Dante’s 700-year-old masterpiece the Divine Comedy still attracts great attention. For centuries readers have been drawn to his vivid description of the afterlife. This course will explore the first portion of the Divine Comedy, Inferno, in its entirety. The class will focus on the organization of his hell, from lesser to greater sins, the numerous historical personages and references in it, and its implicit theology. We will also look at Dante’s narrative, discussing how the actions of his characters and their respective punishments depict the true nature of the sins.
The purpose of Dante’s voyage is not about merely observing the torments of the damned, but rather about gaining knowledge of the true nature of evil. While many contemporary readers might disagree with the categories of Dante’s sins, the question of evil is as relevant today as it was in the fourteenth century.
