Divine Comedy

Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321) was a medieval Italian poet and public figure. Early researchers refer to Dante's early poems as the "first lyrical autobiography" in world literature. Dante sincerely narrates in them about his platonic love for Beatrice – an image that had a real prototype in Beatrice Portinari, whom the poet saw only three times. Young Beatrice became the subject of Dante's dreams, visions, and fantasies, illuminating his poetry with the light of sincere heartfelt feelings. Dante worked on his main work of his life, "The Divine Comedy" (1300 – 1321), for many years and managed to complete it in the very last months of his life. Dante called his work a "Comedy," implying its "middle style," auspicious ending, and entertainment. The epithet "divine" was added to the "Comedy" by Giovanni Boccaccio. Dante significantly transformed the popular genre of "journey through hell" at that time, as he showed not only the depths of Hell but also, being a living person, traversed and described all the known regions of the afterlife. In the "Divine Comedy," earthly reason is embodied by the poet Virgil, who accompanies Dante through Hell and Purgatory but leaves him at the threshold of Paradise. In the abode of eternal joy and light, the poet's guide becomes his love and muse – the beautiful Beatrice!