Hamlet and Aeneas

In Latin, we have discussed Aeneas as a character. His main enemy throughout the Aeneid is Fury itself, which is represented in many ways. "Furor", Fury, is something that is chaotic and goes against the established order. Aeneas is called to be a new kind of hero in that his deeds aren't going to be in warfare, but instead in establishing a new settlement in Italy and leading his people with honor. Instead of staying to fight while Troy was falling to the Greeks, he was called by spirits of fallen warriors and his wife to flee and give hope to a future settlement, which would become Rome. Hamlet is too called to battle Fury; his uncle has disturbed the established order and he must put it back in place. This relates to the great chain of being; the chain, established order, has been disturbed, and there can't be peace until it is restored. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father just as Aeneas is visited by many guiding spirits, including his dad's. Hamlet, however, is called to violent revenge. This is a different type of calling than Aeneas's, and it is more traditional. He must avenge his dad who was killed to regain his honor and the throne, whereas Aeneas's goal is not about fighting and is meant to serve as a contrast between Aeneas and other more traditional war heroes.

Dante's Inferno and Vergil's Aeneid: Underworld Comparisons

In Latin class this year, we have been continuing reading Vergil’s Aeneid, and I thought it was fun that we happened to reach the part about Aeneas descending into the underworld as we started reading Dante’s Inferno in English class. I noticed many parallels and connections between the two versions of hell. One of the more obvious connections is Dante’s direct references to Aeneas’s journey to hell. The two poets did organize their versions of hell differently; Dante has drawn out circles and more clear directions than Vergil’s mapping of hell, and Vergil has an area in his underworld that is peaceful and pleasant. They both, however, have sections for different types of sinners, and Dido is in both of their underworlds. Dido is in Vergil’s section of people who have been consumed by love, and is in Dante’s area for lust. Vergil showed that Dido was not lustful; she was actually very surprised to fall in love again after her husband was murdered. Vergil’s boundaries and sections are a bit more fluid than Dante’s, I think, but he does mention 9 circles, which surprised me. The rivers and boatmen are common to both because of their presence in mythology. In both stories, there is a guide as well as some divine intervention. Dante has Vergil, and Aeneas has the Sybil. Both have a sort of “fate” or reason for being guided down there. Aeneas’s whole journey has been dictated by the gods; it is even divine permission that allows him to get the golden bough and go to the underworld. Dante has help from three divine women. They each have to calm Cerberus by throwing something into his mouths; Aeneas and the Sybil give him honey cake, which he probably preferred over Dante and Vergil’s slime. The boatmen of the underworld are hesitant to bring each group across, but eventually do. This was actually a small point of humor in the Aeneid, just as Dante tried to include some humor with the salutes and signals of the demons to one another. Furies attack sinners in both; in the Aeneid, they attack the gluttons who try to eat at the feast eternally laid out before them. Aeneas and Dante talk to spirits in the underworld, and are both shaken by their experiences, but Aeneas is more caring than Dante and isn’t mean to spirits he meets or recognizes. Aeneas’s father is in the underworld and he seems unaware of how Aeneas got there or what trials he had to go through on his journey, but he shows Aeneas the future and fate of Rome. This reminded me how people in Dante’s hell can’t see the present, but can see and predict the future. Betrayal against those who trust you, particularly family and clients, is something that Romans despised, and theses sins were shown in both underworlds. The authors also both set their work’s timeline behind their own and were able to make references and predictions of the future that had already in fact happened. There are many more similarities, but these were a few that stood out to me while reading the two works.

The Lion King and Hamlet

I am going to start this blog post off by saying if you have not seen the Lion King yet (I'm looking at you, Mrs. King), you need to do it A.S.A.P., especially before the live action film comes out. If you have seen it, then Hakuna Matata, you're on the right track.The Lion King is hands down the best Walt Disney film of all time, and do not try to argue this with me. The Lion King has many many parallels to Hamlet, this is not new news. In fact, most people say that the Lion King was derived from the Shakespeare play as well. In addition to that observation, people have concluded that the Lion King 2: Simba's Pride is also an ode to another Shakes classic, Romeo and Juliet (of course with the exception of the tragic deaths at the end).
The basic plot of the Lion King, in case you didn't know because maybe you haven't seen the movie or something, *cough cough* Mrs King *cough*, is when Scar, Simba's power hungry uncle, kills Mufasa, Simba's dad and the king of Pride Rock, in order to gain power and rule the land.This relates to the play because as we just read in Act 1 Scene 5, Claudius (supposedly) killed King Hamlet. But you might want to Be Prepared for this newsflash because it might take you for a loop: Hamlet and The Lion King differ in the fact that in the Lion King, Scar needed to rid Simba in order to gain control over the throne. To do this he convinces Simba as a cub that he killed his own father, causing him to run away. This differs from Hamlet, because in the play Claudius was next in line for the throne- before young Hamlet.
Another parallel between the two is the moment when Simba's seeking advice while grieving  obviously after his father's death and sees Mufasa's spirit in the stars, this scene is quite the tear-jerker considering the circumstances but hey I guess thats The Circle of Life. The last parallel to make is the connection between Claudius and Gertrude and Scar and Sarabi. After Hamlet's death we know that Gertrude does not mourn much and immediately moves on, offering a large motif of the pay: a sort of dramatizing and theatrical characteristic. In the Lion King, Sarabi does not do the same and there is not a defined line of her and Scar's relationship after Mufasa's death but here certainly is hinting at the fact that Scar makes Sarabi his property after-- how romantic, Can you feel the Love Tonight?
Overall my main takeaway from this is that Mrs. King should watch Lion King.

Another Reference to Beatrice

Going off of Natalia's post, I have found another reference to Beatrice in the mini cartoon series of "Over the Garden Wall". Throughout the episodes, there are many different allusions and parallel to Dante's Divine Comedy, but none so as blatant as the reference to Beatrice. In the show, two young boys are lost in a mysterious forest and are tasked with finding their way home, while meeting a variety of odd characters and avoiding something called The Beast. It is heavily implied throughout that they are journeying through some sort of afterlife or purgatory, and one of the few friendly creatures they encounter and who acts as their guide is a blue bird named Beatrice.

Dante's guide to Florence

In case you all did not know, I'm going to Italy this summer. I'm actually stopping in Florence, so I decided to see what landmarks were Dante related to see if I wanted to add anything to the itinerary. So I decided to share my findings.


Dante's house and museum


Dante's death mask, on display at the Palazzo Vecchio


santa margherita de' cerchi church. This is where Dante first saw Beatrice at the age of 9 and fell in love with her.


sasso di dante. This means Dante's stone. Dante used to sit on this stone and write many of his poems


The bargello. This used to be the headquarters of the city council of Florence, and this is where Dante's exile became official. It is now a museum.

Cleopatra in Dante's Hell

Among the people Dante placed in his circles of hell was Cleopatra. Last year for our independent reading English project, I read a book called "Cleopatra" about her life and history. Something I remember was how Cleopatra was portrayed as manipulative and lustful by her opponents. This was because she was a powerful woman; other rulers and particularly people who didn’t think a woman should rule felt intimidated by her and thus tried to make her seem fraudulent and mischievous rather than strong and powerful. Even our modern day Halloween costumes for Cleopatra focus on beauty and on revealing cloths rather than power or other aspects of her. Dante shouldn’t have put her in his hell in the circle of the lustful; she shouldn't be remembered that way, and that is one point the author of my independent reading book, Stacy Schiff, was passionate about. She wanted to set Cleopatra's history straight and explain all of the false depictions. 

A Reference to Beatrice

Dante’s letters and unreturned love for Beatrice reminded me of something from A Series of Unfortunate Events. The narrator, Lemony Snicket, had loved a girl named Beatrice who said no to his marriage proposal. She died soon after, just as Dante's Beatrice had died young. The introduction for each new episode on Netflix has a short love letter written from Lemony Snicket to Beatrice. If this was intentional, it makes sense in keeping with the author’s style. The series is full of plays on words and references, and Beatrice might be another!

As Above So Below

Way back in 2014, me and my friend decided to watch this movie called "As Above So Below", with the hopes of getting thoroughly scared; instead we were left pretty confused and creeped out. I basically forgot about this movie until it was added on Netflix last month, where I decided to rewatch it. Needless to say, I understand now why this movie completely went over my head. The movie follows a group of explorers led by an archaeologist named Scarlett, who plans on continuing her father's research by going into the Paris catacombs in search of the infamous Philosopher's Stone. By entering the catacombs, the team literally descends into hell, all 9 layers and everything. The interesting thing is that at each different stop in the tunnels, we see that each member of the team is tested by the spirits of the catacombs and later reveals to have committed their own unforgivable sins. I don't want to spoil all of the movie, as I highly suggest that you guys should watch it. Apart from it being super creepy, it's really cool to see how Dante's Inferno was imagined into a modern setting!

Relating “Dexter” to Dante’s Inferno

For those of you who have ever seen Showtime’s Dexter, you know the show presents a very convoluted moral question: is murder ever okay? For those who haven’t seen this must-watch series, Dexter is a serial killer who developed the need to kill when, as a young child, he witnessed his mom’s death and was forced to sit in a pool of her blood for days. Unlike most other killers, Dexter recognizes that killing an innocent human is wrong. Accordingly, he only murders “bad” people—murderers and rapists. The people whom Dexter kills are far worse than him. In a way, by taking these murderers out of the world, Dexter is  saving more lives than he is taking, as many of his victims are likely to kill again.
Some people think what Dexter does is good. Others (for fair reasons) think it is awful. What do you think? According to Dante’s version of Hell, would Dexter be placed in the circle for murderers? Does he belong among those who kill out of cold blood? Personally, I don’t think Dexter’s murders merit him being in the Circle for murderers, nor do I believe he belongs in Paradise. I think the appropriate place for Dexter is Purgatory—right between Good and Evil, as his actions, too, lie between Good and Evil.

