ENGLISH IV AP Dante Alighieri: Personal Life

Born in Florence, Italy in 1265 Married Gemma Donati- an arranged marriage Beatrice In 1274, at age nine, Dante met Beatrice, a child of eight, who became the single most important influence on his work. He describes their meeting in Vita Nuova and asserts that he loved her totally and instantly. He sees her again nine years later walking on the street. Beatrice married and died at the age of twenty-live in 1290. Dante dreamed about her death and collected the poems he had written to her in the Vita Nuova. He attributes the Commedia to her inspiration. She is obviously a heroine of a courtly love situation for him, but as he grew older, she became a more important symbol. She appears in the Commedia to help the character Dante and indeed, it is she, as the symbol of Divine Love, who sends Virgil to help Dante on his journey from error to salvation. 1289-1301 Dante assumes various minor political offices in Florence 1301 in October - Dante and two others are sent as ambassadors on a mission to Rome 1301 1302 Blacks take control of Florence, charge, convict and exile Dante In exile, Dante travels, spending some time with Can Grande della Scala in Verona (who appears symbolically in Inferno)

Last years in Ravenna under the protection of a patron 1321 Dante sent to Venice by his patron where he fell ill. On his return to Ravenna, Dante died

Though Florence has sought to have his body brought home, Dante remains buried in a monastery in Ravenna.

Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro): 70-19 BC I. Roman poet and author of Aeneid

This poem celebrates the Roman Empire that had just come into being under Augustus. While it dealt with the escape of Aeneas and a band of companions from Troy after the fall of that city, and traced their adventure until they settled in Italy to become the ancestors of the Romans, it was designed to praise the political stability and peaceful order of the empire (Romes greatest contribution to civilization) Aeneas was told by the ghost of this father, whom he met on his journey through the underworld that this contribution would be the concept of Law, the ideal of orderly government, Virgil worked for ten years on the Aeneid. Including a total of twelve books, the first six deal with the journey of Aeneas and his Trojans from Troy to Italy, and the last six with the conquest of Latium and founding of Rome. The entire work expresses the ideals of Rome. Virgil has Aeneas descend into the underworld (as Dante emulates in the Inferno) to meet the unborn heroes of Romes future, among whom is Augustus. The Aeneid was encouraged by Augustus as a means to restore the Old Roman Virtues Essentially poetic propaganda; it venerated the heroes of the Roman past. The Aeneid was completed, but not corrected. Virgil wanted to burn it as he was dying, but Augustus intervened and the manuscript was saved. Classical writings were rarely reproduced, but the church preserved many of them. II. a. b. c Reasons for Virgils selection as Dantes guide: The Aeneid was used as a pattern for Dantes structure of the Inferno. Dante asserts Virgil inspired his poetic style Virgil was considered a necromancer in the Middle Ages. They believed that the fourth Eclogue contained a message predicting the coming of Christ. Virgil wrote symbolically of the coming of a Wonder Child (the return of justice and universal peace promised by the birth of a child), who would bring the Golden Age to the world. Virgil wrote of the founding of Rome and the concept of law and orderly government. Virgil thus represented symbolically the two great institutions of the Middle Ages-church and empire. Virgils poems were used in a type of divination called sortes They were opened at random and verse was selected to answer problems or questions, much as the Bible was used later. Virgil was seen as a great moral teacher. Virgil represented divine logic and reason - HUMAN REASON Virgil was Italian, so Dante may have felt a kind of patriotic loyalty to him. Both Virgil and Dante had lived through chaotic civil war.

d. e. f

g. h. i. j.

