Tuesday, March 1st Agenda  Homework Check – “The New Road to Hell”  Intro to The Divine Comedy Announcements

Why is The Divine Comedy genius?

THE INFERNO Dante Alighieri “The Way Up Is The Way Down”

Abandon all hope ye who enter - Canto III

Who was Dante?  Italian poet from Florence   His greatest work THE DIVINE COMEDY  One of the greatest masterpieces in World Literature

Dante

So what makes it so extraordinary?

Extraordinary cont’d  Universal Struggle  Our struggle as well as Dante’s struggle for salvation in a world of temptation  Sacred Three  Inferno = 33 canti + l Introduction (cantos)  Purgatory = 33 canti  Paradise = 33 canti _________________________ 100

Extraordinary cont’d  Structural Symmetry - “Terza rima” Rhyme Scheme  Aba, bcb, cdc,  Suggest: Holy Trinity?

From Canto I “Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself a In the dark woods, the right road lost. To tell b About those woods is hard-so tangled & rough a And savage that thinking of it now, I feel b The old fear stirring: death is hardly more bitter. c And yet, to treat the good I found there as well b

Extraordinary cont’d  All 14,233 lines  Word choice was perfect – why it’s so difficult to translate  Translator either maintains the rhyme scheme or focuses on the poetic episodes – both are very difficult to do well

Dante’s Contributions  Wrote in the language of the people – Italian not Latin  (IN DEFENSE OF THE VULGAR – vulgar meaning spoken tongue)  1930s – no national language – Mussolini makes Italian national language – sense of national pride  Created over 100 words – invented from Latin now a part of modern Italian

Translations

Contributions con’td  Controversy with the church  Hegemony over people  Church concerned that Dante chose Virgil, a virtuous pagan, to be one of his central guides  Responsible for bringing REASON to Dante’s world  Church concerned that more people could read Dante’s COMMEDIA – minimize the role/influence of church

First Time Readers…  Enjoy the narrative – the story  Read it again and again  Takes a lifetime and still allusions are difficult to understand  Many levels  Literal – theme of journey/odyssey  Metaphorical  Moral  Mystical Symbolically redemption of ALL humankind

What is The Divine Commedia?  14,233 lines – written in first person  Complex  Opens night before Good Friday in 1300  Concludes the following Thursday  Journey of redemption in 7 days  Takes place during church’s most sacred time of year – death/resurrection of Jesus Christ  INFERNO – takes place from Thursday to Easter

The Three Guides

Virgil  guide through Hell  Roman poet in Hell and up to Mt. Purgatory  Represents light of natural reason – without divine inspiration (before Christ)  Virgil – it was believed he foretold the birth of Christ

Beatrice  Ideal woman for Dante – takes him through Paradise  Plays most powerful role - represented pure love, unrequited love  “Virgin Mary”  Sends Virgil to Dante, so he can reach salvation in Heaven

St. Bernard  Guide - Paradise  Monk and writer – admired by Dante  Man of words; eloquent  Aligned with Dante’s view about role of church Spoke out against fraud in the papacy

Why is it called a Comedy?  Originally called “La Commedia”  Bocaccio – writer later added Divine to honor Dante  Comes to a prosperous ending after a difficult beginning, –Opposite of tragedy

What do I need to know about Dante’s life?  Personal life and writing greatly influenced by politics of late 13 th Century Florence

Political Situation in Dante’s World  Italy not a country  Pope ruled = Papal States (Rome)  Rest Italy = city-states  Believed in need for enlightened ruler  Death Holy Roman Emperor - hopeless

Power Struggle  Church/Pope  Guelph Party  White Party (Dante’s)  Supported independence of Florence from strict papal control  State/Rulers  Ghibelline Party  Black  Willing to work with Pope in order to restore power By 1301 –Blacks were in control and as leader Of the White Party – Dante was sentenced to death by burning! But, exiled!

Dante’s Solution  To write THE INFERNO ( )  Pope Boniface VIII + other characters in Dante’s life are placed in Hell  Hell to Dante – state of world as seen by an exile whose experience has taught him no longer to trust world’s values

Time Frame  Dante’s writes THE INFERNO in 1312  Sets THE INFERNO in 1300  So, he allows his characters to speak “prophetically” about “what is to come”

What’s the one word I need to know?  Contrapasso  Not contrapposto!!!  Punishment fits the crime  Rigid system of Divine justice  Expression of Dante’s faith  Justice  Power  Love  Wisdom

Dante’s Characters = Human  Struggle with their own sin – INFERNO  Long to be freed from it – PURGATORY  Can envision divine embrace - PARADISE

Dante in Popular Culture

Dante in Art

Relevance to Today  Our world is different than 14 th Century  Human progress  Renaissance  Enlightenment  Industrial, Scientific, Technological Revolutions  All this has given us potential to use what we have for the greater good