Looks like a lot of people are going to Hell (only read if you want to here a really long story)

Well, I don’t know about yall but I had a rough weekend. Here’s a recollection of how it has gone so far:

Friday, Samuel, Rico, and I were planning on leaving Sam’s house on the north shore to drive to Houston, Texas. We were racing the next day at the Nike Cross Country South Regional. Since we weren’t pulling out until 9:45, I had some time to get in a squirrel hunt near his house. My first disappointment in the day was not killing or even seeing any tree rats, even though I could here them and see their dug-out holes in the ground. When it was time to go back to my car, I could not find the trail I entered the woods in and got lost for about 5 min or so. It was pretty scary actually because everything looks the same! I managed to get to Sam’s by 10.

        As we were driving, the admissions decision from one of top schools was released. My 2nd disappointment was not getting into this university, along with many other of my friends who were certainly qualified. While I was upset, I had much to look forward to the next day: racing against the best competition in the southern United States and running a fast time to impress the college coaches. 

My 3rd disappointment came as I was doing my pre-race jog on the course at sunset. The race course consisted of three loops around a soccer complex. So boring! Also we can’t seem to get away from the mud! Even though it hasn’t rained since Monday, the course was somehow still wet. 

My last disappointment came this afternoon during our race. There were 200 boys in the championship division. The 5k race started with everyone going out super fast and multiple people shoving, tripping, and getting pushed along the barriers. I managed to stay on the edges away from all the madness. I was on pace for a good race until the 0.75 mile mark. I came upon a pile of mud there. Two boys in front of me slipped and fell. I slowed down to catch my footing so I could jump over or go around them, but the people behind pushed me into them. I fell on top and one their spikes went into my calf and quad. Sure this was painful, but then I was trampled on by all the other runners. I was spiked even more. Somebody’s actually went into my heel causing a huge gash with lots of blood. got back up to run the rest of the race, I was so mad that I think I got more adrenaline. Rico was fortunate to avoid this catastrophe. I could see him putting distance on me. With my anger, I think was able to fuel my mind and body with enough energy to try and catch up from the 20 second delay. The next 2 miles I passed up numerous runners until I finally caught up to Rico. I was sprinting toward the finish when then I saw a flash of purple pass me up 10 yards before the finish. Rico had out kicked me and finished a second ahead of me. After catching my breath and making it back to our parents, my gash in my achilles was actually more serious then I thought. I am actually on my way right now to go get stitches/glue to seal the wound.

So yeah, my weekend was not the best. I think there needs to be a circle of Hell for the squirrels when they don’t cooperate, for admissions people who deny students from admission, directors who host meets at bad locations, and runners who push others into the mud and spike. Haha JUST KIDDING. But this is how I feel after all the Ls taken these past two days. Thanks for reading my story.

La vita nuova

• La vita nuova, which is Italian for “The New Life,” was written by Dante in approximately 1293.
• The work focused on his feelings for Beatrice, who Dante thought represented the ideal woman.
• La vita nuova describes Dante’s first sight of Beatrice when they were nine years old, his measures to conceal his love for her, various struggles among them with Dante overlooking her apparent flaws, Beatrice’s death, his mourning, and much more!
• The work consists of 42 chapters with 25 sonnets, one ballata (poetic style with AbbaA rhyme scheme with the first and last lines the same), and four canzone (songs) with a fifth canzone abruptly interrupted by Beatrice’s death.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/La-Vita-nuova

La Vita e Bella

We know that my Italian heritage isn't a secret at this point. That being said, I love this unit. Another thing I love is the movie "La Vita e Bella", or "Life is Beautiful". The movie circles the life of a Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice when he meets Dora, a pretty schoolteacher, and over time after many fated run-ins wins her over. Through this Guido creates the classic and infamous phrase "buongiorno principessa" (good morning princess). Eventually they marry and have a son, Giosue, who is just the CUTEST thing ever. (I could watch this little 6 year old speak Italian all. day. long.) Suddenly Guido and Giosue are separated from Dora and taken to a concentration camp. Trying to protect his son's innocence, Guido convinces Giosue that their time in the camp is merely a game.
This movie is fantastic, I highly recommend seeing it (with English subtitles).  It's funny, sad, happy, and so much more.
You may be wondering why in the world I'm talking about this random movie on the blog and how it relates to our current readings. I think of it in three ways:
1) the unit we're learning about right now is Italian Literature.. so there's that.
2) I got reminded of this classic when I read about Dante's friend Guido in Canto X of Dante's Inferno (and clearly noticing their differences where Movie Guido is a devout Jewish man and Inferno Guido.. well isn't very religious)
and 3) Throughout reading Dante's Inferno, I think I can speak for the majority of the class in saying that it's given us all a chance to kind of reflect on life.. While yes at times, life isn't very fair, it certainly is a beautiful thing. We get to take each day we have and make it count, and I think that's something you can take from a lot of different influences; whether it be La Vita e Bella or Dante's Inferno.

¿Paradiso?

We have seen a lot of artwork depicting the inferno and the circles of hell. However, the inferno is only 1 third of the divine comedy, there is also the Purgatorio and the Paradiso. Here are a few works of art depicting the two. Enjoy!!

