Spirituality
25 May 06
26 May 06
Originally posted by PaintbucketWhat are you confused about specifically? The symbolism? Possible allegorical interpretations? There's just so much to the Comedy that it's hard to answer such a broad question.
I've only read the Inferno, but I'd love to hear some thoughts on the deeper meaning of the story. I understand (sort of) the levels and who goes there, but are there any deeper ideas?
26 May 06
Make sure you read a translation that has endnotes, otherwise you're not going to be able to understand what's going on in a lot of places. Dante uses lots of references to obscure Greek and Italian people (real or mythical); he also explains many phenomena with the science of his day, which is tough (especially in poetry form) to follow since it is wrong.
28 May 06
Originally posted by NargagunaYes, Plato wrote the Apology. While Socrates is the main character in nearly all of Plato's writing, he never actually wrote anything down himself; that was Plato's job. Socratic dialogues were also a style of philosophical writing, and thus Socrates may or may not have actually said any of these things. For example, Plato was not present for either the Phaedo or the Crito, and while he claims his sources gave him the exact words spoken, Plato almost certainly made a lot of the dialogue up on his own.
Plato?
29 May 06
Originally posted by catfoodtimVirgil is to lead Dante through Hell and Purgatory but not Paradise.
What's the significance of Virgil as a guide?
Dante, who didn't read Greek, revered the epic Latin poet as a literary mentor. Since Dante was the first (as far as I know) to write truly substantial poetry in Italian (he wrote a long Latin treatise in praise of the vernacular) Virgil could also be passing the torch of Latin poetry on to him, so to speak.
A Link: http://users.erols.com/antos/dante/divine_com.html (worth clicking on if only for the Fuseli painting)