Dante Alighieri
Created | Updated Oct 20, 2010
Durante* Alighieri was born in late spring*, 1265 AD, in Florence, Italy. His parents were low-aristocrats who weren't particularly wealthy, but not poor either. At the age of nine he met a girl named Bice di Folco Portinari*, who would be the object of his desires until she died in 1290, although she would always be out of his reach. In about 1285 he married Gemma di Manetto Donati, the daughter of a powerful Guelfo. The Guelfi were a political party, archenemies of the Ghibellini. In the early days, the Guelfi were supporters of papal power, while the Ghibellini were loyal to the Emporer. Throughout the Middle Ages, Italy was divided politically, largely due to the strugle between church and temporal leaders. Later on, a faction of Guelfi defected to the side of the Emporer. They were known as the White Guelfi, and Dante enventually joined their ranks. Around 1300 the fighting between the white Guelfi and the black Guelfi (those who remained loyal to the Pope) became much fiercer.
As a young man, Dante was part of the Stilnovo poetical movement. Founded by a poet from Bologna named Guido Guinizzelli, it was most popular in Florence. The Stilnovo * poets only wrote about love. They saw love as a perfect ideal, almost sacred. Women were seen as symbols of purity and virtue.
In 1295 Dante started a career in politics. He rose to power quickly, and in five years he became a priore (similar to a governor). At this time, the aforementioned fighting between the white and black Guelfi was at its most severe, and Dante was forced to pick a side. He chose to support the whites, and denounced temporal interference. Unfortunately for him, the blacks won. The new regime in Florence accused him of fraud and ordered him to 2 years exile and a fine. Dante claimed he was innocent of the charges, and refused to pay the fine. As a result, he was sentenced to death. He fled Florence and stayed under the protection of a Bartolomeo della Scala in Verona, unable to ever return to Florence. For the rest of his life he was constantly moving. He died in 1321 in Ravenna, and was buried in San Pier Maggiore's Church.
La Divina Commedia
Dante is most famous for his masterpiece "La Divina Commedia" or "The Divine Comedy*". La Divina Commedia is a fictional story* about Dante's guided tour of the spiritual realm. It is divided into three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Heaven). In this journey, Virgil, a poet from ancient Rome, guides Dante through Hell and Purgatory. However, because poor Virgil had the misfortune of dying before Christ unlocked the gates of Heaven through His Crucifixion, he was forbidden to enter Heaven. In his leave, the job was filled by Beatrice, the woman Dante always loved, but was never loved by, in his real life. Beatrice guided him through Heaven.
La Divina Commedia contains much that is symbolic. The three main characters, (Dante and his guides) each symbolized something. Dante is the symbol of mankind, while Virgil symbolizes human reason. Lastly, Beatrice is symbolic of God's love. The religious conversion of Dante in the story symbolizes the conversion of all mankind. Even the date is symbolic. According to literary analysists, the first line of the poem, combined with lines 112-114 of Canto XXI of the Inferno reveal that the journey begins on Good Friday 1300. This is the day that Dante became priore of Florence, the office which led to his exile. Oddly enough, it is also the most solemn holy day of the year of the first Jubilee. Although the former event is more significant in the life of Dante, the latter may be of more importance to the symbolic meaning of the story. The Jubilee, introduced by Pope Boniface VIII, was a universal call to moral conversion, the symbolic theme of the story. The numeric symbolism does not end with the encrypted date, however. The structure of the work is littered with patterns of three, symbolizing God's trinity.
Dante's Other Works
Athough La Divina Commedia is widely considered to be Dante's Masterpiece, and even the defining literary work of the Middle Ages, Dante also wrote several other important works. Some of them are summarized below:
Convivio (Banquet)
Language: Italian
Genre: Essay (Philosophical)
Style: Combination Poetry and Prose
This essay is titled "Banquet" because it is intended as a banquent of knowledge, with the poetry as the courses, and the prose as the bread. Consisting of 4 books, this essay is unusual because it uses the vernacular Italian language instead of the "scholar's language", Latin.
De Vulgari Eloquentia (On the Usefulness of the Vernacular*)
Language: Latin
Genre: Essay (Linguistic)
Style: Prose
In this unfinished work, considered to be the first work of literary criticism, Dante explains his views on the problems of language. He thinks that Italian dialects* should be used in literature, not just speech. Latin should be reserved for essays and other technical works. Dante considers the vernacular to be more noble than Latin, because it is more natural and expressive. He goes on to present his theory for the essential characteristics of an ideal language. Such a language did not exist, so Dante proposes that one be created.
Monarchia (Monarchy)
Language: Latin
Genre: Essay (Political)
Style: Prose
This essay is Dante's argument on the issue of politics. He argues that the best form of government is a world empire, ruled by an absolute monarch*. Dante points out that war and conflict are caused by greed, and the Emporer, who owns every material good, has no greed. Dante goes on to explain his theory for the seperation of Church and State. God gives temporal power to the Emporer, while spiritual power is reserved to the Pope. The two realms of power should not overlap. The duty of the Emporer is to ensure mankind happiness in life, while the Pope must guide mankind to spiritual salvation, so they may enjoy eternal happiness in the afterlife.
Rime (Rhymes)
Language: Italian
Genre: Anthology of Poems
Style: Poetry
This is a collection of Dante's lyrical poems. It includes sonnets, canzones and ballads. The themes and style are mostly consistent with the Stilnovo philosophy, but include other influences as well.
Vita Nuova (New Life)
Language: Italian
Genre: Anthology of Poems
Style: Poetry, with a frame of prose
This is a collection of Dante's early poems. It is divided into 42* chapters. They are written in the Stilnovo style, and are mostly concerened with Beatrice.
Quaestio de Aqua et de Terra (Inquiry of the Water Level*)
Language: Latin
Genre: Essay (Scientific)
Style: Prose
This is the last published work that Dante ever wrote. It was written in 1320, the year before he died. It demonstrates that nowhere on Earth does the sea level exceed the land level, and is based on an oral speech he did in Verona. A mundane end to the life of one of the most influential writers in history.
Several other writings are attributed to Dante, but other than a series of letters collectively known as the Epistles, most of these works are apocryphal, and may have been written by someone else.
Epilogue
Dante Alighieri was a complex man with a complex life. Many consider him to be the greatest writer of the Middle Ages. Others think of him as a whining complainer with serious psychological issues. The truth probably lies somewhere inbetween, but I will leave those conclusions to the reader. Whatever your opinion, the fact remains that this is a man who had a profound impact on a great many people, both during his life and after. The name Dante is known the world over, and his greatest work has been read by countless millions of people. In 1321 he entered into the realm that he wrote of and was lost to us forever, but Dante Alighieri has achieved immortality through a tale that will never be forgotten.