The Old Man of Crete

In class, we briefly discussed the Old Man of Crete. He is one of my favorite symbols in Inferno as he brought to my attention the repetitive theme of the degradation of humankind. Though as a work in its entirety, The Divine Comedy goes from tragedy (Inferno) to harmony (Paradiso), in Inferno all emphasizes the idea of our decline as a race. Even the way hell is laid out, starting with the virtuous Pagans and ending in absolute chaos in the 9th circle, can be interpreted as not only showing the level of each sin but as commentary on our decent away from decency.
The Old Man of Crete is turning his back to the pagan world of the East and is facing towards Rome, the modern, Christian world. His head of gold is the only part of him not effected by fissures in which his tears stream through. The tears represent the sorrow brought to mankind due to original sin, as Mt. Ida in itself can be compared to the Garden of Eden ("then happy in its verdue and its streams, now deserted like an old, discarded thing"). The fissures, which allow for sorrow to flow, may be representative of imperfection that led to original sin and brought suffering.

Where Would Oedipus Be in Hell?

Oedipus is a pretty complex character. His most grievous sins (killing his father and marrying his mother) take place because he doesn’t know his true identity. However, he would definitely be placed in the seventh circle at the very least—he is very violent against his neighbors. He kills Laius (even though he doesn’t know him to be his father) and almost Laius’s ENTIRE entourage simply because of some Ancient Greek road rage! Oedipus jumps to conclusions and says he wants his brother-in-law dead after he only SUSPECTS that Creon is plotting against him. Oedipus would definitely be up to his eyeballs in the River Phlegethon. 

However, would Oedipus be placed even deeper in the eighth circle for pretending to be someone he’s not (Polybus’s son) if he didn’t know the truth about himself? Or possibly the ninth circle for treachery because he killed his own father—even if he didn’t know who Laius was? My question is, is it still a sin if it’s unintentional? There’s no doubt in my mind that Oedipus wouldn’t have killed his father or slept with his mother if he knew his identity—he ran away from his beloved adopted parents to avoid that very fate. What circle do y’all think he belongs in? 

‘Tis the Season for Coal??

In Canto VII we read and explored the sinners classified under Avarice and their appropriate punishment of fighting with boulders on their chests. This makes sense as during their life they wished to be weighed down by this meaningless currency, so their punishment of having boulders to their chest shows the real effect something so meaningless can weigh down on the heart. As we were discussing this in class, I immediately thought of the holiday-appropriate advice all children were told of “Don’t be on Santa’s naughty list or you will get coal in your stocking!” This directly relates to the principle of those greedy for material things could have a useless weight as a “punishment” if they do not have the correct behavior and gratitude concerning something that can easily corrupt you. Hopefully, everyone is on Santa’s nice list this year ;)

Lust vs. Gluttony

An important thing to recognize between the first few circles of Hell is the primary reasoning of why certain sins are worse than others and vice versa. In the case of Lust and Gluttony, Gluttony, as we've read in Dante's Inferno, is considered worse. The primary reason for Lust being considered a less-serious sin is due to the fact that lust is "shared." The individuality of Gluttony is what makes it such a profound sin. When sin is shared, according to Dante's God, it is of less offense than when it is individually acted upon. This, of course, links to the fact that the worst sins in Dante's Hell are ones of fraudulence, which relate to the manipulative nature of the human mind. While working alone in thought and with human nature as an accomplice, one is more likely to sin and sin to a more intense degree.

Filippo Argenti Was a Nasty Man

Remember Filippo Argenti? In Hell, he was scorned by Dante; Dante doesn’t even pity him OR faint! That must mean he’s pretty bad because we know Dante is kind of faint of heart. Not a lot is known about him historically, but I’ll tell you what I found out. (We get some of this from Dante’s Inferno.)

He lived in Florence and was involved in politics. And big surprise, he was an aristocrat! He was also one of the Black Guelphs. (As you may remember, Dante was a White Guelph.) He received the nickname “Argenti” because he had “his horse shoed with silver!” He seems high maintenance...

Here are some reasons Dante may have hated him. I’m not sure all of these are one hundred percent verified, but I think they’re likely possibilities.
1. He slapped Dante
2. When Dante was exiled, Filippo’s brother took Dante’s possessions. (Without asking, I’m assuming—haha!)
3. His family openly opposed Dante coming back from exile.

(FYI—these reason are straight from my source. I can’t guarantee that all of this happened, but these reasons would make sense. They’re funny regardless!)

Lastly, how would you feel about being featured in someone’s work of literature? Especially if it became famous?

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Argenti

Who Was the Woman Who Flirted with Dante?

I bet you’re dying to be sure of the juicy details of Francesca de Ramini’s and Paolo’s lives. Here’s what I found out:

They lived during the same time as Dante. (They were historical contemporaries.)
In 1275, Francesca got married to “the brave, yet crippled Giovanni Malatesa.” In English class today, we talked to how their marriage was arranged, but why? Francesca’s father had been warring with Giovanni’s family, and Francesca was a peace offering. As we know, Francesca got all cozy with Giovanni’s brother, Paolo, and things only escalated from there. (In fact, Paolo was married as well!) Paolo and Francesca kept their affair a secret for TEN YEARS! Unfortunately, they both met a tragic end when Giovanni “surprised them in the bedroom” and preceded to end their lives. This story made me think: is love worth dying for? I think in some cases yes. Also, I guess they didn’t know they were going to die. Still, they were willfully committing sin. What do y’all think?

