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Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 8:10 pm
I know the church used his depictions of hell as doctrine, but the title seems to suggest that he had a different purpose in mind entirely.
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 8:13 pm
The book was about the local politics and politicians if I remember correctly.
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 8:41 pm
The "Divine" part came with later printings more than two centuries after Dante's death, so it was simply called "Commedia." Back in the medieval era (and much later, I may add), comedy had a very different meaning, focusing less on humour and more on a happy ending, in contrast with tragedy. If you ever wondered why Shakespeare's comedies were called so even if they're not that funny, this is why. The work as a whole ends with Dante not only in Heaven, but finally seeing the Triune God in sphere form with his soul alligning with God's love, which is, of course, a happy ending.
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 8:44 pm
Naw, the concepts of hell and heaven are just fuckin funny. The End.
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 9:00 pm
Theater is represented by two masks, one laughing the other crying. These depict the the generic division between comedy and tragedy. A "comedy," as represented here, is not a funny story, but one where the trajectory of the story is from sadness or melancholy to happiness or joy. This is the case with Dante's tale.
As for being a political tale, not so much. While there may be some relevant political content, especially of concerning Florence and it's leader, it is a theological tale.
Quote:On the surface, the poem describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise or Heaven; but at a deeper level, it represents, allegorically, the soul's journey towards God. At this deeper level, Dante draws on medieval Christian theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy and the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. Consequently, the Divine Comedy has been called "the Summa in verse".
Source.
Even for a crabby old, unbelieving (gentleman) bastard like me, it's still a moving and informative tale. It certainly provides (especially when laid next to "Paradise Lost") explanation of for all the descriptions of hell/Lucifer/etc... that are extra-biblical.
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 9:09 pm
(This post was last modified: August 29, 2017 at 9:18 pm by Rev. Rye.)
Have you watched the 2008 film version? It may seem a bit cheap considering that the characters are all paper cutouts, but it's actually an interesting take on the Inferno translating the cultural references to the modern day and including some more dead people they may recognise.
Some of my favourites include George Sanders as a tree among the suicides, Muhammad as a taxi driver among the sowers of discord, Strom Thurmond dressed in a Mrs. Butterworth costume played by Dana "Master Shake" Snyder, and John Paul II on a Rascal in a hall of mirrors. It might take some effort to track down, but if you're interested in Dante and are willing to look past the cheap aesthetic, it's well worth it.
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 9:17 pm
(August 29, 2017 at 9:00 pm)The Gentleman Bastard Wrote: As for being a political tale, not so much. While there may be some relevant political content, especially of concerning Florence and it's leader, it is a theological tale.
Lots o' politicians show up in the thing.
"Dante’s personal life and the writing of The Comedy were greatly influenced by the politics of late-thirteenth-century Florence.
...
The pope, as well as a multitude of other characters from Florentine politics, has a place in the Hell that Dante depicts in Inferno—and not a pleasant one."
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/context.html
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 10:14 pm
I've seen it posited that the work was a sort of fiction novel of the time. Of course, some religious organizations are using it to great effect. 
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 29, 2017 at 10:59 pm
(August 29, 2017 at 8:41 pm)Rev. Rye Wrote: The "Divine" part came with later printings more than two centuries after Dante's death, so it was simply called "Commedia." Back in the medieval era (and much later, I may add), comedy had a very different meaning, focusing less on humour and more on a happy ending, in contrast with tragedy. If you ever wondered why Shakespeare's comedies were called so even if they're not that funny, this is why. The work as a whole ends with Dante not only in Heaven, but finally seeing the Triune God in sphere form with his soul alligning with God's love, which is, of course, a happy ending.
I've got your happy ending right here . . . .
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RE: Why Did Dante Title His Work The Divine Comedy?
August 30, 2017 at 1:32 am
(August 29, 2017 at 10:14 pm)Fireball Wrote: I've seen it posited that the work was a sort of fiction novel of the time. Of course, some religious organizations are using it to great effect.
A little known fact, the Italian language as we know it today owes its status to Dante and the divine comedy, and the agent that made Dante's Italian the Italian of the modern Italy is as anti-clerical as one can get.
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