The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri is an account of the metaphysical journey of Dante to heaven through the fire of hell. Through the Divine Comedy he had tried to show that the life is a journey and the ultimate aim of each human being should be to be unite with the Almighty God. In the sense conveyed by Dante, the Almighty God has created mankind to cherish his beautiful things he has placed in nature to ensure the comfort of the human beings. Hence he expects of all the human beings to lead a good and pious life and devote their lives towards the oath shown by God. The ultimate aim of every human being must be to express their concern towards the fate that shall befall on them in their lives after death.
Dante had wanted to convey that the real bliss was in the life that came after the death, not the mortal life which human beings lead on the earth. The true bliss was the bliss of the soul which was devoid of any form of physical connection, rather it consisted only of spirituality and a lifestyle that was grounded, simple and sought pleasure in the greater and transcendental pleasures of life. The narration of the journey and hardships in the Divine Comedy is a direct and unpounded presentation of what is already the Bible and its prescription therein of an ideal life that a Christian individual is supposed to observe. The theological and religious version of Spirituality is very evidently present throughout the work.
This goes as far as the literal interpretation of the text is concerned. However it would be unjustified to only take in to consideration only the literal interpretation without delving deep into the depths of the symbolism it desires to convey. Symbolically, the journey to the Almighty God is a reflection of the journey of hardships that Dante himself had undertaken in his life. The hardships also symbolize that the journey to heaven is not an easy one, it is full of obstacles and impediments. That is however not something which should deter human beings from pursuing the greater goal of life, as that is the ultimate of the lives of human beings. Through that he had also tried to show that life on earth is not easy at all despite all the comforts endowed by the Almighty God, but that does not deter human beings from pursuing their dreams and aspirations. Similarly, human beings must not be deterred from pursuing the life after death to be eternally blissful, free from the cares and worries of the mortal life on earth. The Divine Comedy is not just a reiteration of the biblical verses, but a deep insight about the human life, its purpose and a definition of spirituality. This is the basic idea that summarizes the central message of the Divine Comedy of Dante.
In this particular essay, the interpretations of the works of six chosen scholars shall be presented which seek to provide an alternative viewpoint of the Divine Comedy. A synoptic view of their basic ideas shall be provided along with a critical analysis of the insights by means of trying to identify the similarities and the differences between them.
In the article of Chevigny one can find a two-fold connection with Dante’s Divine Comedy. Dante had tried to explain hell by the imagery of fire with various forms and shapes, Chevigny had explained the same by the imagery of Desert. Dante had indicated of the necessity of leading a just life, while Chevigny had tried to explain the factor of leading a just life by mean of providing an enlistment of the vices that one is expected to avoid in order to lead a virtuous life. Dante’s Divine Comedy had a spiritual and theological undertone to it, while the analysis provided by Chevigny in his article is socially and politically relevant. He tried to show that the construction of the crimes and its gravity has its very basis in the society and its value perceptions, which on the other hand has its basis in the religious principles, having a social and historical basis. And relevance. For the purpose he had used the Divine Comedy as the basis to convey his central viewpoint that crimes are but a social construct.
Tambling had in his article tried to relate the circumstances and imageries found in several other literary sources to define hell by making the Divine Comedy as the basis. The basic aim has been by Tambling to establish the connection between the description of hell by Dante in the Divine Comedy and the aspects in texts such as Macbeth and Julius Caesar which could be related to the concept of hell as provided by Dante. Hell symbolized fire and destruction in Dante’s Divine Comedy, while in Tambling’s article he had tried to show the human actions which had the potential to send one to hell, in two Shakespearean dramas, Macbeth and Julius Caesar. Both the dramas consisted of murder and deceit which justifies the title of the article of Tambling, ‘Men of Blood.’ Tambling had tried to show that by achievements that had their basis on deceit and gruesome crime like murder was sure to send human being to hell and that symbolized that state of mind in which hell resided. Hell is not just a metaphysical idea but a living reality.
Franke had tried to explain that crime was of the status that had a similarity with the aspect of hell, not just because it derailed people from the path of heaven to hell, but also because it made the lives of people equal to hell. The effect of committing a crime is long lasting as it affects the peace of mind. A person who is devoid of the peace of mind cannot be called as one living a life worth living, and that is almost similar to living a life similar to what one is likely to experience in hell. This is the connection between Dante’s Divine Comedy and Franke’s article. Crime is an act which is not just supposed to doom the life of the individual who is directly involved in it, but also the ones who are involved in it passively. Franke had tried to synonymize hell with the state of fear which does not seem to abandon the person who commits a crime until and unless it bringd forth doom to the person. The basic argument herein is that crime never solves the problem of human beings rather, it creates more trouble.
