The journey that the protagonist takes in the Divine Comedy contain the classic stages of the Monomyth, demonstrates some of the beliefs and practices of the cultures of the time of the poem, and contains numerous parallels to the patterns of the LDS Temple.
The idea of a journey, taken by Earths inhabitants is a universal theme that can be seen in numerous religions, and cultures. This pilgrimage that is found in the catholic church would have been familiar to Dante, as well as the journey that a follower of the Islamic faith would have to go through to gain the hope for salvations in the next life, while gaining closeness to God, Allah, on the way. We too in the LDS faith know that we are on a journey to ultimately be able to become like …show more content…
As Dante starts begins his journey in “in a dark wood, Where the right road was wholly lost and gone”(Hell, I , lines 1-3, pg 71) we discover that he is actually “Midway this way of life” that he is “bound upon”. Similarly, Adam, when we meet him, in the Temple, he is introduced as “having been known as Michael” in the life before. In both cases, there is a suggestion that the protagonist finds himself in the second Act of a three Act play. Both Dante and Adam are commanded by God to begin their journey of progression, which will ultimately lead back to Him. Both are warned of inevitable dangers that they will encounter. In Islamic faith, the individual is also commanded to return to Allah through means of the journey they must take in life. In Dante’s journey, the journey that he must take, like both the temple journey and those who worship Allah, are spiritual but also involve movement from one place to another.
The stage of “meeting with the mentor” is the point in which that Dante is provided with the people that will join him on his journey as guides; Virgil, Dante’s constant companion along with Beatrice, St. Lucia, and The Virgin Mary, who meet with him intermittently. Likewise, Adam is given Eve, as his constant companion and Peter, James and John as those who come to him at various points of his journey. The doctrine of the catholic church would also suggest that the mediator of man along his journey would be the Pope and the Priests, who act as mediators to
The idea of a journey, taken by Earths inhabitants is a universal theme that can be seen in numerous religions, and cultures. This pilgrimage that is found in the catholic church would have been familiar to Dante, as well as the journey that a follower of the Islamic faith would have to go through to gain the hope for salvations in the next life, while gaining closeness to God, Allah, on the way. We too in the LDS faith know that we are on a journey to ultimately be able to become like …show more content…
As Dante starts begins his journey in “in a dark wood, Where the right road was wholly lost and gone”(Hell, I , lines 1-3, pg 71) we discover that he is actually “Midway this way of life” that he is “bound upon”. Similarly, Adam, when we meet him, in the Temple, he is introduced as “having been known as Michael” in the life before. In both cases, there is a suggestion that the protagonist finds himself in the second Act of a three Act play. Both Dante and Adam are commanded by God to begin their journey of progression, which will ultimately lead back to Him. Both are warned of inevitable dangers that they will encounter. In Islamic faith, the individual is also commanded to return to Allah through means of the journey they must take in life. In Dante’s journey, the journey that he must take, like both the temple journey and those who worship Allah, are spiritual but also involve movement from one place to another.
The stage of “meeting with the mentor” is the point in which that Dante is provided with the people that will join him on his journey as guides; Virgil, Dante’s constant companion along with Beatrice, St. Lucia, and The Virgin Mary, who meet with him intermittently. Likewise, Adam is given Eve, as his constant companion and Peter, James and John as those who come to him at various points of his journey. The doctrine of the catholic church would also suggest that the mediator of man along his journey would be the Pope and the Priests, who act as mediators to