Tag: Dante

Women Protrayed in Boccaccio & Dante.

Throughout the entirety of this semester, we have read several pieces of Italian literature by some well-known literary scholars/figures. We started from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy and ended on Niccolai Machiavelli’s The Prince. But the two texts that I found the most thrilling to read and that grasped my attention were Boccaccio’s The Decameron and Dante’s The Divine Comedy. During the times that both of these works were written, women had no power, rights, or say in anything socially. While men were supposed to be strong, powerful, and “manly”, women were expected to be compliant, weak, and naive. As we analyzed both texts we discovered that women were portrayed in a different light than how they were treated in those times. Boccaccio illustrated most women from his tales to have more of a say and less dependence on men. Dante had a similar approach but executed it in the way of showcasing women as important goddess-like figures. 

In Boccaccio’s The Decameron, the women stated in the tales told were extremely strong. Now they were mentally strong, not the type of strength that men are usually known for. An example of this being true was on the tenth story on the tenth day, where a woman named Griselda had several “tricks” played on her by her husband that held heavy topics. One of the many tricks her husband Gualtieri played on her was when he told her that her children were sent to be killed due to the fact that she was a villager and not royal. Despite the fact that she loved her kids she agreed to have them killed, little did she know that her husband was sending them to a boarding school in Bologna. Having her go through all this emotional and mental distress from her husband and still manage to take him back, in the end, shows how strong-willed and how strong she is mental. Given the time, of course, Griselda was compliant towards all of Gualtieri’s tricks, all she wanted was for his happiness even if they got in the way or affected her own. “My lord, do with me as thou mayst deem best for thine own honor and comfort, for well I wot that I am of less account than they, and unworthy of this honorable estate to which of thy courtesy thou hast advanced me.” (029) As a result of the way women were treated in those times, she felt as though she didn’t deserve all that she received by marrying a Marquis, but is still strong enough to put up with his tricks. But this isn’t the only time that Boccacio has presented a story about a strong woman. In many stories than this one woman was at the basis of deceiving men, they were able to use their knowledge and the little power they possessed to trick men who believed they were better than them. In one instance, the second-day ninth story, Filomena told a story about a woman named Zinevra and how she was dragged up into a lie and deceived everyone into having the truth revealed. While her husband was away from Italy and in Paris with some other lads, they were all discussing how they didn’t care what their wives do when they are away because they relinquish the moment and enjoy any woman they come across. To which Bernabò, Zinevra”s husband opposed by stating that his wife would never set eyes on another man and that she was noble as a knight. Bernabò’s claim was challenged by a man named Ambrogio, so much so that they made a bet. They betted that if Ambrogiulo could sleep with Zinevra and get her intimate clothes as proof and bring it back to Paris to show her husband he had to pay him 6,000 florins. Ambrogio convinced a friend of Zinevra’s to sneak him into her room via a trunk, to which the friend agreed. At night while Zinevra was asleep he got out of the trunk, took one of Zinevra’s undergarments and examined her naked body. He went back to her husband, gave him his findings and got paid the 6000 florins. Bernabò was crushed and planned to kill Zinevra, of course, was confused. Zinevra convinces the servant sent to kill her to let her go and in return, she will keep him off the hook. She disguised herself as a cabin boy in a ship and changed her name. Once she got to Paros she heard Ambrogiulo bragging about how he “slept” with Zinevra which answered the question she thought of while pleading with the servant “ “ Mercy for God’s sake; make not thyself the murderer of one that has done thee no wrong, at the behest of another. The all-seeing God knows that I never ought to merit such a requital at my husband’s hands.  But enough of this for the present: there is a way in which thou canst serve at once God and thy master and myself, if thou wilt do as I bid thee: take, then, these clothes of mine and give me in exchange just thy doublet and a hood; and carry the clothes with thee to my lord and thine, and tell him that thou hast slain me; and I swear to thee by the life which I shall have received at thy hands, that I will get me gone, and there abide whence news of me shall never reach either him or thee or these parts. ”.” (026) After hearing that she took it upon herself to try and expose Ambrogiulo of his lies. Successful in her endeavors she revealed her true identity, exposed Ambrogiulo”s lies, and had Bernabò on his knees begging her to forgive him. In this story not only do we get a story where a woman is strong/brave enough to try and convince the man who is about to take her life to spare her and was smart, independent enough to disguise herself and uncover the truth and expose Ambrogio. 

See the source image
beatrice by gustave dore

In Dante, although he took a somewhat different approach in the way he decided to showcase women it overall displayed them to be somewhat praised and empowered. In the Divine Comedy, a pilgrim named Dante is taken through this journey from Inferno to Purgatorio all the way to heaven also known as Paradiso. In the beginning, when Dante the pilgrim is at the beginning of his journey near the entrance to hell (inferno) he is beyond frightened and lost. Thankfully due to the help from Beatrice, the true hero in his story, he was able to go through Inferno. Beatrice resided in Paradiso and witnessed as Dante the pilgrim’s faith was slowly slipping away so finally, she sent for Virgil to help guide Dante and protect him in his journey. “Among those was I who were in suspense, And a fair, saintly Lady called to me. In such wise, I beseech her to command me…A friend of mine, and not the friend of fortune, Upon the desert slope is so impeded. Upon his way, that he has turned through terror, And may, I fear, already be so lost, That I too late have risen to his succour, From that which I have heard of him in Heaven….Beatrice am I, who do bid thee go; I come from there, where I would fain return; Love moved me, which compelleth me to speak…‘O Lady of virtue, thou alone through whom The human race exceedeth all contained Within the heaven that has the lesser circles, So grateful unto me is thy commandment, To obey, if ’twere already done, were late; No farther need’st thou ope to me thy wish. (Inferno, canto 2) Despite her few appearances and mentionings she still remains one of the most important female figures in the entire piece of literature. If it weren’t for her sending Virgil Dante wouldn’t have made it far within Inferno. With all the horrors that inhabit the 9 rings of hell, it is less than likely that Dante wouldn’t have made it out safely and with his faith. With her stance as almost a guardian angel, she is mentioned as kind, generous and independent. 