Gillon in his article tries to explain the incident of Pope Boniface the Eighth’s arrival into hell by using the Divine Comedy as the sole basis of interpretation. The connection that had been attempted to be arrived at is that of the similarity between the description of hell by Dante and the incident which had been analyzed. The commitment of sin and the ultimate consequence of it leading one to losing oneself away from the path of virtues and good values is quite evident in Gillon’s article. Having provided that account Gillon had tried to make the connection with Divine Comedy by saying that one is likely to lose one’s soul but that should not deter that person from recovering it. That is quite similar to what Dante had talked about the journey that relentlessly should propel human beings to the path of virtue.
Harrison had attempted to make a distinction between Dante and Shakespeare by making the conception of hell as the basis. He had arrived at the conclusion that Dante’s description was more abstract, metaphysical and lacking the worldly touch. Shakespeare on the other hand was much more realistic the worldly touch is very much present in his work. Hell in Dante’s Divine Comedy is something which human beings faced in the afterlife, while Shakespeare had tried to show that hell, or even heaven is something which lies in earth itself. Harrison had not tried to show that Shakespeare is better than Dante rather the attempt was to establish the similarity between the two literary artists reflected in the description of one aspect with a different angle.
Lummus’ article is a critical analysis of Dante’s work Divine Comedy by trying to show the influence which he had generated on the works of other literary artists like Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Osip Mandelstam, Seamus Heaney, W. S. Merwin, and Robert Pinsky. The basic thrust is to showcase the fact that by means of literary masterpieces how a literary artist could bring about a change in society and its thought process. Lummus makes indications which show that Dante could be credited with the accolade of sensationalizing the topic of hell.
Having discussed about the works of the chosen authors now the discussion shall be focussing upon the aspect of locating the similarities and dissimilarities between them. The similarity which invariably cuts across the works of all the authors chosen is that they have tried to explain the concept of hell by adding their insights into the concept by keeping Dante’s conceptualization as the base. Tambling, Harrison and Lummus had tried to synthesize the Divine Comedy with the works of the other literary scholars and the conclusion that they have reached shows that the other literary artists have tried to imbibe the element of being realistic in the concept of hell as explained by Dante. Chevigny, Franke and Gillon on the other hand had taken inspiration from the work of Dante to explain hell as having a social and political basis and that it is very much relevant to human lives. Thus it can be deduced that all the literary artists have in some way or the other tried to affirm the ideas already provided by Dante without making any attempt to negate or question the thought process provided by him by any means. The insights provided by the six chosen literary artist provide the readers with an sense of ease in understanding Dante and his philosophical leanings.
Conclusion:
At the concluding section it can be said that hell or heaven or even the struggles of human lives are but a reality even though they might seem to be a metaphysical concept. The work of literary artists chosen for the sake of analysis shows that it is the task which literature devotes itself to for the sake of mankind to unfold mysteries of life and simplify them for human intellect to comprehend with ease and apply them in daily life.
References:
Chevigny, Paul G. “From Betrayal to Violence: Dante’s Inferno and the Social Construction of Crime.” Law & Social Inquiry 26.4 (2001): 787-818.
Franke, William. “Dante’s Hermeneutic Complicity in Violence and Fraud in Inferno IX–XVII.” University of Toronto Quarterly 82.1 (2013): 1-19.
Tambling, Jeremy. “Monstrous Tyranny, Men of Blood: Dante and” Inferno” XII.” The Modern Language Review (2003): 881-897.
Gillon, Fanny, et al. Inferno by Dante Alighieri (Book Analysis)?: Detailed Summary, Analysis andReadingGuide.BrightSummaries.com(2016).EBSCOhost,ccproxy.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tru&db=nlebk&AN=1236938&site=eds-live&scope=site
Lummus, David. “Dante’s Inferno: Critical Reception and Influence.” Patrick Hunt, Critical Insights: Dante’s Inferno (2011): 63-79.
Harrison, Robert Pogue. “The Love That Moves.” Critical Insights: The Inferno, Sept. 2011, pp. 35–48. EBSCOhost, ccproxy.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=69855579&site=eds-live&scope=site
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