The Divine Comedy is a three part book series about a man, named Dante or the Pilgrim , who is being traveling through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.;he is being guided by the poet Virgil.
I first was introduced to these books in one of my English classes while during my Bachelors at ACU. We only read selected Cantos(chapters) from the first volume, Inferno, but now I'm going to read the entire series. I mentioned "Cantos" and those are like chapters, but not really. See, this entire series is a poem, so Cantos are the various parts of the poem. As a writer, I could not do this type of writing. I'm more of a fantasy/magical writer, so this is up my alley in a sense, but I have a hard enough time taking grammar into account, let alone writing it in poetry style. That alone makes this an interesting series. The whole premise of a journey through Hell, then Purgatory, then Paradise is super interesting to me.
Canto 1:
Pilgrim wakes up in a dark wood, finds a mountain bathed in light but is blocked by three beasts. Poet virgil comes to him and says he must go through another path, and he(Virgil)will guide him.
"Midway along the journey of our life/ I woke to find myself in a dark wood,/for I had wandered off from the straight path."(lines 1-3). This is the opening lines to the Divine Comedy, and it's one of my favorites. It's one of my favorite lines because it's something that, I think, most people can relate to at some point in their lives: getting lost, wandering off from your path. and it doesn't have to be a "went off the rails, started doing drugs, sleeping around" kinda wandering off the path. it can be as simple as not knowing what to do with your life or what job to get or what major to pick. He goes on to write: "How I entered there I cannot truly say,/I had become so sleepy at the moment/ when I first started, leaving the path of truth;(Lines 10-12). These two lines paint to me an image of a man who wakes up and suddenly is in a scary place, and he doesn't even really know how he get there. ofttimes, we cannot pin point the moment that things go wrong. usually, we just wake up in the dark wood, and there we are and no clue as to how we ended up there. I know that's the case with me and the situation I'm currently in. I wish I knew the moment when my life just…de-railed a bit, where I was no longer happy and content but just sad and it feels like it is all wrong. one of the things that I like though, is that the pilgrim doesn't spend a lot of time, or really any time, figuring out how he ended up where he is. I like that because while it is important to understand the choices you made that led you to this point, I think it is more worthwhile to concentrate your energy on dealing with where you are, with what is in front of and ahead of you, instead of where you have been, how you got there, etc. Don't get me wrong. It's important to understand that you have gone from the straight path, that you are not where you once were and if you can figure out the choices that led you there, then that's good. but sometimes, that is impossible and a wasted effort. Sometimes, you spend so much time looking back and trying so hard to figure out where things went wrong...that you end up not fixing or solving anything.
Canto 2: Pilgrim begins to waver in his courage; Virgil informs of the chain of great Heaven ladies by which he, Virgil, ended up being sent to help the Pilgrim.
This canto is important I think, because it adds some background information to the reader as to how, and why, Virgil is guiding the pilgrim. It also, to me, adds a sense of realism to the story and it helps us to relate to the pilgrim a little bit more. after all, most of us would be terrified if we were about to take a tour of Hell. sure, it might be exciting, fascinating, etc. but it would also be very scary to see a place of darkness, without hope and joy. I love to travel, though I don't have money for it anymore, but before each trip, there is a sense of nervousness, of wondering if you should go after all. sure it is nowhere near as bad as the nerves in this Canto, but I can still relate to that "what if I'm making a mistake" feeling. actually, I can relate to it right now, as I'm sure most of us do, even if it's not about a trip.
At one point the pilgrim says that he is "not Paul,/ neither I nor any man would think me worthy;"(lines 32-33). It reminds me of the story of Moses, at the burning bush. He too was facing a difficult and scary journey, and he too said that he was not worthy, that who was he to lead such a mission for God. and I'm sure that Paul too must have had doubts, given his background as a murderer. I find it...reassuring to know that some of the greatest leaders in the world have not thought themselves worthy.
One another point, my favorite verse in this canto, and thus far in the story, is "Because your question searches for deep meaning,/I shall explain in simple words,"(Lines 85-86). I LOVE this verse. I love it because so often, we assume that a serious and deep question or concern, needs an answer just as deep. My friend, whose name shall be B for the purposes of this post, always does that to me. I ask a question about God or the bible, and he feels that it is such a deep question that he cannot answer because the answer would be too long. Sometimes, a simple "I don't know" or the basic version of the answer will do. It doesn't always have to be a 10 page research paper answer. sometimes it does not even have to do with a question per say, but just people's reaction to an emotion I'm feeling or something. I cannot tell you how many times I have told a friend that I hate being single, I want a relationship...and I get a 20 minute lecture on "God's timing" or "be patient" or how the fact that I want a relationship is what is keeping me from getting it...it gets so annoying! I don't always need a lecture on the virtues of single hood; I just need...a listener you know? and I feel sometimes that as Christians, we are so bad at that! sometimes, people want a simple answer or no answer. they just want you to listen, to comfort them, to be there. they don't always need or want or require a Christian lecture.