Within both Boccaccio’s Decameron and Dante’s Divine Comedy their ability to empower and illustrate women in a different light than how they were normally perceived in the 14yth century is why they remain the two most entertaining pieces of Italian literature to indulge in compared to the rest discussed in class. From the way, Boccaccio displays women’s mental and emotional strength as well as intelligence to Dante’s Beatrice demonstrating the power and independence of a woman. Both show how the women in their tales didn’t need men, and how in fact the men needed the women. Beginning with Gualtier’s desire to have a woman who was compassionate and could stand by him, to Bernabò’s mistake of almost executing his wife, to finally Dante’s need for guidance. The women in their stories not only helped and guided them but showed their independence/strength along the way. 

Work cited 

“DANTE ALIGHIERI THE DIVINE COMEDY HELL (Inferno) Canto 2 ENG.” Yeye Book, unknown, www.yeyebook.com/en/dante-alighieri-the-divine-comedy-hell-inferno-canto-2-eng. Accessed 14 Dec. 2021.

Alighieri, Dante. “The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno” ProQuest eBook Central, 29 Feb. 1996, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ccny-ebooks/reader.action?docID=693941

Brown Students. “Second Day – Novel IX.” Decamaron Web, Brown Students, 15 Feb. 2010, www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/texts/DecShowText.php?lang=eng&myID=nov0209&expand=day02.

Brown Students . “Tenth Day – Novel X.” Decamaron Web, Brown Students, 15 Feb. 2010, www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/texts/DecShowText.php?myID=nov1010&lang=eng.

The Portrayal of Women In Italian Literature

Over the course of this class, we’ve discussed and analyzed many famous Italian authors who are widely regarded as some of the greats within their field. However, while these authors remain influential today, their works were published at a point in history where women were generally considered to be inferior to men and were often forced into lesser roles in society. As a result of this, we can see the influence of gender roles and its impact on the representation of women in Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, Boccaccio’s ‘The Decameron’, and Petrarch’s ‘Canzoniere’. 

‘The Divine Comedy’ focuses on the journey that Dante, the pilgrim, takes through Hell, Purgatory, and eventually Heaven (referred to as ‘Paradise’ within the text). Over the course of this journey, Dante speaks to countless souls that have moved on to the afterlife and writes about their stories. However, men tend to dominate these conversations while women are sidelined. In fact, there are only two significant women in ‘The Divine Comedy’ that we discussed: Francesca and Beatrice. Francesca first appears in Canto 5, which centers around the second circle of Hell – lust; Dante asks Francesca and Paolo ended up being damned, to which Francesca recounts the story of reading ‘Lancelot du lac’ with her lover and that “one point alone was the one that overpowered us” (canto 5, lines 131-132). While Dante feels pity for the couple, as apparent from him fainting as the canto ends, he still believes that they should be punished for their love. In canto 3, the gates of Hell read “Justice moved my high maker; divine power made me, highest wisdom, and primal love” (Canto 3, lines 4-6), which makes it evidently clear that Dante believes all souls in Hell deserve their punishment, no matter how much pity he feels. On the other hand, we have Beatrice, who plays a significant role in Dante’s literature as a whole. In ‘The Divine Comedy’, Beatrice is the woman who made Dante’s journey possible in the first place. As opposed to Francesca, who Dante shuns for her sin, Beatrice is the exact opposite; he reveres Beatrice as graceful, beautiful, and holy. This is especially evident once we reach ‘Paradiso’, as Beatrice is the woman who allows Dante to come into contact with God, which is shown in the quote “The role that Dante assigns to her is reminiscent of the role that Christ plays in allowing humans to know God and achieve Heaven” (Carey, 2007, p.93). The portrayal of these two women are obviously very different, which makes it clear that Dante believes women should embody purity like Beatrice, and that those like Francesca who do not, should be punished. 

An illustration of Beatrice guiding Dante by Gustave Dore in 1857 (from: Gustave Doré – Dante Alighieri – Inferno – plate 7 (Beatrice Stock Photo. Alamy . (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-gustave-dor-dante-alighieri-inferno-plate-7-beatrice-137875413.html)

