Guide Note

Medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri wrote his most enduring work, The Divine Comedy, between 1314 and 1321. It is subdivided into three epic poems, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, and follows Dante's imagined journey through hell, purgatory and heaven. The Divine Comedy was the first book to be written in vernacular Italian (the every day language used by the local Italians) instead of the scholastically accepted language of Latin. Dante wrote the Divine Comedy in exile after being banished from his birthplace of Florence for his political affiliations.

Fast Facts

Born: 1265
Died: 1321
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Full name: Durante Alighieri
Religion: Roman Catholic
Genre: Literature
Major Works: The Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso)

Beatrice

Dante lost his mother at the age of ten, right around the time he fell in love at first sight with the eight year old Beatrice Portinari, who would become his muse and his guide through heaven in The Divine Comedy. She remained a significant presence in his writings long after her death in 1290. Despite his infatuation with Beatrice, Dante wed Gemma di Manetto Donati in 1283, a marriage arranged by his family. The couple had four children.

Quotes

"If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought."—Dante Alighieri
"Beauty awakens the soul to act."—Dante Alighieri
"In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost."—The Inferno
"Abandon hope, all ye who enter here."—The Inferno

View Note History

Dante Alighieri

The Mahalo Top 7

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Dante Alighieri
Wikipedia: Dante Alighieri
DanteInferno.info: Side by Side Translations of the Inferno
University of Notre Dame: Renaissance Dante in Print Exhibition | Dante Alighieri Timeline
Gallery: Illustrations to Dante
Amazon.com: Dante Alighieri Books and Merchandise
YouTube Video: Dante's Inferno (Clay Animation, 16mm) (Time: 5:45)

Dante Alighieri Background and Profiles

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Dante Alighieri
NNDB: Dante Alighieri Biography
The Quotations Page: Dante Alighieri Quotes
University of Virginia: World of Dante
Catholic Encyclopedia: Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri Study Guides and Literary Criticism

The University of Texas at Austin: Dante Worlds
Eastern Kentucky University: Virtual Tour of Dante's Inferno
University of Wisconsin: The Divine Comedy Traditions and Interpretations
SparkNotes: Inferno Study Guide
CliffsNotes: The Divine Comedy: Inferno Study Guide

Online Texts

Google Books: Dante Alighieri Books
Princeton University: The Princeton Dante Project
Columbia University: Digital Dante Project
DanteInferno.info: Side by Side Translations of The Inferno
Dante Alighieri on the Web: Dante Alighieri Texts Download
Selected Poetry in Translation: Dante: La Vita Nuova

Dante Alighieri Books and Merchandise

Amazon.com: Dante Alighieri Books and Merchandise
eBay: Dante Alighieri Books and Merchandise
Powell's Books: Dante Alighieri Books
Half.com: Dante Alighieri Books
CafePress: Dante Alighieri T-Shirts and Gifts

Dante Alighieri Images

Google Images: Dante Alighieri Images
Live Search Images: Dante Alighieri Images
Columbia University: Illustrations to The Inferno | Purgatorio | Paradise
National Gallery of Victoria: Dante Illustrations

Dante Alighieri Videos

Google Video: Dante Alighieri Videos
YouTube Video: Bach, Dante -- Inferno (Sinfonia in F minor, BWV 795) (Time 4:19)
YouTube Video: Dante's Inferno - Canto I (Time 8:46)
YouTube Video: Dante's Inferno (Clay Animation, 16mm) (Time 5:45)

Dante Alighieri Personal Timeline

1265: Born in Florence, Italy
1274: Falls in love with Beatrice Portinari; later makes her a character in The Divine Comedy
1283: Marries Gemma di Manetto Donati, an arrangement made for him by his family
1289: Fights in the Battle of Campaldino
1290: Beatrice dies
1300: Becomes a Florence magistrate
1301: Travels to Florence as envoy to Pope Boniface VIII
1302: Banished from Florence
1315: Moves to Verona, Italy
1319: Moves to Ravenna, Italy
1329: Dies on September 14 of fever

Dante Alighieri Publications Timeline

1292: La Vita Nuova (The New Life)
1303-1305: De Vulgari Eloquentia (On Elegance in the Vernacular)
1304-1307: The Convivio
1310-1313: The Monarchia
1314: The Inferno
1315-1321: Purgatorio and Paradiso
1319: Eclogues
1320: Quaestio de Aqua et de Terra

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