Allegory In The Divine Comedy Essay, Research Paper

Dante wrote The Divine Comedy between 1308 and 1321. The Divine Comedy was written as an allegory, Which is a narrative that takes place on both a literal and a figurative or symbolic level. Dante uses himself as the main character and uses allegory to describe himself in the epic.

Half-way through Dante’s life, he realizes that he goes astray from the “True Way” and into the “Dark woodof error.” Dante travels through hell, or the inferno, through purgatory and paradise before reaching God and his love of his life Beatrice. He meets sinners and listens to their pain. He never knows what they feel because he, himself is not dead and it is only in a dream world.This part of Dante owuld be the literal level of allegory that he uses in the Divine Comedy. On the figurative level or symbolis level of the character Dante, he travels through the different levels of the nine-circle,Purgatory and paradise are like the progression of an individual soul towards God. Dante learns from the other sinners he encounters, which helps the progession of the soul towrd God.

Dante, the character was written on a figurative and literal level. This style is called allegory. Dante meets tormented souls and he grows as a person as he travels through the nine cirlces.