On the other hand, we have ‘The Decameron’ which features several stories centering around women. As opposed to Dante, Boccaccio depicts many strong, witty women that are able to stand up for themselves despite the stigma around doing so at the time. A prime example of this is seen in the story of the Madonna Filippa, which is the 7th story of the 6th day; This story centers around Filippa, who is caught cheating on her husband and is then taken to trial, where she could be put to death if found guilty. Instead of denying her crime, she admits to the judge that she was guilty of adultery and defends her actions by stating that she’s never denied her husband anything, that she simply has surplus love to give and asks the judge “Am I to cast it to the dogs? Is it not much better to bestow it on a gentleman that loves me more dearly than himself, than to suffer it to come to nought or worse?” (line 17). Seemingly through her wit alone, she’s able to get the crowd and judge on her side, and gets the law changed such that only women who commit adultery for money are punished. However, upon further inspection, this story isn’t as empowering as it seems. Firstly, while many women in The Decameron stand up for themselves (which was revolutionary in literature at the time), they generally don’t challenge specific laws or roles placed on women by society. This rings true for Filippa as well. She does challenge the law on her own, but even after her defense, it remains put in place and is only changed such that “thenceforth only such women as should wrong their husbands for money should be within its purview” (line 18); Filippa is only able to change the law to fit her given circumstances rather than calling for the abolition of said statute, or to have men included in it’s punishment. Additionally, Boccaccio seems to allude that Filippa’s beauty played a big part in her success. As Marcel Janssens states, women in The Decameron are often able to succeed in defending themselves “provided she is beautiful, witty, and tricky” (Wright, 1991, p. 27), and Filippa falls into this category as well. Early on in this story, it’s stated that Filippa’s beauty and poised nature caused the judge to feel sympathetic towards her, as shown in the quote “The Podestà, surveying her, and taking note of her extraordinary beauty, and exquisite manners, and the high courage that her words evinced, was touched with compassion for her” (line 11). While Filippa made a compelling argument that was able to get the crowd on her side, the prior quote begs the question: If Filippa did not have her “extraordinary beauty”, would she have been as successful?

Finally, we have Petrarch, whose work is unique as it only focuses on one woman: Laura. Despite nearly all of Petrarch’s poems being centered around his love for Laura (even after her death), she never actually speaks in any of his work. Instead, Petrarch decides to speak about her and describe how much he loves her, rather than depicting any direct interactions the two may have had. Similar to the depictions of Beatrice in ‘The Divine Comedy’, Petrarch describes Laura as if she’s a holy figure rather than a normal woman. This is especially seen in sonnet 90, where he states “The way she walked was not the way of mortals but of angelic forms;” (lines 9-10) and refers to her as “a godly spirit and a living sun” (line 12). While Petrarch clearly loves Laura deeply and praises her highly, this does little to let the reader know who she was as a person in real life. Due to Laura’s lack of a voice within the text, Nancy Vickers points out that “bodies fetishized by a poetic voice logically do not have a voice of their own; the world of making words, of making texts, is not theirs” (Cox, 2005, p. 3). Ultimately, Petrarch’s depiction of Laura is one that many women deem to be fetishizing, as she seemingly has no thoughts or words of her own and is only seen through the eyes of the poet.

An engraving that depicts both Laura and Petrarch done by Antonio Salamanca (from: Antonio Salamanca (1500-62) – Laura and Petrarch. Royal Collection Trust. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.rct.uk/collection/809553/laura-and-petrarch)

Overall, Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch are all very influential authors, and their works should still be taught and read today due to how much they’ve impacted literature as we know it. However, it’s also important to note that these works were products of their time, which is evidently clear from how each author portrays women; ranging from Boccaccio’s depiction of women who use their wits and beauty to get what they want, to Petrarch and Dante’s love interests who embody holiness. 

Citations:

  1. Dante, A. D. (1996). The divine comedy of dante alighieri : Inferno. Oxford University Press USA – OSO. 
  2. Carey, Brooke L., “Le Donne di Dante: An Historical Study of Female Characters in The Divine Comedy” (2007). Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects. 573. https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/573
  3. Decameron web. Decameron Web | Texts. (2010, February 15). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/texts/DecShowText.php?myID=nov0607&lang=eng 
  4. WRIGHT, E. C. (1991). Marguerite Reads Giovanni: Gender and Narration in the “Heptaméron” and the “Decameron.” Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme, 15(1), 21–36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43445607 
  5.   Cox, V. (2005). Sixteenth-century women Petrarchists and the legacy of Laura. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.projectcontinua.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16th-C-Women-Petrarchists-and-the-Legacy-of-Laura.pdf  
  6. Petrarca, Francesco, Selected Poems from the Canzoniere
  7. Antonio Salamanca (1500-62) – Laura and Petrarch. Royal Collection Trust. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.rct.uk/collection/809553/laura-and-petrarch  
  8. Gustave Doré – Dante Alighieri – Inferno – plate 7 (Beatrice Stock Photo. Alamy . (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-gustave-dor-dante-alighieri-inferno-plate-7-beatrice-137875413.html 

The Divine Feminine

The role of women in our society has long been a topic of discussion. Though it is much more common to see examples of liberated women in today’s literature and in all respective forms of media, this wasn’t always the case. Female writers were often excluded from the scene, which meant that their stories were usually told through the lens of men. This is part of the reason why there was such a profuse amount of dependent and submissive female roles in literary work. However, there is always an exception to every rule; three Italian writers, who aside from contributing to the Renaissance, also displayed forward-thinking in their writing. Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, and Giovanni Boccaccio have all credited women for being their main source of inspiration. They have also presented strong examples of female characters which reinforces the idea that women have a right to occupy spots in literary spaces.

In The Divine Comedy, Alighieri takes us on a journey through the different realms that are commonly referred to as the Christian afterlife: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. When Dante the pilgrim wakes up in a dark forest, right beyond the entrance of Inferno, he is visibly frightened and in need of some guidance. That is where Beatrice steps in; his savior in the story, but also his muse in the real world. She watched as Dante strayed further away from his faith, and wanted nothing more than to guide him to the light. She sends Virgil to protect Dante while he makes his way through Hell and witnesses all the atrocities first-hand. At one point, Dante confesses, “Oh full of pity she who has helped me! and you courteous, who have quickly obeyed the true words she offered you! Your words have so filled my heart with desire to come with you, that I have returned to my first purpose” (Inferno, Canto 2). In other words, Dante is attributing his will to Beatrice’s generosity and kindness. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Beatrice’s role in The Divine Comedy, is that Dante characterizes her as a religious figure rather than a normal lover. She has an undisputed divine nature throughout the story and plays such an important role in the pilgrim’s salvation (Beatrice: Inspiration, Divine Love, and the Key to Salvation). Although her moments in the Comedy were few and far between, she strikes me as one of the most notable figures in the entire story and the antithesis of a woman who relies on a man.

