THE DIVINE COMEDY IBD

Sinopse

The Divine Comedy describes DanteâÇÖs travels througháHell,áPurgatory, and Paradise and represents the soulâÇÖs journey towards God. This edition includes the complete texts of DanteâÇÖs Inferno, Purgatoria, and Paradiso.Inferno - Inferno beginsáwith Dante lost in a darkáwood, assailed by beasts he cannot evade, and unable to find the straight way to salvation. Conscious that he is ruining himself and that he is falling into a dark place, Dante is at last rescued by Virgil, and the two of them begin their journey to the underworld. Allegorically, theáInfernoárepresents the Christian soul seeing sin for what it really is, and the three beasts represent three types of sin: the self-indulgent, the violent, and the malicious.Purgatoria - Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the undergloom to the Mountain ofáPurgatoryáon the far side of the world. The mountain has seven terraces, corresponding to theáseven deadly sins. DanteâÇÖs illustrative examples of sin and virtue draw on classical sources as well as on the Bible and on contemporary events.Paradiso - After an initial ascension, Beatrice guides Dante through the nineácelestial spheresáofáHeaven. These are concentric and spherical, as ináAristotelianáandáPtolemaicácosmology. The structure of Paradisoáis based on theáfour cardinal virtuesáand theáthree theological virtues. In Paradiso, Dante meets and converses with several great saints of the Church, includingáSaint Peter, andáSt. John.áAllegorically, the poem represents the soulâÇÖs ascent to God.