And then I also thought: is love worth going to Hell for? I think most of us would argue that no, it’s not. Why would you do something during your earthly, transient, and short life that would affect you eternally? At the same, though, you have to wonder: if Francesca and Paolo were simply thinking and desiring immoral and lustful thoughts, they likely would’ve gone to Hell anyway (in Dante’s opinion, of course). I think our actions really should be distinguished from our thoughts and desires; they ultimately make us who we are. I’m not sure Dante would agree, though.

Cool Art: (I’m kind of on an art kick lately!)

Paolo & Francesca smooching: Painting by Rossessti (1867)

Depicts Dante fainting after hearing their fate: Painting by Doré (1857)

Francesca and Paolo dying: Painting by Cabanel (1870)

Dante’s Lost Tenth Circle!? (Not really)

I was doing some research on Dante’s inferno and upon doing so, I found something that could make a great 10th circle of hell. I’m sure this article isn’t really true with it saying that archivists found a lost canto but I’d still like to share it because it’s an interesting idea for a 10th circle. This is sorta a spoiler about the 9th circle of hell, but, the 9th circle is a frozen lake with 4 sections (depending on seriousness of sin): an outermost circle, a outer middle circle, an inner middle circle, and an innermost circle. All the residents of the 9th circle are frozen in this lake eternally. The 10th circle’s sinners are in what seems a worse punishment than this. The sinners of the 10th circle are all made up of professors who either have their heads up someone else’s butt (literally) or having someone’s head up theirs. This makes their butts swollen and every person is described to be covered in excrement. One person even has their head up their own and goes with a certain expression we all know. Now, I know what your thinking. This is more humorous than anything. But, I find it’d be a nice fit into the circles of hell because this is a very undesirable punishment to have. The tone is perfect and Dante the Pilgrim describes himself being terrified at the sight of the sight of these people. He says he would rather endure the other circles of hell than this. What do you think? I suggest you give it a read.

Source: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/dantes-tenth-circle

Dante's Inferno and The Good Place

The tv show The Good Place can be connected in many ways to Dante’s Inferno. Just as the circles of hell are categorized and personalized in Dante, the neighborhoods in the good place are made to target specific people. Also, just as Elenor is given a second shot at living her life in a good way, Dante is being warned to not fall into any the categories of the circles of hell. Just as Beatrice is a loving guide for Dante, Chidi is a guide for Elenor, and he helps her improve her behavior. At one point, Chidi asks about where some of the philosophers he looks up to have ended up; it is revealed they all went to the “bad place”. I thought this was interesting because. Virgil was in Dante’s hell. Lastly, just as there is purgatory, a sort of in-between, in Dante, there is a “middle place” in the tv show.

Anagnorisis and The Good Place

While trying to sound out the word “anagnorisis” in my head, I was reminded of the name of a character from the TV show called The Good Place. This character, Chidi Anagonye, is a very intelligent moral philosophy professor who is horribly indecisive. I thought it was interesting that his name sounds like the Greek word for a change into knowledge or realization when that’s that he spent his whole life studying and trying to achieve. SPOILER (for the TV show): Also, this show is about a group of people who think they have gotten into heaven but, as we find out, are not exactly in the situation they thought they were in. This is where the Greek word would really apply; they come to realizations about their actual situation and about parts of their actions and selves as humans.

Dante's Version of Hell and Heaven Do Not Seem Very Fair

I don't know about you, but I don't like to think that we live in a world where, if there is indeed a place of blissful afterlife (Paradise, according to Dante), individuals are not admitted due to either not believing in the "right" things on Earth or living in a period before the "right" beliefs became popular.  In his "Divine Comedy," Dante paints a Universe where this is unfortunately true. Vergil, a righteous and noble man during his entire life, is not accepted into Paradise due to his lack of belief in God. Given that Vergil lived in the pre-Christian era and accordingly would have had no way of believing in all the requirements necessary to make it into Paradise, this is simply unfair. On the other hand, it's quite vicious to believe that individuals who held other beliefs even when Christianity was popular would not make it into Paradise. Most Hebrews and Muslims went to Limbo. While Limbo is by no means a bad place to be, it's upsetting and even scary to believe that one has to hold the exact correct beliefs to make it into Paradise in a world there is no way to be 100 percent sure of any beliefs.

¿Limbo is Low-key the Place to be?

So obviously paradise (heaven) is the place to be, but besides that, I'm gonna take my chances in Limbo.

Think of all the amazing minds that live in Limbo. Aristotle, Plato, all the various poets. These are all brilliant minds. I think it would be absolutely fascinating to pick their brains for eternity, and then I could give them some knowledge from the future. I could explain all the things that happened over the past 2000 years and these brilliant minds would think of me as a genius. And besides, we would live in a castle, imagine conversing with Plato over dinner while in a castle. That sounds pretty cool to me.

But then again heaven sounds nice too.