Beatrice depicted by Dante Gabriel Rosetti.

In Il Canzoniere, Petrarca professes his love for his muse with hundreds of poems. The vast majority of these poems are written in sonnet form and they detail an array of emotions, from when he first fell in love with Laura to when she passed away. In sonnet 90, for example, he describes her appearance to us in a thoughtful manner and portrays her as a source of light in his life. He says, “She’d let her gold hair flow free in the breeze and whirled it into thousands of sweet knots … The way she walked was not the way of mortals but of angelic forms, and when she spoke more than an earthly voice it was that sang.” Though it was not uncommon for Italian poets to dedicate sonnets for the women they admired, Petrarca’s love for Laura was especially haunting because his passion for her only multiplied after she passed. He expressed his heavy feelings about her death in sonnet 319, where he says that his days seem to just pass him by now that she’s gone. Furthermore, he calls the world “wretched” and “arrogant” for taking Laura away and leaving him in a broken state. It’s evident that Petrarca thinks very highly of Laura, but more than anything, I think this also communicates just how much he values the women in his life. After her death, Petrarca had a tough time getting by because of how lost and abandoned he felt. When her soul moved on to the Heavens, as he said, a piece of him died too. Without her, he felt vulnerable and incomplete.

Petrarch and Laura de Noves, Ashmolean Museum.

Boccaccio’s The Decameron was written at the height of the Bubonic plague. Death and grief overtook all of Europe as sickness spread from one person to another. One of the main reasons he wrote The Decameron was, of course, for entertainment. As you could imagine, humor and joy were very scarce given the circumstances. However, Boccaccio also mentions in the preface of The Decameron, that he’s dedicating this work to women. He writes, “the ladies just mentioned will, perhaps, derive from the delightful things that happen in these tales both pleasure and useful counsel, inasmuch as they will recognize what should be avoided and what should be sought after. This, I believe, can only result in putting an end to their melancholy.” Simply put, he hopes that the women reading his work will take notice of the good and the bad, and possibly apply it to their own lives. Boccaccio also gives women the opportunity to recount the parables in The Decameron, as well as lead them. In a lot of the stories, there’s a common theme of men who try to outsmart their female counterparts, to no avail. With this, he implies that women can in fact be superior in terms of skill, which is something that has long been missing in fictional and historical texts alike (Kulshrestha).

To conclude, imbedded in these three written pieces by revolutionary contemporaries are high commends for the women who make them feel complete. Whether it’s done by depicting them as religious figures, describing how lost they feel without them or dedicating their work to them, these men gave women a leading role in their stories during a time period where women were seen as subordinate to men.

Work Cited

Alighieri, Dante. “The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno” ProQuest eBook Central, 29 Feb. 1996, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ccny-ebooks/reader.action?docID=693941

“Beatrice: Inspiration, Divine Love, and the Key to Salvation” Digication EPortfolio, Boston University, 24 Oct. 2010, https://bu.digication.com/wr100B1_challenerjn/Final_Draft2 

Petrarca, Francesco. “Il Canzoniere”

Boccaccio, Giovanni. “The Decameron”

Kulshrestha, Sujay. “Giovanni Boccaccio’s ‘the Decameron’ and the Roles of Men and Women.” Inquiries Journal, 1 Dec. 2010, http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/344/giovanni-boccaccios-the-decameron-and-the-roles-of-men-and-women

Religion represented in Dante, Petrarch, and Machiavelli

Dante Alighieri’s portrait by Sandro Botticelli, 1495, Portrait of Petrarch by Florentine School, Portrait Of Niccolo Machiavelli By Santi Di Tito A

Religion is mentioned in the works of Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, and Niccolò Machiavelli. Religion is the belief in a God or Gods by a group of people. During the time of Machiavelli and Dante, there was religious and political unrest. Dante lived during the conflict between the pope and emperors. People who backed the pope are known as Guelphs, whereas those who backed the emperor are known as Ghibelline. Petrarch was a Christian who was religious. In their writings, Dante, Machiavelli, and Petrarca all portray religion in different ways.

The concept of Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” is deeply religious. It discusses inferno, paradisio, and purgatorio, which are all aspects of the Christian afterlife. Sinners are punished by God in Dante’s inferno with a penalty according to their sin. This is called contrapasso. This is how he constructs the good versus evil narrative in his work. Evil is punished and good is praised. For example in canto 25 of inferno, the souls of thieves are being punished by having their physical form merge into a serpent. Dante writes that “At the end of his words the thief raised his hands with both the figs, crying: “Take them, God, I’m aiming at you!” From then on snakes have been my friends, because one of them wrapped itself around his neck…”( Canto 25, line ). This shows that Dante is in agreement with the justice that is displayed to the sinners. The line “From then on snakes have been my friends” suggests that Dante thinks the sinners deserved to be punished. This also shows the use of contrapasso. Since the thief stole other people’s belongings, they are punished by taking the only thing they have left, their human form. Furthermore, canto 5 also shows how evil gets punished. In this canto, the spirit Francesca had an affair with her husband’s brother Paolo. Her husband kills both of them. They both weep as the story is being told. Their punishment is an “infernal whirlwind, which never rests, drives the spirits before it’s violence..”. Their sin was lust. This punishment was formed to leave them in their passion as their in the wind forever. Dante feels bad for them as they tell the story. This demonstrates that, while they had a love for each other, they still did something wrong. They must be punished for it.

