The Divine Comedy

Author's name: Dante Alighieri

The Divine Comedy, the masterpiece by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, has not lost its luster or charm from the Middle Ages to the present day. It remains influential and compelling. Many experts consider it the greatest literary work produced by medieval Europe. The passing of the centuries continues to serve as a spark that increases its brilliance and enhances its radiance.

Thus, this literary masterpiece continues to be a unique artistic value that captivates readers from all walks of life and all intellectual levels. What's striking is that "The Divine Comedy" established its author as a unique intellectual figure. What's striking here is that critics and scholars have described the work as both fascinating and bewildering, given that the intellectual aspect of its content transcends the period of its publication by many stages.

Perhaps no book has been translated into foreign languages ​​as much as The Divine Comedy. It has been translated, even into specific languages, dozens of times. It has been translated into English approximately 47 times. This interest and attention stems from its rich content, encompassing a range of intellectual features and vocabulary, most notably literature and art, its political content (both national and international), mythology, history, science, theology, and linguistics.

Alighieri's masterpiece was also published by the Family Library in Cairo, in a new edition - three parts, translated by Hassan Othman, who completed the translation of the third part in 1968.

Compound noun

The Divine Comedy is divided into Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante called it a comedy because it has a happy ending. Later generations added the adjective "divine." Dante divided the three sections of the poem into further parts called the Inner Parts. Purgatory and Paradise each contain 33 parts. Inferno contains 34 parts.

All parts are characterized by a strong rhythm, due to their three-line "muwashah" stanzas. Each part is divided into nine chapters and an additional tenth chapter. The entire poem is written in the form of triads. Each part ends with the word "stars." In this poetic form, invented by Dante, the first and third lines of each stanza are in the meter of the middle line of the previous stanza.

Three stages

Hell: In this part of his Comedy, Dante describes how the hesitant, those who did not join any of the warring factions were tortured. People appear naked, stung by bees and flies, and tears of blood flow from their eyes. He also depicts a series of horrific scenes and events in this section. Then he begins the preparations and readiness of the reader to enter “Purgatory.”

Purgatory: A place where there is neither night nor day, but rather peace, sadness, and freedom from the burden of earthly memories, under which the prisoners of Hell groan. The hope and joy that arise in the hearts of those in purgatory as they await their fate amidst the flames are in keeping with their fervent mood, confirmed by their constant ascent upward. Paradise: Dante's depiction of paradise is characterized by its magnificence and mystery.

Where the soft ones appear in paradise... as if they all form a rose throne and occupy, in a very wide amphitheater, large places commensurate with their heroic deeds and glories. In addition to that, they can appear in the heavenly cities, on the moon, Mars, and other planets.

Plot Synthesis

The story begins with Dante lost in a dark forest, representing his sense of the futility of his life and the evil he saw in his society. On a clear Friday, after a night of painful wandering, he meets the Roman poet Virgil, who promises to lead him out of the forest and into the afterlife. Thus begins the journey's stations: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.

The ultimate meaning

According to critics, the epic is, in many ways, a love poem that praises Beatrice's moral beauty and her ability to lead Dante to a vision of the Greatest Good, as she guides him on his journey to meet the souls of the blessed. Dante stands in joy and ecstasy, and at the end of it all, he understands the ultimate truth of life and the meaning of the universe.

Treasure

Dante's life and works had a profound and decisive influence on the construction of Italian identity and modern culture in general. Many writers and intellectuals have drawn on Dante's Divine Comedy and other works to enrich their sources of inspiration and provide a rich linguistic vocabulary.

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Dante's name is synonymous with his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy. He is considered the first to describe a sincere emotion that transcends the stakes of victory or defeat. He saw in Beatrice: the beautiful child who cared for him... and then the radiant woman in heaven after her death. He resolved to say about her what no one before him had said about his beloved. Dante began writing The Divine Comedy around 1308 AD, and this epic poem tells the story of his spiritual revival.

Dante also composed non-literary works, including On Eloquence in the vernacular in 1303 and 1304. This work, written in Latin prose, emphasizes the importance of writing in Italian, preferring it to Latin or any other minor local language. He also continued to work on and insist on the need for Italians to develop a national literary language that would unify their country.

A pioneering attempt

Dr. Tharwat Okasha sees in the Divine Comedy, written in Italian by the Italian Dante Alighieri at the beginning of the fourteenth century, a bold and pioneering attempt in the intellectual and literary field.

It is the greatest book of the Middle Ages in its scope, influence, and breadth of reach. This is because it combined the scholastic philosophy of medieval thinkers with the ideas of the Franciscans and the culture of ancient Greece and Rome. The names of Aristotle, Virgil, Ovid, and Cicero intertwine on its pages, along with the names of Pythius, Thomas Aquinas, and Francis of Assisi. This has made it a source of inspiration for numerous works of art, music, cinema, and theatrical productions.

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Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), born in Florence, Italy, belonged to a family of noble Roman descent, called the Elysian family, which dates back to the reign of Julius Caesar.

At the time of his birth, his family was of modest means. His mother died when he was young, and his father died before Dante reached adulthood. He studied law, medicine, music, sculpture, philosophy, physics, chemistry, astronomy, politics, painting, history, and theology, and studied the heritage of both the West and the East. He also participated in military life and was a brave knight, participating in many battles. He held several governmental positions, and produced a number of works that received great attention.

In the cinema

1911 Italian silent film, directed by Giuseppe De Liguoro. It was later remade and remastered into a talking film by a specialized company on DVD in 2004.

1972 Swedish comedy film, inspired by one of the parts of the Divine Comedy.

1990 American animation film "Jacob's Ladder", inspired by the work.

Manuscript

1337 Image of a manuscript of the work, found in the Biblioteca Tivolziana, by Francesco di Nardo Ser da Barberino, showing the beginning of Dante's Commedia.

In formation

In 2007, Italian scientists at the University of Bologna created an illustration of Dante's true face. Botticelli painted a portrait of him. Before that, Dante's image appeared on a European coin: the 2-euro note, created by the artist Rafael Sanzio, is housed in the Vatican Palace wing of Pope Julius II.

1472 A painting titled “The Divine Comedy,” located in the Hall of Arts and Planets at the Palazzo Foligno in Italy.

1495 Painting “Dante” by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510).

1530 Portrait of Dante Alighieri holding a copy of the Divine Comedy.

1884 Painting “Dante and Beatrice”, by Henry Holiday.

1450 Andrea del Castagno created a distinctive portrait of Dante in the Uffizi.

1465 Painting “Dante and His Divine Comedy” by Domenico di Michelino, now in the Duomo in Florence.

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