Hubris within Epic Poets

In class, we've often pointed out the seemingly narcissistic ways of poets such as Dante as they assert themselves as holy, otherworldly writers, their skill worthy of being used as an instrument of God. As we discussed in class, when Dante says, "I am not Aeneas, I am not Paul", he indirectly draws a parallel between the heroism of these figures and himself as he ultimately does complete the task. Furthermore, in Canto IV, he describes how minds such as Homer, Horace, and Ovid, who are "master singer(s) of sublimest verse", welcomed him into their group of 5. There are multiple other examples throughout the Inferno that support the idea that Dante was prideful.
However, as I was thinking about this in correlation to Milton, I realized that though there is undoubtedly some pride accompanying their incredible capabilities to write, they ultimately attribute their talent to God. The invocation of the muse wouldn't exist if they believed themselves to be all knowing or thought they could rely solely on their talents. The fact that they consider themselves to be translating Gods vision, not their own, inevitably takes away some assumed pride as they aren't indulging in their own creation, but rather in higher ideas. Therefore, though the fact that they often place themselves among the greatest minds ever can be aggravating, remember that they don't accredit everything to themselves!

It's Art Time!: Inferno Style

Without a doubt, Dante's The Divine Comedy is a thought-provoking and inspiring work of literature. The comedy is filled to the brim with illustrative details, and many artists shared their interpretations of descriptions within the play with the world. I'm going to include some of my favorite art pieces on this post, but if you want to see more, you should really check out the sources below!

BOTTICELLI

-Not only was he the author of a commentary on the work, but he also illustrated the Inferno. According to my source, "Botticelli was extremely faithful to Dante's text and was very precise in devoting illustrations to every scene that he considered of utmost interest." You actually might already be familiar with his Map of Hell.

(might want to find this one on the internet and zoom in!!!)

STRANDANUS

-Flemish painter, lived in Florence, led Italian Mannerism, picture below is from Canto 8 (wrathful & slothful being punished, Dante & Virgil cross the river Styx with ferryman Phlegyas)

WILLIAM BLAKE

-We've all heard of this guy! ("A Poison Tree," "The Tyger," & "The Lamb"...poetry unit!)

-"In these illustrations, Blake paid close attention to the details of Dante’s poem but also brought his own perspective to some of Dante’s central themes, including sin, guilt, punishment, revenge, and salvation. Blake’s imagery sometimes betrays a critical attitude toward Dante but also coexists with many signs of intellectual sympathy."

WILLIAM BOUGUEREAU

-Realistic paintings, not respected during his lifetime because he rejected the norms: Impressionist and Avant-garde movements
-What the heck is that painting below? "In Canto VII, Dante and Virgil encounter falsifiers, which include alchemists, counterfeiters, perjurers, and imposters. Capocchio, a heretic and alchemist, is attacked and bitten on the neck by Gianni Schicchi, who had usurped the identity of a dead man to fraudulently claim his inheritance." Hmmm...I can't comment too much on this painting as I haven't read Canto VII quite yet, but it's interesting and disturbing, to say the least.

Sources: https://www.florenceinferno.com/artworks/, https://www.florenceinferno.com/the-map-of-hell/

Animal Metaphors in The Inferno

In the very first canto of The Inferno, Dante tries to walk up the hillside in the dark wood, only to be stopped by three predators, a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf. Dante equates these three animals with the three sections of hell: fraudulence, violence, and incontinence (respectively). I wondered why he chose to represent those sins with those specific animals, and I found an analysis online that seems to make sense.

According to Melanie Barker, the leopard represents fraudulence partially because of its spots. The leopard's pelt hides its true intentions as a predator, similar to how frauds present themselves in a positive light before revealing their "vicious nature." It is more obvious that the lion is equated with violence because lions are usually envisioned as creatures of majesty and savage strength. They use brute force to achieve their place as head of their pride and the top predators of the savannah. Finally, the she-wolf represents incontinence, or immoderation. Apparently, sins of incontinence (especially lust) occur in pairs, such as lust and adultery--Dante is comparing this to how wolves travel in packs. Furthermore, he draws upon the Christian idea of women as sexual temptresses and specifies that the wolf is a she. The three animals are just one example of symbols that contribute to the overall allegorical nature of The Inferno. 

One last thought: Maybe Dante chose predators to represent sins because humans are preyed upon by the temptation of sin? What are y'all's thoughts?



Source:
https://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/d/divine_interpretation_the_%20a_study_of_metaphor_in_dante%27s_inferno.html

Who Was Beatrice?

Dante's literary works glorify a character named Beatrice--and she's not entirely fictional. In his early lyric poetry (The New Life), he writes love songs to her. Beatrice is the one who sends Dante help when he is traveling through Hell and Purgatory, and in the third canticle of The Divine Comedy, she serves as Dante's guide through Paradise. This mysterious character is thought to be based on a real figure from history, Beatrice Portinari, a Florentine noble. According to history, Dante first saw Beatrice at the age of nine, immediately fell in love, and devoted his works ultimately to praising her beauty and kindness. In my opinion, it is a little creepy that Dante kept his nine-year-old crush for the rest of his life, especially considering that she was married. (To put it in perspective, they were the same age, but Dante took it a little too far.) Dante eventually married another noblewoman in an arranged setup organized by his family and had three children; however, he never stopped writing about his true love, Beatrice. I wonder if his wife ever got annoyed with his writing--her husband kept writing about another woman!

