Syracuse University SURFACE Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects Projects Spring 5-1-2007 Le Donne di Dante: An Historical Study of Female Characters in The Divine Comedy Brooke L. Carey Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone Part of the Other History Commons Recommended Citation Carey, Brooke L., "Le Donne di Dante: An Historical Study of Female Characters in The Divine Comedy" (2007). Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects. 573. https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/573 This Honors Capstone Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Le Donne di Dante: An Historical Study of Female Characters in The Divine Comedy Brooke L. Carey Candidate for B.A. Degree In History with Honors April 2007 APPROVED Thesis Project Adviser:_______________________ Dennis Romano Honors Reader: ____________________________ Samantha Kahn Herrick Third Reader: ______________________________ Beverly Allen Honors Director:____________________________ Samuel Gorovitz Date: ____________________________________ Abstract This thesis explores the characterizations of women in Dante’s Divine Comedy and uses this information to assess Dante’s opinion of women, including their behaviors, traits, and roles in society. It approaches The Comedy from a specific historical angle and requires a basic knowledge of the poem in order to understand some of the references. The entire text incorporates historical sources and evidence to support these interpretations of women in The Comedy, as they demonstrate why and how Dante might have characterized women in the way he did.