The stories of hell and heaven can be found on the pages of every religious scripture. Every culture has its own description, its own kind of reward and torture once we die. The only common belief across the religions is that the virtuous ascend the heaven, while the sinners are damned to rot in hell. But no scripture in the world has ever visualized and pictured hell and heaven, so poetically as Dante Alighieri does, in his Divine Comedy.
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." inscribed on the gates of hell sets the tone for 'The Inferno', the first instalment in the three-part epic love story, 'The Divine Comedy.' These words warn Dante about the journey he is about to embark. In this epic poem, written in the 14th century, Dante casts himself as the protagonist.
In the beginning Beatrice, a heavenly figure tasks Virgil, an ancient Roman poet, to help Dante on his journey toward heaven. To reach heaven, Dante has to first pass through the nine circles of hell. Descending into the abyss of hell, he witnesses torment. He witnesses obscene punishment distinct to each realm. Beginning from Limbo he travels through lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, and Fraud to the final circle Treachery. Satan oversees the sinners himself in the ninth circle. Each circle represents a sin.
Hell is divided into two circles. The upper circle punishes those who commit a sin out of self-indulgence. The upper circle is for people who commit sins of lust, gluttony, greed, and wrath. The circles from two to five form the upper circle of hell. Circles seven to nine form the lower hell. With Virgil's help Dante leaves hell.
Once Dante leaves hell, he then scales the Mount of Purgatory and ascends the nine celestial spheres of Heaven. 'Purgatorio' and 'Paradiso' complete the epic trilogy. For Dante, it took over 10 years of writing to complete the Divine Comedy. It is an allegory that pictures the journey of the soul towards God. It encompasses both humans and the divine. Divine Comedy is not just a religious allegory, it is also a daring commentary on Italian politics. Though Dante was religious and believed in God, he criticized the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman church used to sell religious favours. Dante disliked this.
He was also against the nepotism of the church. During the time there existed two groups that stood for and against the activities of the church. The group which supported the church is known as Guelfi Meri or Black Guelphs. The ones who opposed the church were called Guelfi Bianchi, or White Guelphs. Dante belonged to the latter. An age-long religious and political fiction remained among these groups. White Guelphs demanded more freedom for Florence from the church. Dante often protested against the Black Guelphs and spoke against the power of the pope, as a result, he was exiled from Florence in the year 1302.
Disheartened, Dante started to write his critique of the Roman Church. Lifelong exile from Florence gave him the confidence to air his grievances publicly. Back then, Latin was the language of the educated elite. But he chose to write the poem in Italian. By doing so he ensured a wider audience for his political commentary. In the Inferno, in the realm of wrath Dante sees a Black Guelph named Filippo Argenti, as he gets punished. He sees Filippo being teared up from limb to limb. Later he witnesses Pope Nicholas 3 being burned in the hottest flames, in the realm reserved for frauds. The pope says to Dante that his two successors will also be trapped in hell once they die, as they too are guilty of simony and corruption.
The cruel punishments and obscene imagery in Inferno may disturb the readers. Despite all its torment, Divine Comedy is also a love story. Dante was in love with a woman named Beatrice Portinari since he was nine. Dante met the girl only twice during his whole life. Though Dante had an arranged marriage, his unrequited love fuelled his inspiration to write. As said before Beatrice is the one who sends Virgil to Dante's rescue. Dante portrays his love, Beatrice as a heavenly figure in the Divine Comedy. She is the one who leads Dante to heaven.
The Divine Comedy is considered to be one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written. The themes of love, sin, and redemption keep the readers amazed. It keeps inspiring artists and readers from the time of its publication. In the year 2008, the city of Florence revoked Dante's exile, finally redeeming the great poet after countless years.
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