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[[Image:Ferdinand_Victor_Delacroix_006.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Dante and Virgil are ferried across the River [[Styx]] (illustration by Delacroix).]]

[[Image:Ferdinand_Victor_Delacroix_006.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Dante and Virgil are ferried across the River [[Styx]]: ''And thus the good instructor: "Now, my son, / Draws near the city, that of Dis is named"'' (illustration by Delacroix).]]

'''The Divine Comedy''' is a long-form poem by [[Dante Alighieri]]. Although it is strongly influenced by the poetic epics of the [[Illiad]] and the [[Odyssey]] by [[Homer]], and particularly the [[Aeneid]] by [[Virgil]], its structure is significantly different from anything that had been written before. The basic story details Dante getting lost in a dark forest, and as an act of divine grace to correct his life, embarking on a tour of the afterworld. We are introduced to his benefactor, Beatrice, who may be an allusion to a woman he loved and wrote poetry about, as well as a symbol of wisdom. She sets him under the care of Virgil, who as a wise pagan is confined to Limbo. Virgil is given permission to escort him through all the levels of [[Hell]] and [[Purgatory]]. In [[Heaven|Paradise]], he is reunited with Beatrice as his escort.  

'''The Divine Comedy''' is a long-form poem by [[Dante Alighieri]]. Although it is strongly influenced by the poetic epics of the [[Illiad]] and the [[Odyssey]] by [[Homer]], and particularly the [[Aeneid]] by [[Virgil]], its structure is significantly different from anything that had been written before. The basic story details Dante getting lost in a dark forest, and as an act of divine grace to correct his life, embarking on a tour of the afterworld. We are introduced to his benefactor, Beatrice, who may be an allusion to a woman he loved and wrote poetry about, as well as a symbol of wisdom. She sets him under the care of Virgil, who as a wise pagan is confined to Limbo. Virgil is given permission to escort him through all the levels of [[Hell]] and [[Purgatory]]. In [[Heaven|Paradise]], he is reunited with Beatrice as his escort.  

One of the main differences between the Divine Comedy and the classical epics that partly inspired it is its varied style. At different times it is serious and comic, lyrical and plain, allegorical and personal. Some examples are:

One of the main differences between the Divine Comedy and the classical epics that partly inspired it is its varied style. At different times it is serious and comic, lyrical and plain, allegorical and personal. Some examples are:

*'''Comic''': Dante and Virgil's encounter with the demons in the eighth circle in cantos 21 and 22 of the Inferno is played as pure farce, with the mischievous demons tricking Virgil and undermining his attempts to remain dignified.

*'''Comic''': Dante and Virgil's encounter with the demons in the eighth circle in cantos 21 and 22 of the Inferno is played as pure farce, with the mischievous demons tricking Virgil and undermining his attempts to remain dignified.

[[Image:William_blake_beatrice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Beatrice appears before Dante amid a symbolic pageant in the Garden of Eden (illustration by [[William Blake]]).]]

[[Image:William_blake_beatrice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Beatrice appears before Dante amid a symbolic pageant in the Garden of Eden: ''A virgin in my view appear'd, beneath / Gren mantle, robed in hue of living flame'' (illustration by [[William Blake]]).]]

*'''Serious''': The Emperor Justinian's indictment of the Florentines' betrayal of the [[Roman Empire]]'s legacy in Paradiso, canto 7 is a heartfelt statement regarding the political scene of the time.

*'''Serious''': The Emperor Justinian's indictment of the Florentines' betrayal of the [[Roman Empire]]'s legacy in Paradiso, canto 7 is a heartfelt statement regarding the political scene of the time.

*'''Lyrical''': Francesca dei Rimini's account of her infidelity and murder in Inferno, canto 5 is a famously powerful treatment of the power of love.

*'''Lyrical''': Francesca dei Rimini's account of her infidelity and murder in Inferno, canto 5 is a famously powerful treatment of the power of love.