Petrarca’s Il Canzoniere depicts his struggle with devotion to God. Throughout his sonnets, he sees God as someone to be followed. Petrarch, unlike Dante, does not feel that love is a good thing. He regards it as a distraction from his devotion to God. His account of his sentiments for Laura demonstrates the conflict between love and God. He believes that other possessions are a distraction as well. In canzone 81, Petrarch writes that “ I am weary under the ancient burden of my sins and evil ways, That I fear I shall faint beside the road and fall into the hands of my enemy”(paragraph 1). This line expresses Petrarch’s fear of straying away from God and “fall into the hands of my enemy”. He’s worried that his old sins will ruin his reputation with God. He is so consumed with being good that he is constantly distressed about making a mistake. Furthermore, he sees his love for Laura as something that can threaten salvation. For example, in canzone 264, Petrarch expresses his pity for loving Laura so much. He states “I’m always thinking, and I’m caught in thought by such abundant pity for myself that often I am led to weeping for a different kind of grief:” (paragraph 1). This shows Petrarch reflecting on how his love may have cost him. He is in agony over it.

Religion is not taken as seriously in Machiavelli’s “The Prince” as it is in Dante’s and Petrarch’s works. He advises leaders not to adhere to religion but asserts that it is beneficial to their appearance. Machiavelli was not a religious man and even criticized it. He believes that it is important to be immoral and violent when it’s necessary. For example, in chapter 11, Machiavelli states that “It only remains now to speak of ecclesiastical principalities, touching which, because they are acquired either by capacity or good fortune, and they can be held without either, for they are sustained by the ancient ordinance of religion, which are so all-powerful” (paragraph 1). This displays Machiavelli’s sarcastic tone towards religion by referring to it as “which are so all-powerful”. He doesn’t believe that they can effectively defend their states with the rules of religion. He thinks that ecclesiastical principalities cannot defend. In religion, morality is too important. This morality can influence the ruler’s decision in negative ways.

 Dante, Petrarch, and Machiavelli all have different perspectives on religion. Dante and Petrarch share the same belief in the importance of following God. Petrarch shows more of his struggles with God than Dante. Machiavelli does not place the same value on religion because it is ineffective for ruling. Machiavelli places very little value on the benefits of religion. How does he feel about the community being religious? Can Machiavelli and Dante relate to the corruption in religion since they were born in Florence? Dante has written other works in reference to God and religion. He’s focused on the unpredictableness of God in Il Convivio, De Monarchia, and the “Letter to Can Grande.” 

Marciano, Lisa. “‘Our God Is a God of Surprises’: The Mystery of God in Dante’s Writings.” Christianity & literature 68.4 (2019): 580–604. Web.

Dante Alighieri, Dante et al. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno. Cary: Oxford University Press USA – OSO, 1996. Print.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm#pref01

Petrarca, Francesco, 1304-1374. Petrarch’s Canzoniere in the English Renaissance. Amsterdam ; New York :Rodopi, 2005.

The Depiction of Love and Women

Throughout The Divine Comedy by Dante and Il Canzoniere by Petrarca, women and love are portrayed in very similar ways that intrigued me. During this course, I loved reading these particular texts because these authors’ portrayals of love and women were very enlightening and movie-like. They portrayed women as very delicate goddesses, which is my most preferable way to read about women. Growing up, I loved to read fairy tales about princesses falling in love and happily ever after. In these texts by Dante and Petrarca, they brought me back to my younger reading days, and they stuck with me a lot more because of that.

In The Divine Comedy, Dante writes and vividly describes his journey through hell in search to finally reach heaven. In Inferno, the poem about hell, he describes his path through the different circles of hell. He is guided by a Roman poet by the name of Virgil, who was sent to him by his love, Beatrice. Each circle represents a different sin. There was a circle for gluttony, wrath, heretics, and many more. However, before Dante entered the gates of Hell, he was unsure if he should do it or not. It was his love and devotion to see Beatrice that motivated him to take on his journey. Beatrice wanted him to take on this journey, so she along with two other women sent for Virgil. For instance, in Canto 2 of the Inferno, Beatrice states, “O Mantuan Shade, in courtesy complete, whose fame survives on earth, nor less shall grow through all the ages, while the world hath seat; a friend of mine, with fortune for his foe, has met with hindrance on his desert way, and, terror-smitten, can no further go, but turns; and that he is too far astray, and that I rose too late for help, I dread, from what in heaven concerning him they say. Go, with thy speech persuasive him bestead, and with all needful help his guardian prove, That touching him I may be comforted. Know, it is Beatrice seeks thee thus to move. Thence come I where I to return am fain: my coming and my plea are ruled by love. When I shall stand before my Lord again, often to him I will renew thy praise.” This pledge from Beatrice shows how much she truly loves Dante and wants him to get guidance while he goes through hell. She said that she is coming to him out of love for Dante, which was very pure hearted. Dante then states, “When of these words she spoken had the last, she turned aside bright eyes which tears did fill, and I by this was urged to greater haste. And so it was I joined thee by her will. As flowers, by chills nocturnal made to pine and shut themselves, when touched by morning bright upon their stems arise, full-blown and fine; so of my faltering courage changed the plight, and such good cheer ran through my heart, it spurred me to declare, like free-born generous wight: alert in service, hearkening her true word! Thou with thine eloquence my heart has won to keen desire to go, and the intent which first I held I now no longer shun. Therefore proceed; thou art my guide, Lord, Master; thou alone!’ Thus I; and with him, as he forward went, the steep and rugged road I entered on.” Dante’s response was very heartwarming and sweet to read because he knew that it was destined for him to go on this trip because Beatrice wanted him to and because he knew that he had the chance to see her in the end. His love for her as well and Virgil and God made him determined to start and continue his journey. In addition, in Canto 5, Dante enters the Second Circle of Hell, which is for the sin of lust. Dante met a woman named Francesca da Rimini who he felt very sorry for because she gave into lust and desire. He mentioned how him and Beatrice’s love is chaste, which was virtuous and eventually led him closer to God. This was very significant to me because it proved how serious and deep Dante and Beatrice’s connection was, and it contrasted from the sinful love that Francesca gave into.

