The origin of this dispute lay in the various conflicts between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope. Florence was divided between the pro-Imperial Ghibellines and those who supported the Papacy known as the Guelfs. The death of his beloved led to the poet studying philosophy and theology, as he sought some meaning in life.ĭante, like his family, belonged to one of the main factions in the city whose politics were often bloody. Dante married Gemma Donati, but he remained in love with Beatrice even after her untimely death. At some time, he saw and fell in love with a young girl called Beatrice, and she was the love of his life and became his muse. His mother died when he was twelve, and he was contracted while still a young boy in marriage to a girl who belonged to another leading family. Dante contributed to the development of humanism, the use of the vernacular in literature and challenged the hegemonic nature of the Church and these helped to generate the cultural and intellectual changes known as the Renaissance, which transformed the world forever.ĭnte was born into one of the leading families in Florence. He was a literary giant that had a decisive impact on the development not only of Italian literature but on many other aspects of the Renaissance.ĭante made significant contributions to the early Renaissance and many of his ideas and themes were developed by later writers, artists, and thinkers. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Western literary tradition and he is viewed as the national poet of Italy. Dante conceived the poem as the new epic of Christendom, and he creates a world in which reason and faith have transformed moral and social chaos into order.Ĭharles Sisson's blank verse translation is remarkable for its lucidity and vigour, and the Introduction, diagrams, maps, and notes by David Higgins provide the reader with invaluable guidance.ĪBOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. The poem is a spiritual autobiography in the form of a journey - the poet travels from the dark circles of the Inferno, up the mountain of Purgatory, where Virgil, his guide leaves him to encounter Beatrice in the Earthly Paradise. Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Global Public Healthĭescribed variously as the greatest poem of the European Middle Ages and, because of the author's evangelical purpose, the `fifth Gospel', the Divine Comedy is central to the culture of the west.The European Society of Cardiology Series.Oxford Commentaries on International Law.

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri