StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Evaluation of Classical tradition in Dante's journey through Hell to salvation - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The values portrayed by the elements and creatures mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy as he journeys through hell (inferno), purgatory (purgatorio) and paradise (paradise) are decidedly Christian, or Roman Catholic to be specific. The very existence of the three realms of the…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.6% of users find it useful
Evaluation of Classical tradition in Dantes journey through Hell to salvation
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Evaluation of Classical tradition in Dante's journey through Hell to salvation"

An Analysis of Dante’s The Divine Comedy The values portrayed by the elements and creatures mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy as he journeys through hell (inferno), purgatory (purgatorio) and paradise (paradise) are decidedly Christian, or Roman Catholic to be specific. The very existence of the three realms of the dead are written in their ceremonial documents and are taught in the homily. Paradise for example, can be read from Luke 23:43 of the King James version, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” while hell, from Matthew 5:22, “…danger of hell fire”.

Because the Bible is the Christian basis of religious convictions and good morals, it is presumable that this is where positive influences to Dante’s journey were from. The Inferno narrates of Dante’s encounter with the sinners, and makes his own distinction between good and evil. The three beasts represent three types of sin: self-indulgence, violence and maliciousness that are deserving of relentless punishment (Davis 13). Similarly, the Bible abhors the wicked, as it states “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of the world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5-6). Nevertheless, Dante believes that God is merciful and forgiving; that to repent a sin can offer a chance to redeem oneself, and in turn, climb the path to heaven. Canto IV talks about the difficult climb to a mountain.Dante employed a large variety of mythological and ancient literary elements ranging from Centaurs to monsters as Minos, Cerberus, Plutus and Geryon.

He even incorporates mythological places like the rivers Acheron and Astyx. These were all adopted from the main contributors of the Greek and Roman mythology. Author Craig Kallendorf maintains that,Whereas Dantes philosophical prose followed the model of Cicero, the inspiration for this epic allegory derived from Virgils Aeneid, and in particular from allegorized interpretations of Aeneas descent into the underworld. for more than half the poem, Dante is guided by Virgil, who is hailed as the poets "teacher and author", and in Limbo Virgil introduces Dante to Homer, Horace, Ovid and Lucan - thus making him an heir of the classical tradition (209).

As the collection of religious writings grew over the centuries the portrayal of the gods by the ancient Greeks became more rational. The gods started to have a close resemblance to the other gods in that they developed into champions of justice, rewarding good deeds and castigating the evil. The acts of humility were also deemed worthy of the gods’ approval while conceit and uninhibited desires lead to demise. Unfortunately, in this modern world, Dante’s description of god’s punishment can be considered horrendously brutal.

For instance, when Dante reaches the lowest pit of hell, he finds the three worst sinners sticking out of Satan’s mouth: Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus; Brutus and Cassius, the murderers of Julius Caesar (Inferno, Canto 34). Homosexuals are to endure walking on burning sand, while loan sharks are to sit beneath a rain of fire for eternity. Ovid has the same notion of punishment as evident in Book VII of Metamorphoses. It tells of the tragic fate suffered by Medea for betraying her own father by helping Jason get the golden fleece.

In Ovid’s time, loyalty is among the most venerated characters. Cities depend on one another at war, believing that alliance is an ultimate weapon and the way to peace. Accordingly, treachery is harshly punished, and is considered the worst crime in Rome. Works CitedKallendorf, Craig. A Companion to the Classical Tradition. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2007. Print.Davis, Anita P. Dantes The Divine Comedy I, Inferno. New York: Research & Education Association, 2001. Print

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Evaluation of Classical tradition in Dante's journey through Hell to Essay”, n.d.)
Evaluation of Classical tradition in Dante's journey through Hell to Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1582216-evaluation-of-classical-tradition-in-dantes-journey-through-hell-to-salvation
(Evaluation of Classical Tradition in Dante'S Journey through Hell to Essay)
Evaluation of Classical Tradition in Dante'S Journey through Hell to Essay. https://studentshare.org/literature/1582216-evaluation-of-classical-tradition-in-dantes-journey-through-hell-to-salvation.
“Evaluation of Classical Tradition in Dante'S Journey through Hell to Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1582216-evaluation-of-classical-tradition-in-dantes-journey-through-hell-to-salvation.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Evaluation of Classical tradition in Dante's journey through Hell to salvation

The Spiritual Significance of Walking Has for Older People

The researcher prepared 12 questions related to this The researcher also had to wade through many previous literatures, online articles, journals, and so on to help support this research.... Another notable thing that the researcher attempts to convey through this dissertation is that the term ‘spirituality' has undergone changes during the course of time and as such, nowadays we do not entirely connect it to religion, as practiced in ancient times.... The researcher has attempted his best to justify the topic through different diagrams and the perceptions of the members of different walking groups....
32 Pages (8000 words) Essay

The Benefits of Using Derivatives

Often those exchange involves can be cash flow or another financial instruments, the value can vary during the term of contracts.... Forwards, futures, swaps, and option are the common example of… In this case however, it deals with the instruments which are described as commodity derivatives....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Investment Valuation

Taking a consideration of the available market, an analysis of the amount of income from leasing over a given period of time was undertaken to help determine the expected amount… From the analysis, the market at Moorfoot area is very promising. Consequently, the market is likely to reward the investors very heavily....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework

Classical Tradition

The thirst to create something new draws Keats into the netherworld and he is rewarded not with spiritual bliss or salvation but with knowledge.... Keats uses descriptions of hell from earlier works of literature.... Prominent among these would of course, be Dante Alighieri's work, Divine Comedy, where the protagonist descends into hell in order to gain a better understanding of the cosmos.... The god of the dead lays down one condition for the success of Orpheus's mission- he would lead his wife out of hell but would not be allowed to turn back to see whether she was following him....
4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

Company Valuation Methods by Fernndez

). These methods want to compute the company's value through the amount of its earnings, sales, and other indicators (p.... The author provided a real-life example to exemplify the valuation of businesses through its break-up value, which will explain how cash flow valuation will help understand its “value” in more realistic and measurable terms. Reference Fernández, P....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Firm Valuation

This essay tells that valuation refers to the process of determining the value of terms.... This is in term of finance where this essay will entail information of valuation in terms of finance.... Firm valuation, therefore, refers to the process of estimating what items in an organization are worth....
12 Pages (3000 words) Term Paper

Residual Valuation for Goliath

The tradition in residual valuation is applying an average of seven percent contingency allowance depending on estimates of costs of a building.... hellip; The author states that costs of building constitute the largest risk on the side of costs under residual evaluation....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Proposal

Definition of Valuation Land

In the evaluation process, various challenges are faced which require appropriate planning and strategies.... "Definition of Valuation Land" paper argues that valuation planning forms an important aspect in ensuring the land that is selected meets the required criteria.... This ensures that there are better services that have been allotted to the community members in a given region....
7 Pages (1750 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us