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Beatrice-Italian-noble
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri

Circle of hell- STM Day (im not bashing stm day-read it)

There should be a circle of hell for those students who don't participate in STM Day. This morning I was a part of a conversation about why STM Day is "dumb." WHAT?? St. Martin's Day may be one of the single best things that STM does all year. Forget senior weird day, forget matriculation-- STM Day is fantastic. You get to pick your little buddy whether they're talkative, shy, funny, or weird; it doesn't matter! Then we play games (how could you not love the intense musical chairs) and get hype for the scavenger hunt. Not to mention we don't have school and it's a half day!! And in my opinion, those who just sit around all day waiting for time to pass by, ignoring their buddy, and don't even try to win the scavenger hunt should have their own circle of hell. The punishment should be endless sprinting between the Lowerschool and the Upperschool breezeways as you're taunted by doughnuts, Mr. Nolan's hamburgers, and the Cottage lemonade but can't stop to eat any. How can you hate a day that is solely dedicated to hanging out with cute little kids, eating food, fun competitions, and winning prizes. Maybe that's just the competitor in me talking (especially because my advisory has won every year since freshman year), but I think STM Day is so fun. 

Audience of Medea

As we read Medea, I wondered how the audience might have reacted. On one hand, as we mentioned in class, they would have not agreed with Jason breaking his oath, especially since it was with the gods and violated their value of family. On the other, I wonder what they would have thought of Madea and the social commentary about how women are treated as inferior. She was described as clever and strong. The chorus is made up of the city's women, so perhaps this play was in part intended to voice the suppressed opinion of the women. The chorus says that women are viewed as inferior and manipulative, and that it is false and unjust; this commentary was included in attempt to make some impact or change, which also means this wasn't a wholly accepted opinion. Some of the audience must've not agreed with this. Medea, in killing her children, violated the Greek value of family unity. This is something the audience would definitely not have agreed with. Justice, though, was another Greek value; Medea's goal was revenge against Jason, and I think the audience would have wanted justice but wouldn't have agreed with her course of action.

The Conference and our Readings

On Friday, some of us went to a conference about cancer research, and one of the important things they stressed was knowledge about family history. They talked about this in respect to family histories of cancer and genetics, but it reminded me of the many stories we have read that focus on family background and identity. Knowing information about how your genes impact your likeliness for certain cancers allows for extra precautions to be taken to avoid such cancers. In Oedipus, knowing his true lineage could've possibly changed his story. Also, I think it's pretty cool that with technology we can catch early stages of cancer and have the ability to change someone's "fate" or outcome by curing them.

The Contemplative Life in The Divine Comedy

As I was reading Canto II of Dante’s Inferno, I saw the reference to the biblical figure Rachel towards the end. There was a footnote that explained Rachel represented “the contemplative life” and that fact intrigued me, so I thought I would dig a bit deeper into that.

Rachel is in the Bible along with her sister Leah, both of whom were Jacob’s wives. Leah was his first wife and Rachel was his second. According to Aristotle and further touched upon by Dante, there are two lives: the active and contemplative life. Leah represents the active life while Rachel the contemplative. Dante touches on this overall subject more specifically in Purgatorio:

“We must know, however, that we may have two kinds of happiness in this life, according to two different paths, one good and the other best, which lead us there. One is the active life, the other the contemplative life, and although by the active, as has been said, we may arrive at a happiness that is good, the other leads us to the best happiness and state of bliss, as the Philosopher proves in the tenth book of the Ethics.” (4.17.9)

The contemplative life can be defined as “a lifelong journey to God in prayer and worship, turning from all else that could make the journey less direct” and it consists of monks and nuns “called” to dedicate their entire lives to prayer in solitude. This clearly shows Dante’s commitment and investment in religion and how that was reflected in his strong political views, as we read in the introduction.

In further researching, I came across a figure associated with “contemplative mysticism” and he was Pope Gregory I. His papacy began in 590 AD and ended in 604 AD with his death. He led a busy life but appreciated the lives of the contemplative, thus creating his own theology for elitists to associate their lives with not only Leah but Rachel too. He is referenced in Purgatorio as well.

Hope y’all are as enlightened by this subject as I am now :)

https://poorclarepa.org/what-is-contemplative-life/
http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/textpopup/pur2701.html
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/november/spirituality-for-busy-people.html

Medea and Madea

When seeing the title of my blog post you might be thinking to yourself, what could Medea and Madea possibly have in common? Although Tyler Perry's character Madea did not kill her own children, she had her other ways of getting back at the people who harmed her. 

Madea also loves revenge, according to Wikipedia, "Vindictive in nature, Madea gets even in a bad way. When asked why she felt the need to get somebody all the time, Madea answered: 'Well when you gettin' got and somebody done got you and you go get them, when you get 'em, everybody's gon' get got.'"

Similar to Medea, Madea has a very extensive criminal record. Madea started at the age of 9 with petty theft, later progressing to identity theft, check fraud, assault, attempted fraud, possession of a handgun, assault with a deadly weapon, and many more. "Madea has a tendency to overreact and is willing to threaten to use deadly weapons, destroy property, use physical violence, take on the law, and use any and all means necessary to show up an offending party. Incorrigible in her overreactive ways, Madea has repeatedly landed herself in court anger management classes, house arrest, and even prison."

