Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy is considered a prototypical work of medieval literature. Written in the early 14th century, it describes Dante's pilgrimage through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Heaven (Paradiso) guided by Virgil and Beatrice. The poem is rich in Christian symbolism, especially the numerology of threes representing the Holy Trinity and nines representing spiritual perfection. It encapsulates medieval Christian views of the afterlife and salvation of the soul.

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2. Medieval Arts: Mortal Body, Immortal Soul
The theme of salvation dominates the arts,
architecture, and literature
Prototype of medieval themes: Dante’s The Divine
Comedy, a symbolic epic poem on the three levels
of the afterlife.
Architecture symbolizes the grandeur of the
Christian God
Plays emphasize biblical theology and the
morality derived from it
The arts depict the saints and the divinity itself
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3. Medieval Verse and Poetry
Poems tended to be long, and were divided into main
divisions called cantos
Several themes include
Accounts of fighting nobility (Song of Roland)
Code of courtly love: de Troyes’s Lancelot
Theological epics, such as Dante’s Divine Comedy
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4. Medieval Arts: The Divine Comedy
Dante Aligheri’s The Divine
Comedy is a prototypic classic of
the medieval era
It describes the pilgrimage of a
Christian soul through Hell
(Inferno) and Purgatory
(Purgatorio)
Then to salvation (Paradiso)
(Ed. Note: If this epic poem
doesn’t scare the living bejasus
out of you, nothing will. )
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5. Symbolism of Divine Comedy
Every aspect of Divine Comedy has symbolic meaning
Numerology of three: Trinity, three levels of the
afterlife, Aristotelian division of human psyche into
reason, will, and love—and three guides
Nines: nine levels of Hell, spheres of heaven, and
circles of penitents in Purgatory
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6. Medieval Arts: The Divine Comedy
Dante Aligheri’s The Divine
Comedy is a prototypic classic of
the medieval era
It describes the pilgrimage of a
Christian soul through Hell
(Inferno) and Purgatory
(Purgatorio)
Then to salvation (Paraidiso)
The poem is rich in symbolism,
especially the numerology of
threes (Trinity, three levels of the
afterlife) and their multiples
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7. Virgil the Poet
Virgil, the Roman poet,
accompanies Dante in Hell and
Purgatory
Virgil represents Reason, but as
a pagan he can never enter
paradise
Here, Dante and Virgil are seen
in the background in the Inferno
As tormented souls writhe in the
foreground.
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8. Paradise with Beatrice as Guide
His beloved Beatrice
accompanies him
through Paradise
This is a study of
unrequited love; in real
life, Beatrice was
uninterested in him
At a more abstract
level, she was the
personification of
wisdom
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9. Divine Comedy: Inferno
There are nine levels of Hell,
punishment varying with the sin
Lowest (ninth) reserved for those
accused of treachery (Judas,
Brutus)
Sins of passion (sex) receive the
lightest
Punishment is carried out by the
sin itself:
Gluttons are punished with their
own excrement
The violent are immersed in
boiling blood
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10. Divine Comedy: Purgatorio
Sins are also hierarchically
arranged
Least serious sin is
lasciviousness
The most serious: the
lethargic, considered worse
than the wrathful or the
proud
Purged of their sins, the
souls may enter paradise
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11. Divine Comedy: Il Paradiso
Is there a hierarchy in heaven?
To Dante, yes: there are nine circles of heaven
The lowest circle: souls who abandoned their
vows and so were deficient in fortitude
Intermediate circles: souls with less defects
then with various degrees of glory
The highest (ninth) circle: the abode of angels
and the primum mobile of all creation
Above: Dante and Beatrice at the gate of the
Empyrean Paradise
Below: Artist’s conception of Paradise
according to Dante.
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12. The Empyrean Paradise
Finally, Beatrice leaves him to
his final guide, St. Bernard,
because theology has reached
its limits
The Empyrean Paradise is the
abode of God Himself,
represented by three circles
The circles represent the Trinity
The story ends with Dante
experiencing God’s love while
trying (and failing) to
understand his ways.
The Empyrean Paradise exists
beyond space and time
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13. Divine Comedy: Conclusion
The Divine Comedy encapsulates the Augustinian
conception of Christianity and the Church.
All the world of the afterlife is hierarchical, from
Hell through Purgatory to Paradise itself
The entire epic is a engaging story, yet it is full of
symbolism that requires several readings to
adequately understand it.
Theme of all aspects of medieval life appears in
the Divine Comedy: theology, hierarchy of the
Church, fear of damnation, Church doctrine
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14. Medieval Arts: Morality Plays
Definition: A type of play dramatizing moral
themes
Conflict between good and evil is a recurring
motif
The qualities are personified and engaged in
dialogue—Everyman, Death, Knowledge
In Everyman, the protagonist realizes that Death
has come to take him to the Last Judgment
No one—Wit, Knowledge, even Kindred—can
save him but Good Deeds (with the aid of the
priesthood, of course)
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15. Mystery and Miracle Plays
Mystery Plays (left): Plays
originating in Church
liturgy
Dramatized biblical
history
Among the themes: fall of
Satan, Last Judgment
Miracle Plays: Plays
depicting the miracles of
Christ, the Virgin, and the
Saints.
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16. Medieval Music: Polyphony
Within the church, choirs sang in a pattern of
polyphony, in which two or more lines of melody
of equal importance are sung
Organum refers to a generic variety of polyphone
In parallel organum, the two voices move exactly
parallel with each other
In free organum, the second voice moves in
contrary motion
Melismatic organum involves the use of multiple
notes for the individual syllables of the text
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17. Medieval Architecture: Romanesque Church
Size of nave enlarge to accommodate
pilgrims
Eastern part of the church enlarged for
chapels where small parties could
worship undisturbed
Salient features: rounded arches, thick
walls, large towers, and decorative
arcading
Most of them were abbey churches
They generally dominated the
countryside
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18. Medieval Architecture: Gothic Cathedrals
They were abstract, symbolic, and expressive
linearity
Colorful and highly decorative
The rounded arch was replaced by the pointed
arch (upper left, Riems Cathedral, France)
The ribbed vault appears at the ceiling of the
church (lower left; San Zanipolo, Venice)
The flying buttress transfers the weight of the
vault to a buttress outside the building
They involved the extensive use of stained glass
windows
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19. Conclusion
Generally, the arts reflected the principles of
hierarchy, Christian salvation, and Church
doctrine that dominated medieval society
Dante’s Divine Comedy reflected the Augustinian
influence of the medieval world view
The architecture, art, and music were dedicated
to the glory of a God as seen through medieval
eyes.
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