Medieval World View (as relevant to Divine Comedy) Great Chain of Being God Angels possesses all qualities, omniscient, omnipotent possess pure intelligence

Men possess existence, life, sense, and understanding, also vegetative and sensitive souls Animals - possess existence, growth, sensitive soul Plants possess existence, vegetative soul (growth)

Minerals - possess existence (being) only Demons = Satan= deny intelligence completely negation of all things

The chain bridges the inanimate, animate, and the spiritual Man = pivotal figure, possesses some of everything dichotomy of human nature spirit vs. fleshbridges spirit with existence. (Humans possess reasonlike angels, and emotions_like animals) Man, as the only creature to contain both earthly and heavenly elements, is thus the essential link between matter and spirit. Man becomes a microcosm where the war between emotion and reason is raged. Many smaller chains exist reflecting the Great Chain. These include, for example, the nine spheres of the universe, the orders of the angels, earthly society, the church, animals, plants, even minerals. Dante creates an inverted reflection of the heavenly chain in the design of the Inferno, where Satan is in a corresponding position to God and encompasses all aspects of sin. Hell is the negative reflection of Paradise. Attributes of chains of being: I. Each class excels in a particular quality. e.g. Stones excel in durability; plants in growth, animals in the use of their senses, man in his power of learning. 2. Within each chain is a further gradation with a primate as the head of the chain.

e.g. The primate for fish is the dolphin, for animals the lion, for flowers the rose, for trees the oak. 3. Although it is the duty of all created things to remain in their place on the great chain, the chain is also a ladder. The possibility of evolution exists. Movement on the chain must be accomplished without force.

The doctrine of correspondences (corresponding planes) suggests that all parts of all chains correspond to similar parts of other chains and to the Great Chain. For example, the primate of each chain corresponding to all others primates, so that at the death of a king, the lion may roar, the rose may die, the sun may be obscured. In other words, disturbance in one plane results in disorder on all corresponding planes. (see Shakespeare in Hamlet and Macbeth) Connected with these ideas is the Ptolemaic concept of the physical universe which places earth at the center of the universe with nine concentric planes surrounding it. The movement of each sphere (the cosmic dance of the universe) is dictated by one of the nine orders of angels. Beyond this system is Coelum Empyreum where God exists.

Medieval Period (450-1300) cont. Feudalism = economic system of the Medieval Period (manorial system): lands serfs land serfs loan land King Lords Knights Serfs fealty fealty (taxes support) fealty (goods/services)

Attributes of Great Chain I) Many smaller chains reflect the Great Chain e.g. animals King flowers aristocracy (Lords) social knights women of quality freed men serfsmale, female Divine Right of Kings 2) Each chain excels in a particular stone = plants =

man = 3) Doctrine of Primacy: Each chain has a primate = head of chain minerals = flower = animals = fish = trees = 4) Doctrine of Order: God put you where you are you have duty to remain there Static societyyet the chain is also a ladderpossibility of evolution if not done by three; order is natural, disorder sinful 5) Thus, disturbance in one chain leads to a corresponding disturbance in other chains Ptolemaic vision of universe = earth is centerPtolemy music of the spherescosmic dance (Renaissance Copernicus = earth revolves around sun) Medieval Church I) 2) 3) 4) All classes united Major concept: This world is a vale of tears that is only a preparation for the next Powerful Innocent III wealthy Scholasticism: The church controlled education: Doctrine of Correspondences or corresponding planes: All parts of all chains reflect similar parts of all chains and of the Great Chain.

Scholasticism - the dominant western Christian theological and philosophical school of the Middle Ages, based on the authority of the Latin Fathers and of Aristotle and his commentators. Close adherence to the methods, traditions, and teachings of a sect or school. Scholarly conservatism or pedantry. Curriculum in medieval universities: the trivium comprised the three subjects taught first: grammar, logic, and rhetoric The quadrivium consisted of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.

Monasticism ----- Four Pillars of Monasticism 1) no private property Vows 2) no meat except in sickness 3) steady manual labor 4) claustration General 3 vows = poverty, chastity, obedience Abuses of Monasticism I) pocket money for individuals handling the business for possessionate orders 2) misericordwhere one could eat meat refectory 3) 4) serfs business trips pilgrimages misericord infirmary

Hierarchical arrangement of man I. 2. 3. lowest aspect controlled by liver (vegetable side) middle aspect controlled by heart (emotional) highest aspect controlled by brain (intellectual)

