The poet Dante Alighieri is lost in a forest and is looking for the way out. The poem begins on Good Friday in the year 1300. What Dante truly did well with Inferno is to write a universal work that critics would praise due to its elevated style, but ordinary people could also access and enjoy it. It is upheld in two ways-it is written in vernacular language, and it starts off sad/dramatic (in Hell) and ends on a happier note (in Heaven). The Divine Comedy is genuinely a comedy in terms of the classic genre. The fact that this poem is written in vernacular Italian-the common language of the people-it provides an amazing historical context in which literature and language can be evaluated and studied.īefore Dante, most epic poems, and literature in general, was written in Latin and nobody quite understood the value and poetic beauty that could come from writing in one’s natural tongue. It is upheld as a beautiful poem unmatched by any other of its time.

Inferno is widely considered by scholars to be the greatest medieval poem written in vernacular language. Literary Significanceĭante’s The Divine Comedy is considered to be a landmark in European literature. For example, the punishments of the condemned symbolizes their sins on Earth.Ĭlimax: Dante’s encounter with Lucifer. Major Symbols: The entire poem is allegorical, so every aspect serves as a symbol. Mostly, the Cantos align with where the characters are in their journey through Hell. Plot: The story is told in Cantos-sections of the poem. He is met by the poet Virgil, who offers to be his guide.Ĭonflict: Dante attempts to find his way to God, to Heaven, to Beatrice, but obstacles in Hell hinder his journey.

Motifs: Political arguments allusions to classical literature cities fame and prestige in human lifeĮxposition: Dante is wandering a dark forest by himself, alone and afraid. Major Thematic Elements: The perfection of God’s justice evil juxtaposed to God’s grace storytelling as a vehicle for immortality

Dante's inferno john ciardi