Friday, November 4, 2016
Aeneid vs. mythology
Throughout the entire scope of Dante's Inferno, we see him put ideas from the Aeneid above traditional mythology. For example, the oarsmen for the rivers of Hell are in different rivers than traditional mythology dictates. Dante does this because he follows the Aeneid most of the time. Another example is the queen of the underworld, Proserpina. In actual mythology, Hecate is the queen of the underworld, but Dante has changed it to go in accordance with the Aeneid. The purpose of idolizing the Aeneid shows Dante and his belief of the optimum form of society. He wants to restore society to the unity and peace that was achieved under the times of the Pax Romana, as opposed to the discord that he sees in his current time period.
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Dante constantly alludes to Augustus and the Pax Romana. Dante wishes to restore peace to the land and have one ruler like Augustus who could unite the people and make society a power house again. Dante is disgusted with the corrupt government and wishes for everyone to cooperate within a peaceful system.
Dante often refers to The Aneid throughout The Inferno. Dante continuously relates Roman traditions to Christianity. The Aneid was also written for Caesar Augustis during the time of the Pax Romana. Dante was trying to restore civilization to a time similar to the Pax Romana to bring about the Second Comin of Christ. Not only does Dante use The Aneid as a work to influence his work in the creative sense but also as a means to draw about a peaceful time to call about the Second Coming of Christ.
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