Various organs were associated with attributes. The spleen, for instance, is the organ of anger; to vent your spleen is to erupt with anger. A milk-livered man is a coward, as the liver is the organ or courage. Hierarchical arrangement of Angels 3 divisions, 9 types Arranged according to their capacity to receive divine essence (Gods love) 1. Contemplative (closest to God) A. seraphs B. cherubs C. thrones 2. More Active (more potential than real activity) A. dominations B, virtues C. powers 3. Even more Active A. principalities B. arch angels C. angels

9 fold universe (9 spheres) 9 orders of angels dictated movement of each sphere Historical/ Political Background Dante 13th & 14th centuries: Papacy vs. Holy Roman Empire Pope Innocent III Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor King of Germany King Naples died 1250 Emp. Rome King of Sicily Florence independent commune divided into factions: Guelphs: Ghibellines: merchants feudal aristocracy pro-papacy anti-papacy anti-empire pro-empire Florence faction-ridden during Frederick IIs reign In Power: -Ghibellines, 1248 -Guelphs, 1250

-Ghibellines (led by Farinata degli Uberti), 1260 1266 -Fredericks illegitimate son Manfred killed 1268 grandson Corradino killed by Charles of Valois at Tagliacozzo Guelphs completely crushed Ghibellines By 1300, Guelphs split: Whites -Cerchi family -pro-restoration of empire -anti-papacy -included remnants of Ghibellines -name from - wife Bianca Cancelliere - name from Cancellieres 2nd wife Blacks -Donati family -pro-papacy -anti-empire

Blood Feud Focaccia murdered cousin (Dante places him in Caina, deepest circle in Hell) Dante moderate White

Elected I of 6 Supreme magistrates (Prior) Banished brother-in-law Donati (Black) and his friend Guido Cavalcanti (White), ringleaders Pope Boniface VIII sends Charles of Valois to Florence, supposedly as arbitrator Purge trials, 600 Whites banished in 1301 Dante convicted of graft, in exile 19 years, penalty: death by burning; never returned to Florence Historical/ Political Background for the Commedia Throughout Italy: The basic political difficulty of 13th and 14th century Italy was the struggle between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire for political control of the independent Italian communes. The conflict became severe in the early 1200s when Pope Innocent III sought to free Italy front foreign involvement, in this case Frederick II, (King of Germany, Emperor of Rome, and King of Naples and Sicily). Frederick, more or less, held things together for the empire during his lifetime, but at his death in 1250 his successors found combating papal forces much more difficult. In 1266 Frederics illegitimate son Manfred was defeated and killed by Charles of Anjou, a papal supporter. Fredericks grandson, Corradino, was also defeated and killed in 1268 by another Charles - this one of Valois who had been called upon for aid by the papacy. Thus Italy was lost to the empire. Florece: Florence, Dantes home, was a microcosm of the tensions prevalent throughout Italy. The forces of papacy and empire were represented locally by a family feud between the Ghibellines, empire supporters, and the Guelphs, papal supporters. During the reign of Frederick II, the Ghibellines controlled Florence. By 1250 the Guelphs were in power; by 1260 the Ghibellines were paramount again; by 1267 Guelphs took control. The point is that power changed hands frequently corresponding to the events in other parts of Italy. Guelphs Merchants Pro-papacy Anti-empire Ghibellines Feudal aristocracy Anti- papacy Pro-empire

Included remnants of the Ghibellines Though the Ghibelline family did not again take control, their ideas did not die. Indeed, a blood feud divided the Guelphs into two groups one of whom reflected the old Ghibelline pro-empire ideas. By 1300 the Guelphs were divided into the Whites and the Blacks.

Whites (Cerchi family) Pro-empire Anti-papacy Included remnants of the Ghibellines

Blacks (Donati family) pro-papacy anti-empire

The Whites took their appellation from the name of Bianca Cancelliere whose descendents were called Whites. Descendents of the Second wife of Cancelliere called themselves Blacks merely to distinguish themselves. Dante was a White. The blood feud that initially separated the family occurred when a man named Focaccia murdered his cousin. Dante places Focaccia in the deepest circle of hell, Round one of Cocytus called Caina, the treacherous to kin. In 1302 pro-Black Pope Boniface the 8th enlisted the aid of Charles of Valois, brother of the King of France, to help the Blacks regain control of the city. At the conclusion of the civil war, the Blacks were victorious and 600 Whites, including Dante Alighieri, were banished. Dante, at this time a minor political official, escaped death because he was out of town at the time of the attack He was, nevertheless, accused and convicted of graft (this accounts for his nervousness in the circle of the grafters), and sentenced to death by burning if he should ever return to Florence. While in exile, Dante composed the Comedy, and one level of interpretation suggests it is a study of his alienation from home and an opportunity for him to express his opinions about Florentine political affairs.

Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri Numerological Symbolism / Structure: Three parts - Trinity to Commedia Inferno Power of Father

Purgatorio - Wisdom of Son Paradiso Love of Holy Spirit 33 cantos each = 99 plus I introductory canto = 100 number squared = perfects it plus I = unity of soul with God

Medieval Numerologcal System

During the medieval period, numbers usually held symbolic significance. Dante uses symbolic numbers throughout the Inferno.
The number three was a symbol of the Holy Trinity;

to square a number was, in medieval terms, to perfect it. Throughout the inferno we see multiple uses of three, nine, and thirtythree.
For example, the Commedia has three parts, each divided into thirty three

cantos. (The first canto of Inferno served as introduction making one hundred total cantos.) frequently find trios of characters (e.g. the three beasts who threaten Dante in canto 1). ABA BCB CDC 11 syllables x 3 = 33
language vernacular: Italian instead of the more scholarly Latin

It was written in three line stanzas, tercets, (terza rima) and we

Hell is divided into three parts containing 9 circles, the vestibule making

the tenth circle. Purgatory and Paradise each have nine levels plus one additional level for a total of ten each

Ten is significant because it was considered the perfect number since three

squared equal nine, plus one (the individual soul or the unity of God) totals 10. Note the ten levels of each book of the Commedia and the total of 100 cantos.

Seven is also an important number reflecting the seven days of the week,

but more importantly the seven deadly sins and the seven cardinal virtues. Seven Cardinal Virtues P= prudence J= justice T= temperance F= fortitude F= faith H hope

Seven Deadly Sins P= pride E= envy W= wrath S= sloth A= avarice G= gluttony

L= lust

C= charity (love)

(From: St. Ambrose, 5th century)

Levels of Interpretation of the Commedia Dante wrote that Every word I say has four meanings: 1) the obvious, 2) the moral, 3) the theological, and 4) the anagogical. Given this information one might suggest, for example, that Jerusalem would have four interpretations

Literal Allegorical Moral Anagogical

= = = =

city in Israel the Church the believing soul the heavenly city of God

Dantes work is, however, very complex and these four levels ignore the political level of the Commedia particularly in the Inferno, as well as Dantes superb study of human psychology. Also, most students have difficulty distinguishing between the moral and the anagogical levels. In order to address these omissions and difficulties, I suggest four levels of interpretations: literal, allegorical (political allegory specifically), tropological, and ontological. Using these ideas, Jerusalems symbolic meaning varies slightly. Literal Allegorical Tropological Ontological = the city in Israel = a reunited Florence unmarred by civil strife = both the believing soul and the city of God = perfect awareness of what it is to be human

The ontological level is useful because the union of the other three (daily life, political/social life, spiritual life) are moral/religious implications of the Commedia without enmeshing the reader in too much jargon. The distinction between the anagogical level (the mystical or spiritual meaning) and the tropological level (Biblical interpretation stressing moral metaphor) is too fine for our purposes. In essence, the students need to appreciate the brilliance of Dantes work as it applies not only to the Middle Ages, but also to our time. Terminology branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature relations of beings Ontological argument an argument for the existence of God based on

Ontology and

the meaning of the term God tropologicalAnagogical relating to or involving biblical interpretation stressing moral metaphor interpreting a word, passage or text from scripture or poetry that goes beyond the literal, allegorical, and moral senses to the ultimate spiritual or mystical sense. expressing by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truth or generalizations about human existence. Inferno:
I. 2. 3. Incontinence

