Dante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy Essay - 596 Words

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was an Italian poet in the Middle Ages. The Divine Comedy, of which Inferno is a part, is considered the greatest literary work in the Italian language and a masterpiece. Inferno is the story of Dante the pilgrim’s journey from the dark wood of error through Hell, led by Virgil. This is Dante the pilgrims opportunity to recognize his sins; he is given the opportunity to see how the error of his ways will be punished if he does not change. In Dante’s Hell, the punishment of the sin is reflected by the nature of the sin. There are many overall themes to this work, but three specific themes are represented in the â€Å"Up on your feet passage†; letting your drive change your life, carpe diem, and pushing through all†¦show more content†¦He was lost in sin and was watching all the good things he could be doing pass by him. The â€Å"Up on your feet† passage also displays the theme of being persistent and letting that drive change your life. The lines offered to Dante the pilgrim by Virgil are profound in the respect that they offer so much upon close study. Virgil closes this speech to Dante the pilgrim by saying, â€Å"Now, therefore, rise. Control your breath, and call upon the strength of soul that wins all battles unless it sink in the gross body’s fall. There is a longer latter yet to climb: this much is not enough. If you understand me, show that you mean to profit from your time.† (Lines 52-57) Virgil is offering the literal meaning to Dante the pilgrim as get up so we can get you out of Hell. The metaphorical meaning of these lines would be to live your life to its fullest potential; one cannot be content with a life full of sin. One has to live a fair life, to himself and others, so they can progress and move on to bigger and better things. The very last line of the speech tells us that you need dedication and the will to push on to be able to make a difference in the world, or â€Å"profit from your time.† Letting your drive change your life, carpe diem, and pushing through all obstacles in your way are three of the sub-themes of Dante’s Inferno. The journey Dante the pilgrim took was symbolicShow MoreRelatedThe Divine Comedy1705 Words   |  7 Pagesthe writers that influenced this revival is Dante Alighieri, a 13th century poet from Florence, Italy. His world famous epic, La Commedia, or more commonly known as The Divine Comedy remains a poetic masterpiece depicting truth and sin. The Divine Comedy, through the journey into the three hells, expresses a universal truth of good versus evil. 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