Canto 3: The indecisive and Charon
In this canto, we are at the Gates of Hell; in the Vestibule that leads to Hell. The first group of soul which we meet are the indecisive; these are souls which are nowhere, in-between good and evil, neither black or white but gray:
I find it so fitting that this is the first group of souls which we encounter: those who were not faithful and so are not in Heaven, but they never really sinned so they are not bound for Hell. instead, their punishment is to constantly follow this rapidly moving banner that moves and moves fast and without stopping...a banner, a stand, which they can never catch. In life, they refused to take a stand, to take a side. and now when they are so desperate to do so...they can never catch it; it is eternally out of their reach.
I actually find the contrast between the Indecisive and the next canto, in which we encounter Limbo, to be very interesting, and I actually am gonna write a separate post on that next.
Charon ferries the souls newly arrived to Hell across the river to judgment, so when he sees the living poet he gets angry. but Virgil says to the Pilgrim: "a good soul never comes to make this crossing,/ so, if Charon grumbles at the sight of you,/you see now what his words are really saying."(Lines 127-129). I like these lines because it's a good reminder that sometimes, anger is a good sign. it's hard to get mad at someone that you don't have any feelings, good or bad towards. so if someone is angry at you, you can at least know that it is better than being indifferent. which leads me back to my interest between the Indecisive souls and those in Limbo as well as the Dammed souls...which is worse: being nowhere, or being in Hell? My next post will be a "special" post about that.
Canto 2: Pilgrim begins to waver in his courage; Virgil informs of the chain of great Heaven ladies by which he, Virgil, ended up being sent to help the Pilgrim.
This canto is important I think, because it adds some background information to the reader as to how, and why, Virgil is guiding the pilgrim. It also, to me, adds a sense of realism to the story and it helps us to relate to the pilgrim a little bit more. after all, most of us would be terrified if we were about to take a tour of Hell. sure, it might be exciting, fascinating, etc. but it would also be very scary to see a place of darkness, without hope and joy. I love to travel, though I don't have money for it anymore, but before each trip, there is a sense of nervousness, of wondering if you should go after all. sure it is nowhere near as bad as the nerves in this Canto, but I can still relate to that "what if I'm making a mistake" feeling. actually, I can relate to it right now, as I'm sure most of us do, even if it's not about a trip.
At one point the pilgrim says that he is "not Paul,/ neither I nor any man would think me worthy;"(lines 32-33). It reminds me of the story of Moses, at the burning bush. He too was facing a difficult and scary journey, and he too said that he was not worthy, that who was he to lead such a mission for God. and I'm sure that Paul too must have had doubts, given his background as a murderer. I find it...reassuring to know that some of the greatest leaders in the world have not thought themselves worthy.
One another point, my favorite verse in this canto, and thus far in the story, is "Because your question searches for deep meaning,/I shall explain in simple words,"(Lines 85-86). I LOVE this verse. I love it because so often, we assume that a serious and deep question or concern, needs an answer just as deep. My friend, whose name shall be B for the purposes of this post, always does that to me. I ask a question about God or the bible, and he feels that it is such a deep question that he cannot answer because the answer would be too long. Sometimes, a simple "I don't know" or the basic version of the answer will do. It doesn't always have to be a 10 page research paper answer. sometimes it does not even have to do with a question per say, but just people's reaction to an emotion I'm feeling or something. I cannot tell you how many times I have told a friend that I hate being single, I want a relationship...and I get a 20 minute lecture on "God's timing" or "be patient" or how the fact that I want a relationship is what is keeping me from getting it...it gets so annoying! I don't always need a lecture on the virtues of single hood; I just need...a listener you know? and I feel sometimes that as Christians, we are so bad at that! sometimes, people want a simple answer or no answer. they just want you to listen, to comfort them, to be there. they don't always need or want or require a Christian lecture.
Canto 3: The indecisive and Charon
In this canto, we are at the Gates of Hell; in the Vestibule that leads to Hell. The first group of soul which we meet are the indecisive; these are souls which are nowhere, in-between good and evil, neither black or white but gray:
"This wretched state of being
is the fate of those sad souls who lived a life
but lived it with no blame and with no praise.
They are mixed with that repulsive choir of angels
neither faithful nor unfaithful to their God,
who undecided stood but for themselves.
Heaven, to keep its beauty, cast them out,
but even Hell itself would not receive them,
for fear the dammed might glory over them."(Lines 34-42).
I actually find the contrast between the Indecisive and the next canto, in which we encounter Limbo, to be very interesting, and I actually am gonna write a separate post on that next.
Charon ferries the souls newly arrived to Hell across the river to judgment, so when he sees the living poet he gets angry. but Virgil says to the Pilgrim: "a good soul never comes to make this crossing,/ so, if Charon grumbles at the sight of you,/you see now what his words are really saying."(Lines 127-129). I like these lines because it's a good reminder that sometimes, anger is a good sign. it's hard to get mad at someone that you don't have any feelings, good or bad towards. so if someone is angry at you, you can at least know that it is better than being indifferent. which leads me back to my interest between the Indecisive souls and those in Limbo as well as the Dammed souls...which is worse: being nowhere, or being in Hell? My next post will be a "special" post about that.
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