Posted on 06/06/2018 12:10:17 PM PDT by Borges
“All hope abandon ye who enter here.”
That’s the inscription on the gate to Hell in one of the first English translations of The Divine Comedy, by Henry Francis Cary, in 1814. You probably know it as the less tongue-twisting “Abandon hope all ye who enter here,” which is the epigraph for Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, hangs as a warning above the entrance to the Disney theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean, appears in the videogame World of Warcraft, and has been repurposed as a lyric by The Gaslight Anthem.
But it’s just one line of the 14,233 that make up The Divine Comedy, the three-part epic poem published in 1320 by Florentine bureaucrat turned visionary storyteller Dante Alighieri. Literary ambition seems to have been with Dante, born in 1265, from early in life when he wished to become a pharmacist. In late 13th Century Florence, books were sold in apothecaries, a testament to the common notion that words on paper or parchment could affect minds with their ideas as much as any drug.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Not only Hell, but Purgatory, and Paradise as well................
Originally it was titled ‘Comedia’, the word ‘Divine’ was added much later...............
We had to read that.
This poem is the reason Florentine Italian became Standard Italian. In Britain, France and elsewhere the language of the militarily dominant group became the language of the entire country. In Italy it was the language of the artistically dominant group.
Dante met Mohammed in Hell’s lowest circle I recall...
Sorry to be picky but:
“Disney theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean” is not right.
It says “Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirates Life for me”
Next to lowest IIRC.
And the German language standard was established by Martin Luther’s writings.
Tnx.
For the most part....this article is a very good overview.
Probably as good as a non-Christian can write. But this is rubbish:
“Dante is indeed suggesting that Julius Caesar may have been on the same level of importance as Jesus.”
By placing Brutus and Cassius in the same rung of hell as Judas, he is saying that treachery goes to the center of hell. He is implicitly saying that Rome was something great, and therefore the treachery of Brutus and Cassius is especially terrible. But that’s a different point than saying Christ and Caesar are sort of equivalents.
All you have to do is read Paradiso all the way through to see what Dante thinks of Christ, and the Trinity.
But all that said....I doubt that Paradiso can really hold the attention of a non-Christian.
Isn’t it amazing how these two amazing artists self-consciously working in a vernacular, local dialect made their chosen language the language of a people?
The author says:
“It may not hold the meaning of life”
To which I respond:
“Or it may” :)
It held my attention!
As I recall, Judas is sticking out of Satan’s butt in the very bottom. Only room for one.
Most had to read the first book. My favorite is Purgatorio.
You are exceptional. :)
I keep hearing his “Inferno” referenced as though it were real. It’s a work of fiction... always remember that.
As opposed to what? Paradise Lost? It is referred to as Dante’s Inferno after all
For a tour of hell: Don’t bother with Dante. Just turn on CNN.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.