Also, Tyler Perry recently announced he is killing off Madea in his newest movie "A Madea Family Funeral."

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madea

Medea Ending: An Easy Way Out?

The ending of “Medea” is often the subject of much controversy (Aristotle even uses the ending as an example of how playwrights should NOT end a play). Euripides concludes “Medea,” by employing a strategy known as “deus ex machina,” or “god from machine.” Essentially, this is a term that refers to critical points in the plot of a story being easily tied up with the invocation of a god. This technique is often looked down upon by many because it is simply deemed “too easy.” It often looks like lazy writing.

Euripides utilizes “deus ex machina” in Medea when Medea, after murdering the Princess of Corinth and her two children, flees Corinth via a chariot of Artemis. Though Medea briefly communicates with Jason after these murders and before she departs from Corinth, all she does is gloat over her killings and predicts Jason’s downfall. In other words, the abrupt ending provides readers with unsatisying answers to several questions they may have been asking themselves throughout the play, such as how Medea will reach Athens and flee Corinth after committing such a heinous crime on the royal family and what is in store for Jason after his family was just murdered. Although the ending does technically tie up the play, it does so in a cheap manner. Rather than receiving an ending that is on par with the level of drama in the rest of the play, readers are presented a conclusion that does little to satisfy their desire for an intense culmination.


Sources:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/titusadelani.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/medea-a-real-ending/amp/

https://www.ancient-literature.com/greece_euripides_medea.html

How to Keep Zeus Happy

Keeping Zeus Happy: A How-to Guide

1. Don't break an oath!
2. Probably don't do a lot of other things...there are many myths!

In Medea, oath-breaking (in this case, the oath taken with marriage) is seen as taboo and to say that it was frowned upon would be an understatement. One of the reasons oath-breaking was probably such a serious offense is because ZEUS, Mr. Olympian Extraordinaire, was the keeper of the oaths; and it's probably not the wisest idea to cross Zeus.

I looked into oath-taking in Ancient Greek and found out that when you took an oath, you "called down a conditional curse on [yourself], to take effect if [you] lied or broke [your] promise." In a way, when Jason broke his marital vows to Medea, he also murdered Kreon's daughter and his own children (indirectly, of course). It's also interesting to note that, unknowingly, he directly contributed to Kreon's daughter's death when he extended Medea's gift offer to her.

Jason, just like his fellow "civilized" countrymen, knew that breaking an oath was a major no-no. Still, hungry for power and status, he broke it nonetheless. While I feel bad for the children, Jason got what was coming to him. He got served the ultimate Ancient Greek justice, with a side of burning, poisoned flesh. Yuck! Not my favorite image of the play, honestly...

Source for Zeus and oath stuff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horkos

Women in Medea

Euripides, Euripides, Euripides, before I started reading your play Medea, I thought to myself, Yes! Finally a play that features a bad-to-the-bone female heroine. She's going to kick Jason's … ! 

Well, I have to say, after finishing play, I was slightly disappointed. There's no denying it: the play was intriguing and full of surprises (some violent and bloody, but still). I enjoyed the play as a whole but was disappointed by the way in which Euripides portrayed women. Had I no preconceived expectations, I wouldn't have been quite so put-off, but I expected Euripides to present women in a more positive light.

Ok, should we glorify a woman whose desire for revenge leads her to murder her children? Of course not. So in a way, Euripides does Medea justice. Via the Corinthian women, he expresses his agreement with her taking revenge on her husband for being disloyal and unfaithful but indicates his disagreement with her taking her hatred out on her children. He also points out that society characterizes intellectual women as crafty and ill-intentioned and highlights various struggles women face at the time. 

However, his description of Kreon's daughter is just one example of Euripides sticking to societal standards and views of women. Kreon's daughter doesn't accept Medea's gifts to be gracious or kind or sympathetic to her hardships; no--she accepts the gifts because she is vain and seemingly materialistic. In a way, she represents the vanity of women and their blindness in the face of gifts. 

My overall point is that although Euripides's Medea features a strong female figure, his views of women are by no means revolutionary or even feministic. I still really enjoyed Medea (it's one my favorite plays now!), but for different reasons.

Dante’s Beasts

In reading Dante’s Inferno, I found the three beasts that he confronted to be particularly interesting. The first beast is the leopard, who Dante views as “all tremor and flow and gaudy pelt.” Though beautiful, this beast is deadly and is capable of seducing people to their demise, as it symbolizes lust. The second animal, the lion, is described as a huge beast, “raging with hunger”, and symbolizes pride. The lion arrogantly lifts its head high, as if to challenge others to question his authority. The final beast, the she-wolf, is described as being the most terrifying by Dante, as she is noted to bring “endless grief.” She symbolizes avarice as she constantly craves more regardless of the pain she causes. 

The interpretation I prefer says that the animals represent the three categories of sin: incontinence, violence, and fraud. I’m intrigued by this interpretation as it claims the she-wolf is the most terrifying to Dante because she represents incontinence, the level of hell which we are most susceptible to go to/the level which is hardest to overcome. 

Regardless of how you interpret them, the beasts provide an immediate demonstration of the symbolism and descriptive power used by Dante throughout the Divine Comedy.