How Does Dante Use Language In The Divine Comedy

When reading The Divine Comedy by Dante, it becomes evident relatively quickly that the man put significant thought and planning into his saga. Yet, for all of his plotting, there is at least one thing that may seem to show a lack of thought. The way that Dante refers to his guides during the Comedy, Virgil, Beatrice, and St. Bernard, is incredibly religious and venerable in nature. There are some options as to why Dante might have decided to uses such language. He may have thought these characters were worthy of such language, did not think of the implications of the words used, or did not care about the implications and used these phrases anyways. Yet, each of these options does not take into account Dante’s careful planning, and simply …show more content…
The whole prayer is full of Messianic allusions and imagery and reference. Dante himself writes into the design of Hell elements that hark back to Christ’s triumphal march into Hell to free the Biblical heroes and ancient Jews from their place amongst the Virtuous Pagans. Dante continues throughout the prayer to continue to use the word “you.” He is thanking Beatrice for what she has done, and much of what he attributes to her work is incredibly Christ-like. He thanks her for his salvation, asks for her “power and charity” and “magnificence” so that, when he returns to heaven, his soul might please her, and thanks her for healing his soul (88-89). These actions would be difficult for any true mortal to accomplish. However, Christ is meant to have accomplished all of these actions and more. He is the second aspect of the Trinity that is introduced in the Bible, and His purpose is to save mankind from their errors. He rebukes his followers and others for their sins and wrongs, and teaches them Love and obedience above all, as Beatrice has taught