The Divine ComedyThe Divine Comedy is an epic poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language. It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. On the surface, the poem describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise or Heaven; but at a deeper level, it represents, allegorically, the soul's journey towards God. At this deeper level, Dante draws on medieval Christian theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy and the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. Consequently, the Divine Comedy has been called "the Summa in verse". |
Contents
CANTO III | |
CANTO IV | |
CANTO V | |
CANTO VI | |
CANTO VII | |
CANTO XVII | |
CANTO XVIII | |
CANTO XIX | |
CANTO XX | |
CANTO XXI | |
CANTO XXII | |
CANTO XXIII | |
CANTO XXIV | |
CANTO VIII | |
CANTO IX | |
CANTO X | |
CANTO XI | |
CANTO XII | |
CANTO XIII | |
CANTO XIV | |
CANTO XV | |
CANTO XVI | |
CANTO XXV | |
CANTO XXVI | |
CANTO XXVII | |
CANTO XXVIII | |
CANTO XXIX | |
CANTO XXX | |
CANTO XXXI | |
CANTO XXXII | |
CANTO XXXIII | |
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Common terms and phrases
aloft angel answer answer'd appear'd arriv'd ascend aught beam Beatrice began behold beneath Blessed bosom breast call'd CANTO chang'd circle cried dame DANTE ALIGHIERI Divine Comedy dost doth drew E'en earth ENLARGE TO FULL erewhile evil exclaim'd eyes fell fix'd flame follow'd gaze Gryphon hadst hand haply hath hear heard heart heav'n holy journey'd Latium Leo Tolstoy light look look'd marble white mark'd meridian circle mortal mount mountain mov'd ne'er o'er onward Parnassian perceiv'd perchance rais'd reach'd replied return'd rock round seem'd shade shadow shouted show'd side sighs sight song soon Sordello soul sound spake speak spirit Statius steep steps stood straight stream sweet ta'en tears thee thence thine thirst thither thou didst thou hast thou mayst thou shalt thought thyself tow'rds turn'd twixt unto upward Virgil virtue visage voice wave weeping wheel whence Wilkie Collins wing Woman in White words