1. THE DIVINE COMEDY DANTE ALIGHIERI “ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE.”

2. OVERVIEW  SUBJECT: MAN’S INVETERATE DEVIATION FROM THE PATH OF GOD: THE HUMAN DRAMA  CHRISTIAN ALLEGORY  LANGUAGE: VERNACULAR ITALIAN, NOT LATIN  LYRIC POEM: 3 CANTICLES (SECTIONS) 100 CANTOS (DIVISION OF A LONG POEM) INFERNO: 34 (1 CANTO ON EARTH) PURGATORIO: 33 PARADISO: 33  RHYME SCHEME: TERZA RIMA ABA BAB CBC DCD

3. THE INFERNO  SETTING: A SERIES OF DAYS IN 1300, BEGINNING WITH GOOD FRIDAY  PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: DANTE, VIRGIL (AUTHOR OF THE AENEID), BEATRICE (SHE WHO BLESSES)  THEME: DESPAIR TO HOPE DIVINE PUNISHMENT VS. HUMAN FRAILTY

4. MIDWAY IN HIS JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE AT THE AGE OF 35, DANTE FINDS HIMSELF LOST IN THE DARK WOOD OF ERROR. THERE HE ENCOUNTERS 3 FRIGHTENING CREATURES:  THE LEOPARD  THE LION  THE SHE-WOLF DANTE’S JOURNEY BEGINS

5. THE LEVELS OF THE INFERNO  LIMBO (NEITHER IN NOR OUT OF HELL)  CARNAL SINS  GLUTTONY  PRODIGALITY AND AVARICE  WRATH AND GLOOM  HERESY  VIOLENCE (ALSO SUICIDE)  SEDUCTION, FLATTERY, HYPOCRISY, THEFT  FRAUD: SCANDALMONGERY, LYING, FORGERY, COUNTERFEITING, ALCHEMY  TREACHERY: SATAN AND TRAITORS 9 CIRCLES WITHIN HELL ITSELF

6. HELL IS A FUNNEL- SHAPED CAVE WITH ITS BOTTOM AT THE EARTH’S CENTER. FROM THE DARK WOOD OF ERROR, DANTE FIRST COMES TO THE VESTIBULE. WITHIN HELL ITSELF, HE MUST CROSS THE RIVERS DESCRIBED IN THE MYTHOLOGICAL UNDERWORLD SUCH AS STYX AND PHLEGETON AS HE TRAVELS THROUGH THE UPPER AND LOWER REGIONS OF THIS INCREASINGLY TERRIFYING PLACE.

8. WHOM WILL DANTE MEET ON HIS JOURNEY?  FIGURES FROM MYTHOLOGY IN ADDITION TO LOCATIONS MENTIONED IN CLASSICAL WORKS  CHARACTERS FROM OLD AND WELL-KNOWN STORIES  FIGURES FROM THE BIBLE  CHURCH OFFICIALS OF THE PRESENT (1300) AND RECENT HISTORY  POLITICAL FIGURES OF THE PRESENT AND RECENT HISTORY

9. WHAT WILL WE LEARN FROM DANTE AS WE ACCOMPANY HIM ON HIS JOURNEY?  RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF THE MIDDLE AGES  HIS VIEWS ON POLITICS  CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY  VIEWS OF HEROES AND CHARACTERS FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD  HIS VIEWS ON THE NATURE OF SIN AND WHICH SINS ARE MORE SERIOUS THAN OTHERS  THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

10. THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS THE SEVEN HOLY VIRTUES  PRIDE  AVARICE  LUST  ENVY  GLUTTONY  WRATH  SLOTH  HUMILITY  LIBERALITY  CHASTITY  KINDNESS  ABSTINENCE  PATIENCE  DILIGENCE