1. Inferno
Dante Alighieri

2. Introduction: Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is a narrative poem made up of 3 parts describing Dante's imaginary journey.
Inferno, or “Hell”; Purgatorio, or “Purgatory”; and Paradiso, or “Paradise.”
Midway on his journey through life, Dante realizes he has taken the wrong path.
The Roman poet Virgil searches for the lost Dante and finds him on Good Friday in the year 1300.
Serves as a guide as Dante begins his religious pilgrimage to find God.
“Comedy” just meant a tale with a happy ending, not a funny story

3. Introduction: Divine Comedy
Florentine Politics
Two parties, Guelphs and Ghibellines
Ghibellines supported the leader of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick II Hohenstaufen
Guelphs supported the Papacy in the struggle over control of Italy In 1300, the Guelphs bitterly divided into two factions, the Whites and the Blacks

4. About the Author Son of nobleman, born in 1265 in Florence Italy
Great love was Beatrice who also served as inspiration for Divine Comedy
Married but not each other while she died in 1290
Probably started after his political exile in 1302
Began in 1308 and finished in 1320, a year before he died
Originally just called Comedia and the word Divina was added later by Giovanni Boccaccio
Written in Italian, not Latin, and accepted by most as it was a supposedly the work that “emerged from the Dark Ages” and “began the Italian Renaissance.”

5. Breakdown
33 cantos
Since the narrative poem is in an exalted form with a hero as its subject, it is an epic poem.
11 stanzas (approx. 27 words) per page
Foreign Vocabulary
2-3 min. per page
291 pages
873 min.
15 hours
1.5-2 hrs. of reading a week
15-20 min. a day

6. Explanation of Dante’s Hell
Understanding Greco-Roman cultures is vital for understanding Dante’s Hell.
Upper circles: lust, wrath, and violence;
Lower circles: liars, deceivers, and traitors.
Backwards much?
1 Cor. 11:6 - Head coverings?
The Romans adopted almost their entire civilization from the Greeks, except their notion of sin Greeks→ Violence...Romans → Treason
Trojan Horse (good or bad?)
Dante aligned his view of sin with Romans

7. Inferno—Justice How to get to hell Hell has a moral geography
You have to be dead
You have to be unrepentant
Hell has a moral geography
The punishment fits the sin—poetic justice
The deeper you go, the worse the sin
Structure follows the Roman conception of sin
Everything that happens here reflects divine justice that is inescapable

8. Catholic Theology Salvation through faith and works
Church doctrine based on the Bible and church tradition. Each have equal provenance
Priests as intercessors
Venal vs. Mortal Sins—Christians who commit mortal sins without forgiveness without repentance and forgiveness can go to hell (e.g., people who commit suicide go to hell). Venal sins send you to purgatory where you can work off your sins to get into heaven.

9. Protestant Theology Sola Fide—salvation through faith only
Sola Scriptura—only the Bible. If it’s not in the Bible it doesn’t count
Priesthood of the Believer—Christians don’t need anyone to intercede on their behalf with God
Perseverance of the Saints—true Christians can never fall from grace

10. Inferno—Three Heavenly Ladies
Virgin Mary—mercy, compassion
St. Lucia—light
Beatrice (be-a-treech-ay)—salvation (Beatrice was Dante’s unrequited love in real life)
The three ladies are working from heaven to save Dante before he dies.

11. 9 Circles of Hell
Inspired by medieval theology based on Thomistic philosophy (Thomas Aquinas)
In each circle they see sinners being punished for their sins on earth; Dante sees the torture as Divine justice. The sinners in the circles include: