By Dante Alighieri The Middle Ages time between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Early Modern Period divided into: Dark, High and of limited artistic rapidly centuries and cultural increasing European Late Middle Ages output, including population prosperity and historical records, when compared with later times 476 - 100 brought about great political and social change 1000 - 1300 growth came to a halt 1300 - 1500 Crisis of the Middle Ages Great Famine Black Death social unrest and endemic warfare Peasants' Revolt Hundred Years' War the Great Schism of the Catholic Church Progress in the Middle Ages within the arts and sciences renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman texts led to what has later been termed the Italian Renaissance the invention of printing era of discovery began produced writers: Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Boccaccio, Francesco Petrarch, & Geoffrey Dante Alighieri an Italian poet from Florence known as "the Supreme Poet" "Father of the Italian language“ born to a noble Florentine family embroiled in a struggle between Dante Alighieri put on trial when forces loyal to the pope seized power did not appear and was banished for two years and given a 5,000 florin fine was condemned to death by burning forced into exile and spent the last 20 years of his life wandering through Italy Dante Alighieri Onorate l'altissimo poeta “Honour the most exalted poet.” The Divine Comedy considered as the central epic poem of Italian literature composed of three canticas: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise) — canticas: composed each of 33 cantos Setting Inferno Purgatorio Paradiso Principal Characters Dante Virgil Beatrice Plot Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway Plot Dante sets out on the night before Good Friday, and finds himself in the middle of a dark wood. He sees a sunlit hill but is unable to climb it as he encounters three beasts. Beatrice, along with the Virgin Mary, sends Virgil to guide him to salvation. Plot The Nine Circles of Hell Each circle represents further and further evil It culminates in the center of the earth, where Satan is held. Each circle's sin is punished in a fashion fitting their crime. Sinners are afflicted by the chief sin they committed for all of eternity. They descend through hell and Plot All hope abandon, ye who enter here. Plot Satan is impotent, ignorant, and evil – the exact opposite of God. The two poets climb down Lucifer, passing through the center of the Plot Terraces of Purgatory It is located exactly opposite Jerusalem in the globe. As the pilgrims entered Purgatory, an angel inscribed the letter “P” on Dante’s forehead seven times. The letters were erased one by one as he made his way through the seven areas. Plot Terraces of Purgatory It was composed of terraces where inhabitants could move on to higher realms after a time of purification. Each terrace was designed to purge its dead souls of one particular deadly sin. After the seventh terrace, an angel directed Dante and Virgil Plot Virgil bid Dante farewell, for this was as far as human reason would allow a non-Christian to go. Dante noticed a beautiful garden where he was informed that across the river beside it, Beatrice waited. He expressed remorse for his sins and confessed them. Plot Nine Spheres of Heaven These are concentric and spherical, similar to Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology. Souls are allotted to the point of heaven that fits with their human ability to love God. Thus, there is a heavenly hierarchy. All parts of heaven are accessible to the heavenly soul. That is to say all experience God Plot Nine Spheres of Heaven One’s level is determined by how much one allows oneself to experience God above other things. Plot From the ninth sphere, Dante ascends to a region beyond physical existence where the souls of all the believers form the petals of an enormous rose. Beatrice leaves Dante with Saint Bernard, because theology has here reached its limits. Saint Bernard prays to Mary on behalf of Dante. Finally, Dante comes face-to-face with God Himself, and is granted understanding of the Divine and Plot In union with the Divine, Dante was left to behold the glory of God on his throne. God appears as three equally large circles within each other representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit with the essence of each part of God, separate yet one. Plot O how scant is speech And how feeble To my conception Plot Dante's soul, through God's absolute love, experiences a unification with itself and all things:already my "but desire and my will were being turned like a wheel, all at one speed by the Love that turns the sun and all the other stars.” Themes Sites of Interest http://www.divinecomedy.org/ http://web.eku.edu/flash/inferno/ http://www.worldofdante.org/ http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/in http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/paradis dex.html