Dante's Inferno Research Paper

Dante Alighieri (Dante) was born in May 1265. His family had involvement in the Florentine politics. Due to his family’s political duties, Dante was able to meet and befriend many aristocrats such as Guido Cavalcanti, who is later found in Dante’s Inferno. Dante married into the Donati family, yet his true love was a woman named Bice, although he called her Beatrice. Bice, to most scholars, was the daughter of Folco Portinari, a wealthy banker at the time, and later the wife of another banker, Simone dei Bardi. (The Life of Dante Alighieri)
At the age of 35, Dante is exiled from the city of Florence. During this time, the political powers of Florence were divided into two parties. (Life of Dante) They were divided into Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Guelphs supported the Pope, whereas the Ghibellines supported the Emperor. In 1295, Dante became a part of a guild and soon became a prominent member of Heads of Arts council that chose the magistrates of Florence. Five years later, Dante became a Prior, a very prominent role in Florentine politics. A year later, Dante refuses a request from Pope Boniface VIII, and in 1301, the Pope sends …show more content…
Dante’s Comedy is a poem; however, it is much more than just a poem. It is a love poem, a confession, a historical document, an exposition of dogma, an interesting story, and something that is just brimming full of Medieval knowledge. (Diversity of Dante) Overall, Dante starts his journey by waking up in the middle of a forest that was “so rank, so arduous a wilderness,” (5) and farther down the valley he sees a gleaming hill. However, when he starts up the hill, a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf begin to attack him, but before they can kill him, Virgil (an ancient Roman poet) stops them. Virgil speaks with Dante, and tells him that Beatrice has sent Virgil to protect him, and to take him through hell to prove his worthiness for