In continuation, Il Canzionere by Petrarca also had a very evocative depiction of love and women. In this story, the main theme is the many love poems/letters that Petrarca wrote for his love, Laura. In my opinion, his love for Laura was the strongest out of all the texts we have read. He had a very profound passion for Laura and it was very obvious while reading the poems. I was very intrigued and drawn into the poems about Laura because it radiates divine feminine energy. For example, in poem 90 of Il Canzoniere, Petrarca states, “She’d let her gold hair flow free in the breeze that whirled it into thousands of sweet knots, and lovely light would burn beyond all measure in those fair eyes whose light is dinner now. Her face would turn the color pity wears, a pity true or false I do not know, and I with all love’s tinder in my breast; it’s no surprise I quickly caught on fire. The way she walked was not the way of mortals but of angelic forms, and when she spoke more than an earthly voice it was that sang: a godly spirit and a living sun was what I saw, and if she is not now, my wound still bleeds though the bow’s unbent.” This poem is very crucial to the theme of love and it is a very vivid description of the way that Petrarca feels about Laura. When he talks about her eyes and her angelic forms, it makes women seem so delicate and fragile which I really enjoyed reading from a male perspective. During this course, I came to realize that from my experience, the way love was depicted in ancient literature was way deeper and more passionate than the way it is depicted in stories now. This was one of the reasons why I enjoyed continuing to read the texts in this course. All the elements and aspects are much more intense and even though at times it was hard to follow on, the passion from the authors always came through, and especially Petrarca. The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica did a summary on Il Canzoniere and made Laura a literary subject in their analysis. The Encyclopedia Britannica states, “The poems treat a variety of moods and subjects but particularly his intense psychological reactions to his beloved. Many of his similes, such as burning like fire and freezing like ice, beautifully stated in the sonnet beginning ‘I find no peace, and all my war is done,’ were to be frequently repeated by sonneteers of Elizabethan England and later became poetic cliches. Some of the poems express the very simple, human wish to be with her and to be treated kindly. After Laura’s death Petrarch’s poems continued on the same themes, expressing his sorrow and describing her to return to him in dreams.” This quote from The Encyclopedia is very important because it explains how captivating Petrarca’s tactics were in the poems he was writing about Laura. The quote even says that his similes were later on used by different poets and eventually his quotes became cliche because of how often they were being used. 

To conclude, The Divine Comedy by Dante and Il Canzoniere by Petrarca portray love and women in very similar and fascinating ways. Both authors have very strong characters and passion for the women they are idolizing and it made their texts way more intriguing to read and analyze. Their portrayal of love was like a fantasy in a fairytale, and the way they depicted women brought out their use of great vocabulary and literary tactics in their writing, which made those connections feel stronger. 

References: 

  • Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Laura”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Laura-literary-subject. Accessed 21 December 2021.
  • Petrarca, Francesco, and Mark Musa. Selections from the Canzoniere (Poem 90) Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print.
  • Dante, Alighieri, and Mark Musa. Dante’s Inferno. Canto ll; Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1971.

Virgil: The man truly behind the Divine Comedy?

Portrait of Virgil; Unknown artist

Throughout all the various cantos we have read during our exploration of Dante’s Inferno, Virgil has been a recurrent and important figure in Dante’s journey through hell; he is written by Dante to be a protective, grounded, and intelligent guide. His influence on Dante is very prominent in the poem but it is also incredibly important outside of the pages as well. Virgil or “Vergil” depending on the language was a very famous and inspirational poet living in the Roman Empire during the time of Cesar Augustus; his work has been incredibly influential but none more than Aeneid. Aeneid is an epic poem that details the story of Aeneas, the ancestor of the Romans; similarly to Dante’s trenches through the circles of hell, Aeneas adventures through what is called the “underworld” and encounters many beasts. Because of Dante’s admiration for Virgil and the similarities between the two poems, many scholars have come to the conclusion that Dante “seemed to use the Aeneid as a base and the parts which he did extract from the Aeneid, he carefully altered for his own purposes and beliefs.”[1] Dante looked to Virgil’s work as an important start to creating the Divine Comedy but also turned to God for help in creating his masterpiece. Dante himself admits his love and admiration for Virgils work in Inferno Canto I in lines 85-87 when Virgil appears from the wilderness and this love is present throughout Inferno as Dante blindly follows and trusts Virgil through Hell.

