The Importance Of Dante's Divine Comedy

Before going further into discussion about the Divine Comedy, it is important to recognize who Dante was. Dante Alighieri was from a low class family, raised in Florentine, Italy, with little social status and no wealth. Although, it was noted that Dante was a strong supporter of the Church and the Pope. As Dante grew into a man he immersed himself in the continuously shifting politics that defined Italy. Here he gained power and lost power. During political turmoil he chose the wrong side, and his opponents gained power that they used to ultimately exile him and mark him as hostile towards the church. Leaving behind his old life, Dante traveled until 1317 where he settled down in Ravenna to finish writing his masterpiece, La Commidia. The purpose of his work, Dante wrote, was to convert a corrupt society to righteousness, "to remove those living in this life from a state of misery and lead them to a state of felicity." ("Dante Alighieri." Christian History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.) Obviously Dante did not actually witness the journey he wrote of in his Divine Comedy, nor did he travel to any of those places. More so, Dante was not a prophet that envisioned these phenomenon of the afterlife. And to add onto that Dante was not a significant figure in …show more content…
The philosophy of the poem is a mix of Roman Catholicism, mythology, the Bible, medieval tradition, Islamic tradition, and the Qur’an. With a vast amount of variety amongst the many popular ideas and beliefs of Dante’s time, his brilliantly written allegory, filled with symbolism and pathos, was relatable and appealing for many people. Contrary to most people’s thoughts, Dante’s masterpiece was in fact intended to be literary, not theological. However, the poem does reflect a deep yearning to understand the fantastic mysteries of life and death, which lead people to associate it with some religious