Allegory -

3 divisions

she-wolf

Violence and Ambition lion Fraud leopard

Nine circles + vestibule = 10 Dantes Lesson: to hate sin, love virtue Dantes cycle: fear and pity to firmness Virgil (70 19 B.C) Dantes guide -author of Aeneid (pattern for the Inferno) -poetic inspiration - Italian -represented both church and empire -wonder child prediction -Rome: law, govt -represents Human Reason allegorically -lived through Civil War. Beatrice Portinari -Dantes inspiration Vita Nuova -symbol of Divine Love

Symbolic Retribution contrapasso - punishment fits sin Damned choose Hell -conscious choice -parallel distortion: body, soul Aristotle: Ethics and Physics Arrangement of punishment Inferno Four Levels of Interpretation I. 2. 3. 4. Literal Allegorical Tropological Ontological actual political allegory, social moral, Biblical, spiritual study of being awareness of life, psychological search for purpose of being Example: Jerusalem 1. 2. 3. 4. Literal Allegorical Tropological Inferno Subjects I. love 2. reason 3. journey: sin to salvationspiritual aspect of humanity 4. good / evil, religious, social awareness 5. awareness of being (ontological) 6. politics empire vs. papacy 7. Dantes pride / fame Ontological literal allegorical tropological ontological city in Israel a reunited Florence, unmarred by civil strife the believing soul, the city of God, purified church perfect understanding of being human

8. reason vs. emotion 9. alienation 10. writingwhat is the value of literature in our spiritual lives? The elements in order starting with G = God 1) Divine Right of Kings Divine Rights of Kings = King is King because God put him there 2) Each chain excels in a particular stone = durability

plants= _____________ growth man= ________________ power to learn 3) Doctrine of Primacy: Each chain has a primate = head of chain minerals = flower= ____________________ animals = fish = trees = 4) diamond rose lion dolphin oak

Doctrine of Order: God put you where you are you have duty to remain there

Static societyyet the chain is also a ladderpossibility of evolution if not done by force; order is natural, disorder is sinful Doctrine of Order = Stay in Place

Inferno Canto 1: Literal Midway through journey of our lives(1) I awoke (2) Dark wood (3) Sleep (II) Straight/true way (12) Little hill (15) Leopard (33) Psych.Awareness Easier season (37-40) Lion (44) She Wolf (4854) Virgils silenced hoarseness (61our 63) Greyhound (95) An eternal place (107) Burning mountain (Ill) Worthier spirit Beatrice Allegorical Florence and Dante in 1300 Dante the Prior/ Politician Florentine civil war Lack of political awareness Ben commune United Florence Hybrid of Guelph Ghibelline Promise of social harmony Empire Papacy Florence not following ben commune Can Grande della Scala Hell! continued political strife Purgatory/ recognition of need for reform Guide/Political reform

Levels of Interpretation Chart Tropological Of our three score year and ten = 35 Dante the spiritual Pilgrim Sin Lack of spiritual awareness Path to Heaven Garden of Eden Fraud Resurrection Violence and Ambition Incontinence/ papal corruption Dantes straying from reason Christ/ his messenger Hell Purgatory of fraud Hope for enlightenment Psych Awareness of this sin And of this sin Using reason to piece together self-awareness Ourselves? Awareness of sin Awareness of need for purgation Guided Self-(116) Awareness Ontological Mid-life Divorce/sports car Dante the selfexamining man Psychologically out of sorts Lack of psych. understanding A therapist? Psychological breakthrough

Guide Love, Enlightenment

Canto I: Dantes Similes Draw metaphor (dangles in the margins of your text or in your notes for many or the similes you find in the Inferno, especially elaborately drawn or recurring similes and explain them literally and figuratively. Look for irony or unusual comparisons. I. Just as a swimmer.. . (22-27)
Dante the Poet shows the seriousness of the Pilgrims fright in the dark wood. Ironically, Dante is not safe as the beasts are about to attack

Dante the Pilgrim emerging from the dark wood to the slopes of the hill, looking back to the valley

A swimmer barely able to reach shore, looking back at where he/she might have drowned

2. And like a misereager in acquisition -----(55-60)