It is incredibly important to remember that Virgil died before the birth of Christ and thus, was not a Christian while Dante was obviously an incredibly religious and devoted Christian. According to this, it may seem like the “purposes and beliefs” that Dante adds to Aeneid to create the Divine Comedy would be Christian ones and that is mostly true; the entirety of the Divine Comedy was influenced and borrows ideas from the Bible and the established Christian church but that does not mean that Virgil’s influence doesn’t touch on the “Divine” part of the Divine Comedy. It is also widely accepted by many people, I’m assuming by Dante as well, that Virgil “was an anima naturaliter Christiana, a prophet who, in his Fourth Eclogue, foretold the birth of Christ”[2] The Fourth Eclogue was another one of Virgil’s great works that also had an immense impact on how Dante thought of Virgil; the fact that Virgil is shown in Inferno as a figure of great wisdom and intelligence(he was able to predict the birth of Jesus Christ as stated before) but not divine enough to enter into to Paradiso with Dante( he was stated to have died a pagan). Virgil is an indispensable part of Inferno and of the incredible work that is the Divine Comedy in general both as a character and as an influence on the work itself.

The depiction of Love in Inferno

In the Inferno, Love is depicted in many different forms. Dante’s motivation to make his journey through hell was because of the love Beatrice, who is in heaven, had for him. The reason why she left heaven was because she wanted Virgil to guide Dante through hell. (see Inf. 2, 133-142) Besides Beatrice, Dante’s startling journey through hell was continuously motivated by the love he had either for Vigil, Beatrice, or God. When Dante enters hell, he realizes that it was made by God himself. The love that God had was the force that organized hell and made Dante’s poem come to life.

There are various types of love that Dante goes through and provides in his poems. For instance, Francesca da Rimini was one of the people that Dante felt a lot of pity for. She gave into lust and desire. (see Inf. 5, 127-138) On the other hand, Dante and Beatrice had chaste love, which was virtuous and led him closer to God. He also included Sodomites in his vision of hell, which has to do with people who engage in homosexualiy. There were many sinners who Dante came across that pursued some type of bad love or desire rather than the love of God, which is what mattered to him the most. Myrrha, a figure from Greek mythology, is someone who had an excessive desire for her father. She is an example of many people in hell who have not loved their families or nations enough like the traitors in the ninth circle attest. 

The different perversions of love that Dante provides in the Inferno prove how strong the force of love is. The love he and Beatrice had for each other made him want to continue the frightening journey through hell which in itself is very valuable. When he got to hell, above the entrance, there was an inception that said “the power, and the unsearchably/high wisdom, and the primal love supernal.” This specified that hell was created by God. As Dante proceeded his journey, he felt pity for all the sinners who did not love the right way and who fell for lust and desire because he cherished the love of God. He realized that many of the sinners that were there went after a bad type of love or desire, which contrasted heavily in comparison to the love Dante and Beatrice had for each other.

Christianity vs. Paganism

In Dante’s series of poems, he incorporates paganism views and spins them to fit into his views of Christianity. Paganism is a term initially used in the fourth century by early Christians as a way to depict people in the Roman Empire that practiced ethnic religions other than Judaism or polytheism. In inferno, aside from biblical figures, there are a lot of mythological creatures and greek and roman figures as well. However, he still incorporates them in a way that still follows his Christian beliefs and ideologies.

One instance is when Dante meets Virgil. Virgil was born before christ making him pagan, but that did not matter to Dante. Dante was a very Christian person, therefore he would not have liked him nor gotten along with him. However, Dante makes him out to be a good man and respects him enough to call him an admirable poet. (Cantos 1, lines 79-87) However, in true Dante fashion, he still manages to depict how Virgil being pagan affects him by then letting him say that he was not able to lead him past hell. He still sinned at the end of the day, therefore he is confined to hell. (Cantos 1, lines 121-126)

This carries into visiting the first circle in hell as well. Virgil tells Dante that the souls in the first circle were either born before christ, did not get baptized, or did not practice Christianity. These people did not in fact sin, they just didn’t live by Christian ideologies, and therefore they were sent to the part of hell with the least amount of suffering. They still were not going to make it to heaven though, they were in a “limbo” as Virgil described it. (Cantos 4, lines 31-42)

Dante also incorporates pagan mythological creatures through most cantos into his Christian hell such as Charon (Cantos 3) In this cantos he also encounters souls that seemed to be neutral in the sense that they did not do much evil, nor did they also do much good as well. Dante’s sense of justice is punishment to complete a sin, therefore they followed a blank banner and were stung by hornets and wasps while naked. Meanwhile, worms intake their tears and blood. (Cantos 3, lines 34-32 and  61-69) All in all, Dante incorporated a ton of paganism and Christianity views and/or figures in Inferno, which ultimately were spun for his ideologies.


Durling, Robert M, and Ronald L Martinez. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri.: (Inferno). Vol. 1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Print.

The Evils of Excess

As Dante and Virgil scavenge their way through Inferno, they come across several entities who seem to have no relation to one another. While that is a logical assumption, given that they are being punished for acting upon different sins, their commonality lies in the fact that they show excessive devotion to something that isn’t their love of God. 

When Dante enters the circle of lust, he speaks to two lovers (Francesca and Paolo) who committed adultery. As Francesca recounts the story, she reiterates the idea that love is a force that compels us to do things that we wouldn’t do otherwise. She says, “Many times that reading drove our eyes together and turned our faces pale; but one point alone was the one that overpowered us” (canto 5, lines 130-132). It’s important to note the distinction between Dante the Pilgrim and Dante the Poet in this section, as they do reciprocate different feelings towards Francesca’s story. Dante the Pilgrim feels a lot of pity for Francesca, even saying, “‘Francesca, your sufferings make me sad and piteous to tears’” (canto 5, lines 116-117). Dante the Poet, on the other hand, is seemingly less sympathetic and places her in this circle because he feels as though love does not deprive us of our free will, and that she did act upon feelings of excessive affection. Thus, condemning her to an infernal storm, where “the wind controls the lustful in the same way that their passions controlled them while in this life” (Digital Dante, What’s Love Got to Do with It? Love and Free Will).

