Heaven.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. The seven P’s carved onto Dante’s forehead represent seven instances of “peccatum,” the Italian word for “sin” or “wound.” Now in Purgatory proper, Dante and Virgil have seven terraces to pass through, each of which corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins.
The First Terrace - The Proud
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.
The Second Terrace - 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. The Third Terrace - The 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.
The Fourth Terrace - 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.
The Fifth Terrace - the Greedy
Dante and Virgil ascend to the fifth terrace of the Greedy, 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. The Sixth Terrace - The Gluttony
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. 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.
The Seventh Terrace - The 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. 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.
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.
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.
NINE SPHERES OF PARADISE
The third realm of the afterlife details Dante's voyage through the nine spheres of Paradise. Following medieval cosmology, Dante's presentation of the planetary system broadly follows the Ptolemaic geometric model. Beatrice guides Dante successively through the nine spheres, each of which carries a heavenly body which orbits the earth: in succession they include the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Fixed Stars. The voyage culminates in a vision of God in the Empyrean, the realm of pure light. There are ten Heavens, going outwards from the Earth. Following the Ptolemaic astronomy of his time Dante conceived of the earth as stationary and central in the universe, with the sun and moon and the five visible planets revolving about it at various speeds. Each of these seven Heavenly bodies has its own sphere, or 'Heaven'. Beyond them is the sphere of the fixed stars, and beyond that the ninth and last of the material Heavens, called the Crystalline because it is transparent and invisible, or the Primum Mobile because from its infinite speed the other lower Heavens take their slower motions.
These nine spheres are severally moved and controlled by the nine orders of the angels, and all the spheres and the Heavenly bodies in them have a certain spiritual significance and certain influences on human life and character. As Dante passes upward with Beatrice the souls of the blessed appear to them in the successive Heavens according to their corresponding predominant character in their earthly lives.
All of the blessed are equally high in Heaven, and close to God, but differ in what part of the Eternal Inspiration they are aware of. Those visible in each Sphere of Heaven are not contained in that Sphere, but appear to be there because they claim that particular celestial eminence. 1. The heaven of the Moon:
The souls of the inconstant: the main characters are Piccarda Donati, and Constance. The theme in this section is the significance of the vows which should not be taken lightly. The angelic choruses of the Angels are assigned to the first sphere.
2. The heaven of Mercury:
The souls of those who followed human glory. The emperor Justinian is the most important character of this section, and with him the political theme returns. Among the doctrinal contents in this section is the nature of God's creatures. The angelic chorus of the Archangels is assigned to this section.
3. The heaven of Venus:
Here are the souls of the lovers. The characters that Dante meets here are Charles Martello and Cunizza Romano. The doctrinal content is centered on the discussion on nobility. Children do not necessarily inherit their father's qualities and virtues. The angelic order of the section is the Principati.
4. The heaven of the Sun: is presented through the symbol of a crown of flowers. - Here reside the souls of the wise. The important characters are St. Thomas, a Dominican, who praises St. Francis and criticizes the excesses of his own order, and St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, who praises St. Dominic and criticizes the excesses of his own order. The Angelic choir of this heaven is the Podestà.
5. The heaven of Mars
The warriors' souls are presented through the symbol of the Cross. The main character of these cantos is Cacciaguida. The theme is Dante's exile and the nostalgia for the ancient Florence. This is a most dramatic section of the poem as Dante is told clearly about his human and spiritual destiny. The Angelic chorus: Virtues. 6. The heaven of Jupiter:
The souls of the people who loved and practiced justice are presented through the symbolic figure of the imperial eagle of justice. The main character is the emperor Trajan, miraculously saved from Hell. The theological issue resolved here is predestination, which does not interferes with free will. The Angelic chorus is Dominations.
With Jupiter ends the second sections of Paradiso --Here are the saints of active life: scholars, theologians, warriors, and legislators.
In the second section the souls are not presented individually, but part of a symbolic figure, they are part of a large unity. The loss of individuality is part of a progressive closeness to God, in Whom the souls lose their individuality to become part of a universal soul.
7. The heaven of Saturn
The contemplative souls are seen as they go up and down a mystical ladder. The major characters are Peter Damian (theme: corruption of the clerics), and St. Benedict (structure of the Empyrean). Angelic order: Thrones. 8. The heaven of the Fixed Stars: Here Dante experiences the vision of the Virgin Mary, followed by his symbolic examination by St. Peter (Faith), St. James (Hope) and St. John (Charity), and his meeting with Adam (return to Man's origin through his first father). The Angelic order is Cherubim.
9. The Primum Mobile: The sphere that holds all others together; it limits the physical universe and defines the movement of the other spheres. Here Dante experiences a preview of the mystic vision of God, the vision of the angelic choruses, the presentation of the history of the angels. Angelic order: Seraphim.
The last three spheres of heaven are in essence mystical. They represent contemplative life. This ends the representation of heaven through the nine spheres. At this point Dante enters the Empyrean. This is the real residence of the blessed souls. It is perceived in terms of light and love. At this point Dante drinks at the fountain of grace, which is followed by the vision of the Mystic Rose in the form of a huge theater. In this Rose the souls are divided into two sections reflecting the New and the Old Testaments.
Beatrice's role ends here, and the third guide, St. Bernard (a medieval mystic) appears. Beatrice takes her place in the Rose. In the Empyrean Dante, with the help of St. Bernard, has a vision of the Virgin Mary. The journey concludes with the mystic vision of God, seen as three circles of lights.
Therefore, the poem had begun in despair but ends with a vision of blessedness and salvation, and with the unity with God. After the realistic representation of Inferno and Purgatorio, there is peace - This peace is seen through the poetry of praise and lyricism, while the representative elements remain difficult. This is because the subject matter is above the ability of the intellect to understand; it is closer to feelings rather than words.
Dante himself says that he cannot represent that which is unrepresentable (which becomes a thematic motif); therefore, he gives us the poetry of human insufficiency.
Scenery: Dante portrays heaven as nine concentric spheres, situated between the earth and the infinity. These spheres are still spatial, but inhabited by immaterial entities, although they can still be perceived as pure forms, visions of light.
Because of the nature of the vision, such senses as taste, tact, and smell, are absent in Paradiso - we are left only sight and hearing. Vision becomes the center of the representation. The physical structure is taken from medieval astronomy and astrology, which was then considered science. This makes Paradiso also a scientific poem, while at the same time is a journey outside space and time. In fact, Dante moves along without realizing these two dimensions. He goes very fast, and at the same time it seems he is not moving. This is because the heavens are only manifestations, and not objective realities. The nine spheres are only projection into space and time of the Empyrean: the real Heaven, a dimension outside space and time.
Paradiso is the poem of pure poetry. It is the cantica of Beatrice. In fact Dante is dependent on her for knowledge and for guidance.
Beatrice helps Dante as he tries to understand the ecstatic vision of the realm of the blessed. Here the souls, free of human passions, usually do not have recollection of human relationships, but their position makes them ideal judges of humanity as a whole.