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The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is titled as one of the greatest poems written in Medieval Europe. Originally written in Italian, it has quickly become the favorite among average readers, literary experts, and schools. In this epic, Dante records his view of the medieval Christian beliefs, being the first to truly portray sin and punishment by taking you through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.  I personally believe that this work is not only fascinating but educational, and should be preserved for future generations to learn from.

Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet born in Florence, 1265. When he turned 20 in 1285 he married a woman named Gemma di Manetto Donati with whom he had four children; Jacopo, Pietro, Giovanni and Antonia. Even though he was madly in love with a girl named Beatrice Portinari, it was custom of his time to be ‘promised’ to another at an early age, regardless of love, to secure family truces and relationships (Dante Alighieri - Biography and Works).

Deeply involved in politics, Dante had been in the midst of a medieval rivalry between Germany and Italy. The two parties involved in this civil war were the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. Guelphs—the side Dante was on, were represented by democratic middle and merchant classes. They desired a constitutional government and looked to the Pope for help against the Ghibellines. On the other side, the Ghibellines were aristocratic, disdainful of the church, and supported the emperor. Their leader, Ezzelino da Romano, was a tyrant and was as depicted so in Dante’s Inferno.

Unfortunately, the Guelphs encountered a family feud.  Two branches of the Cancellieri family quarreled over a family murder which resulted in the splitting of the party. There was now the Blacks (Neri family) and Whites (Bianchi family) (Guelphs and Ghibellines). Dante had fallen into the White party and fought alongside them in the battle of Campaldino in 1289. In 1302, When the Black Guelphs ascended to power, Dante and the entirety of the Whites were exiled; condemned to death by burning should they ever be caught again in Florence (Liukkonen, Petri).

When Beatrice died in June 1290 at the age of 24, Dante wrote his first published writing, La Vita Nuova, to express his love for her.  But it was during his exile that his body of work flourished. During this time he wrote Il Convivo (1307 unfinished), De Vulgari Eloquentia (1304-07), De Monarchia (1313), Ecolgues (1319-20), and Quaestio De Situ Aque Et Terre (1320). However, none of these works are as recognized as La commedia (1308-1321), or as we know it, The Divine Comedy. The three books that make up this bestseller are called The Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. They are written in groups of 3 lines called tercets and are arranged into 100 cantos in 3 parts; 34 for the Inferno, and 33 each for Purgatorio and Paradiso. The number 3 in Dante's time was significant because it was considered holy since the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost comprises the Trinity (Liukkonen, Petri).

Taking place on Black Friday in 1300, the story begins with Dante lost in the woods. He comes upon a hill that is blocked by 3 beasts and he is unable to pass. Virgil suddenly appears and tells him that Beatrice is in Heaven and has asked Virgil to save Dante from his sinful ways. Virgil then takes him through the beasts and into the depths of hell.

There he descends through 9 circles of individual sins, each with their own punishments. In order, the circles are as follows: Limbo, Lustful, Gluttonous, Misers and Spendthrifts, Wrathful and Sullen, Heretics, Violent, Fraudulent, and finally Traitors. The farther down you go, the more severe the sin; Satan resides at the bottom with the traitors. Some of the circles have sub-circles that break down the sin into more specifics, one being the violent—it is broken down into violence against self (suicides), violence against God (blasphemers), and violence against others (murderers). Each sub-circle has its individual punishment.

After witnessing the horrors that sin brings, they exit Hell and move into Purgatory. There are seven terraces that they must pass through, each one representing one of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Sloth, and Greed. In Inferno sins are punished, but in Purgatory they are purged. What looks like punishment is actually a lesson so that the soul can be cleansed in preparation for their ascension to Heaven. Victims of pride walk with a permanent hunch so they are bellow everyone else. The gluttonous are starved, and the wrathful are blinded with smoke.

Finally, Dante is ready to move to Heaven where Virgil hands him off to his love Beatrice. Just like in the Inferno and Purgatory, Heaven has levels referred to as spheres. The higher the sphere, the farther from earth it is. The first nine are within our physical realm while the tenth sphere is outside space and time, and is the true paradise. The spheres are grouped as followed: The Inconstant, Ambitious, Lovers, The Wise, Warriors of Faith, Just Rulers, The Contemplatives, The Faithful, and the Angels. God resides in the tenth sphere called The Empyrean. The book ends when Dante reaches the tenth sphere and becomes one with God.

Dante’s poem surpasses epics such as Iliad, Odyssey, and Beowulf which all focused on make-believe individuals that are borrowed from legends and myths.  On the other hand, The Divine Comedy gets its story from Dante’s own imagination, and includes actual people from everywhere, and presents life as a spiritual journey in which one must overcome sin to achieve the ultimate goal of eternal bliss with God (Divine Comedy Study). It is even said by the Catholic Encyclopedia that the comedy represents “the beginning of the Renaissance; it gives a complete picture of Catholicism in the thirteenth century in Italy.”

After The Divine Comedy was released, it was quickly sought after by everyone; although, the printing press had not been invented yet, and each copy had to be hand written. Having a means to print today, countless poets have attempted to translate the Italian writing, however, it is considered unfortunate if you are unable to read the original Italian text and thus savor Dante's masterpiece in its original language. In February 2010, EA Games got on board with the inferno fame and released a Dante’s Inferno video game for Xbox and PS3—selling $225,000 in sales during its first month (chacha).

Dante Alighieri died one year after finishing the Divine Comedy in September 1321. In his wake the world of literature exploded. Never before has the world seen the likes of The Divine Comedy. Its message is the warning that actions in this life bring inevitable consequences in the next (Fiero, Gloria K), it is my belief that such lessons should never be forgotten, and The Divine Comedy needs to be preserved for own spiritual future.

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<span style="text-decoration: underline">CITATION</span>
<ul>
	<li>"Dante Alighieri - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss." <em>The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays &amp; Summaries</em>. Jalic Inc. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.online-literature.com/dante/&gt;.</li>
	<li>"Divine Comedy Study Guide." <em>Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other Authors</em>. Web. 19 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides2/DivineCom.html#Plot&gt;.</li>
	<li>Fiero, Gloria K. "The Christian Way of Life and Death." <em>The Humanistic Tradition</em>. 6th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. B2.104+. Print.</li>
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<ul>
	<li>Gardner, Edmund. "Dante Alighieri." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: RobertAppleton Company, 1908. 15 Mar. 2011 &lt;http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04628a.htm&gt;.</li>
	<li>"Guelphs and Ghibellines." <em>Rete Dante Alighieri - Spazio Web Gratis ---- Dante Alighieri Network -- Free Web Space</em>. Cambridge. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.dantealighieri.net/cambridge/guelphs.html&gt;.</li>
	<li>Liukkonen, Petri. "Dante." <em>Www.kirjasto.sci.fi</em>. 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://kirjasto.sci.fi/dante.htm&gt;.</li>
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