William Blake, The Circle of the Lustful: Francesca da Rimini (The Whirlwind of Lovers)
Source: Tate Britain

When Dante descends into the eighth pit of the eighth circle, he finds Ulysses alongside other fraudulent counselors. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Ulysses’ inclusion in Inferno is that Dante never read The Iliad or The Odyssey, which famously tells the story of Ulysses winning the Trojan War by means of deceit, as well as the long voyage that took place after the war (Digital Dante, The Epic Hero). Instead, Dante creates his own conception of Ulysses’ final moments, where he and his crew mates set out to cross boundaries that were imposed by God (Danteworlds, Ulysses: Circle 8, Canto 26). In a lengthy speech where Ulysses tries to convince his men that this quest for knowledge is justified, he says, “You were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge” (canto 26, lines 118-119). When they pass the Pillars of Hercules (said to have been the end of the western world), Ulysses and his crew mates come in contact with a whirlwind that sinks their ship. Ulysses’ excessive desire to be all-knowing cost the lives of many (including his own), and directly goes against God’s commands. It goes without saying that Dante categorizes this as Ulysses’ biggest offense, and the reason for his damnation.

  1. “Digital Dante.” Inferno 26 – Digital Dante, https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/inferno/inferno-26/.
  1. “Digital Dante.” Inferno 5 – Digital Dante, https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/inferno/inferno-5/.
  1. Ulysses, https://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/textpopup/inf2601.html

Dante & His Impact on Literature

Dante Alighieri is widely considered one of the greatest poets of all time, and for good reason. His most famous work, The Divine Comedy, is still greatly influential today despite being released around 650 years ago. It’s notoriety and long-lasting impact can be attributed to the way Dante’s work revolutionized literature in his time, popularizing certain styles of poetry and inspiring many great authors to write in their native tongue.

One of Dante’s many accomplishments includes helping to popularize the sonnet. The Sicilian School was a renowned group of poets from Sicily, Tuscany, and southern Italy that gathered in the court of Emperor Frederick II, and they came together to invent the poetic style known as the sonnet (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Sicilian school). Dante was greatly inspired by this group of poets, and eventually began writing sonnets of his own. At the age of 18, Dante published La Vita Nuova, which was 42 chapters long and included 25 sonnets centered around his love for Beatrice (Quinones, Legacy and influence of Dante). La Vita Nuova also included themes of “courtly love” (Amazon Affiliate Program, How did Dante influence the Renaissance 2021), which later spread all throughout Europe during the Renaissance. Dante also invented his own style of poetry, known as terza rima, which follows the pattern of the second line of a stanza rhyming with the first and third line of the next stanza (a pattern of ABA, BCB, CDC, etc) (Academy of American Poets, Terza Rima). An example of the terza rima style is shown in Dante’s very first canto of Inferno, which features the lines “Tant’ è amara che poco è più morte; ma per trattar del ben ch’i’ vi trovai, dirò de l’altre cose ch’i’ v’ho scorte. Io non so ben ridir com’ i’ v’intrai, tant’ era pien di sonno a quel punto che la verace via abbandonai. Ma poi ch’i’ fui al piè d’un colle giunto, là dove terminava quella valle che m’avea di paura il cor compunto,” (Alighieri, Canto 1, lines 7-15). This style inspired many poets; ranging from famous Italian poets such as Boccaccio and  Petrarch, and spreading outside of Italy to the rest of Europe after being brought to England by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th-century with the poem “Complaints to his Lady”  (Academy of American Poets, Terza Rima). 

The cover of Dante’s ‘La Vita Nuova’, which helped popularize the sonnet in poetry across Europe.

Unsurprisingly, Dante also inspired many authors to start writing in their native language. During the Middle Ages (500-1500 CE), literature and philosophical works were typically only written in Latin, which made these works inaccessible to the general public. However, Dante believed that one’s own vernacular was suitable enough to use in these genres, which was a radical idea at the time. Dante later wrote The Divine Comedy in his Tuscan dialect, but also borrowed from other Italian dialects and even from Latin itself (Amazon Affiliate Program, How did Dante influence the Renaissance 2021) . Due to the success of The Divine Comedy, Tuscan became the standard language for works of literature and many Renaissance writers began to write in their own unique dialect. 

  1. Amazon Affiliate Program. (2021, September 21). How did Dante influence the Renaissance. How did Dante influence the Renaissance – DailyHistory.org. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://dailyhistory.org/How_did_Dante_influence_the_Renaissance. 
  2. Baldwin, E., (2020, October 15). Terza Rima. Poem Analysis. Retrieved from https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-form/terza-rima/
  3. Academy of American Poets. (n.d.). Terza Rima. Poets.org. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://poets.org/glossary/terza-rima. 
  4. Quinones, R. J. (n.d.). Legacy and influence of Dante. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dante-Alighieri/Legacy-and-influence. 
  5. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Sicilian school. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/art/Sicilian-school. 
  6. Blauvelt, C. (2018, June 5). Dante and the divine comedy: He took us on a tour of hell. BBC Culture. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180604-dante-and-the-divine-comedy-he-took-us-on-a-tour-of-hell.