We also live in a world very much like Dante’s  Political intrigue  Betrayal among politicians  War  Violence  Dishonest business practices  Loss of faith in time-honored institutions _________________________________ Renders us vulnerable to forces of evil

 To remove those living in this life from the state of misery and lead them to the state of happiness  From MATURITY to INNOCENCE THE GOAL

Documentary  Trailer: tion_330621&feature=iv&src_vid=Mb- KJ8WaTFI&v=aKyFKwpGnwk tion_330621&feature=iv&src_vid=Mb- KJ8WaTFI&v=aKyFKwpGnwk

The End

Hell

Purgatory

Paradise Beatrice & Dante

Salvador Peepli--Surrealistic Peeps"

'Da Vinpeep's "The Last Suppeeper,"

First Peeps of Spring

Modern-Day Version  Instead of Dante’s contemporaries  Anna Nicole Smith  Bill Clinton  Governor Eliot Spitzer  Story – meterless “stoner” poetry  Hell  Convoluted freeway systems  Dark alleys, ugly streets  Traffic signs  Commercial signs

Tuesday, March 29th  Finish up Purgatory/Paradise  Canto I – questions (get out visuals)  Pair up; answer questions  Homework:  Canto 3 & 4 = homework (handout)  Sketch Canto 3…

CANTO I 1. Explain the literal and figurative use of the word “path” (3). 2. Describe the leopard citing specific lines from the text. What do you think the leopard symbolizes? 3. Describe the lion…(see above) 4. Describe the she-wolf…(see above) 5. What is the result of Dante meeting these three animal

Cont’d 6. Copy the lines where Virgil describes himself. 7. How does Dante describe his feelings about Virgil? (see lines 85+) 8. Who does the Greyhound symbolize? 9. When Virgil says “I will leave you in her care…” (123), who is he referring to?

Canto III

CANTO III 1. Who makes “The Great Refusal?” Why does he? 2. What does Dante include him in this Canto? 3. What does Dante mean when he says, “You will see miserable people/those who have lost the good of their intellect” (18). 4. Identify the sinners in this canto. 5. Describe the contrappasso. Cite specific lines in your answer.

Cont’d 6. Explain why this is a just punishment? 7. What Greek philosopher would agree with this punishment? Why do you think he would? 8. Who is Charon in Greek mythology. What role does he play in Canto III. 9. Why do you think Dante has the “sinners” cross the river Acheron? 10. Explain the significance of the last two words of the canto: “…and like a man whom sleep has seized, I fell” (136).

Canto IV

Wednesday, March 30th  Get out Canto III and Canto IV  Canto V

Canto V 1. How does Mino symbolize hell? 2. What is the sin? What do you think Dante thinks about this sin? 3. Explain the contrapasso? 4. List the names of those in this level of hell. What do you notice about that list? Why do you think Dante does this? 5. Why do you think Dante faints?

Journal Write  After reading Cantos I, III, IV, and V, discuss what kind of man you think Dante is…Consider what you have learned about him in the introductory lecture, the sins/contrapassos from the homework, as well as your own views of his description of the Inferno and the reaction to people he meets in hell.

Thursday, March 31st  Check homework: Canto V  Cantos XII and XVIII  Get into groups…read and answer questions  Due: end of period Friday: Book Club

Friday, April 1st  Book Club Day – projects begin the Monday after break! (April 25 th )  Attendance for next week  Handouts: Art connection and test review  Homework:  Connection between Dante, Michelangelo, and Bosch  Begin studying for test

Monday, April 4th  Absent? Turn in work, get test review; art assignment (due Tuesday)  Test: Wednesday  Language Arts and Craft Day: Hell  Draw a 4-6 panel cartoon illustrating how Dante and Virgil get out of hell  Place a caption under each panel  Read Paradise – do questions related…

Language Arts and Craft  Pair up  As you read Canto XXXIV, create a 4-6 panel “cartoon” illustrating how Dante and Virgil get out of hell.  Caption for each panel  Illustrate the final traitors in hell: Satan, Brutus, Cassius, and Judas  Path and way get out, etc.  Read Paradise

Tuesday, April 5th  Homework Check: Art  Review for test  Canto 34  Paradise  Art  Short answer; extended response questions

Wednesday, April 6th  Test Review  Shapes  Guides  Medieval Synthesis  Relevance of modern world TEST – THURSDAY!

Thursday, April 7th  Get out a BLANK sheet of paper  Pen  Put all notes/phones, etc. in backpack

Period 5  Write an appropriate contrapasso for a person who sends out a computer virus.  Identify the kind of virus  Describe the suffering  Explain why it’s an equivalent punishment

Period 6  Write an appropriate contrapasso for a student who plays solitaire distracting others during a college lecture.

Friday, April 8th  PEEPS – extra credit – due MONDAY  Movie Day!