Dante's Divine Comedy

You’re back with 2Night FM, Australia’s number one hit station. Today we will be asking Amara Khan from BGHS to run, our weekly segment ‘Education Today’. This installment is dedicated to the Year 11 Preliminary Course students biting their nails and pulling their hair out struggling to grasp the concept of journeys. On our show today we have a special guest who is here to talk about his world-renowned poem ‘Dante’s Divine Comedy’ which is basically the epitome of ‘imaginative’ journeys. Yes folks you heard correct, please welcome the one and only Mr. Dante Alighieri.
For any students who are on the edge of their seats wanting to embellish Mr. Dante’s insightful frame of mind whilst writing the poem listen in closely.

Amara: Ok, enough stalling let’s get straight into it, good evening Mr. Alighieri, thanks for taking time out of your day to take us through your poignant journey

Dante: You’re welcome; it’s a pleasure to be here Amara

Amara: In previous interviews you’ve mentioned how you see your poems as journeys, how have you reiterated the concept of journeys in the Divine Comedy?

Dante: Well, in order for my readers to have reached the same conclusion of inner peace that I had reached, I wanted to take my readers on an imaginative journey. Considering such journeys are those that are taken through the mind and seeing as how my poem highlights this very notion, my objective was purely to tap into my subconscious mind and depict the depth of trouble that not even I had completely understood.

Amara: Can you annotate further what you mean by this?

Dante: Each realm that I had gone through to get to my ultimate destination had its own journey implicated within it. What is being portrayed in ‘Canto 1’ exemplifies the notion that I was going through a journey so beyond human thought that I began to question my sanity. Towards the beginning, I am spiritually lost, not only have I found myself in the woods, but thinking about the journey and revisiting the memories still takes me aback. ‘Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark… for the straightforward pathway that had been lost’, this perfectly expresses the way I was feeling during that moment in time, that is, I felt that the path of righteousness was slowly beginning to slip out of my fingers. What’s particularly significant about my journey is that I was on a… nonstop quest, if you may, to cleanse myself from my guilty conscience, gnawing away at my soul, first through Hell, then to Purgatory and then my final destination, Paradise. The things that I had laid eyes upon within the nine circles of the Inferno had bewildered me to the point where I understood the reason as to why each being was present there, serving their punishment. ‘…There where much lamentation strikes upon me…’ this line distinctly depicts my fear and sorrow. Throughout the entire journey taken, whether in ‘Inferno’, ‘Purgatorio’ and ‘Paradiso’ I have stigmatized a different aspect of journeys for example, in ‘Purgatorio’, I have come to the stage where I have lost faith, and doubt the existence of the Divine intervention that is responsible for my journey and guidance. Even though all parts of my body were telling me to accept the guidance and to not give up, once Virgil had left my sight it was as if I failed to make sense of where I was. Also, my primary objective whilst on the journey was to find inner peace and to cleanse myself from the sins that I had committed therefore, in order to showcase this concept through my poem, a spiritual journey had to be made through the different realms of the Hereafter.

Amara: You’ve also mentioned the song ‘Shake it Out’ by Florence + the Machine’ how do you connect yourself with this song?

Dante: ‘Shake it out’ is a particular favourite of mine, as I can relate to it to a certain degree. The way in which Florence goes on an imaginative journey to try and shake things out of her mind and pursue a spiritual purification truly inspired me to take a similar journey through the realms. In the song, the narrator is expressing her feelings about shaking off bad habits and things she’d want to change about herself. The journey she goes through to get to the level of self-actualization is described in the verse ‘…shake it out shake it out, and it’s hard to dance with the devil on your back so shake him off’. In the pits of hell that was my exact intention, to shake off the devil in me and given, reaching to the stage of Paradise, I successfully defeated the evil inside of me. Amidst the journey, I at times think about the lyrical content of the song, for instance, when it says ‘regrets collect like old friends, here to relive your darkest moments…’ it distinctly reminds me of my journey and how, towards the beginning I was feeling spiritually lost, with the regrets ‘collecting like old friends’. The extent of depth in the lyrics of this song is one of the main reasons as to why I have found an inner connection with it. Another lyric that exemplifies the very notion I am playing at with my poem, especially in the ‘Inferno’ canto’s is ‘… and I’ve been a fool and I’ve been blind, I can never leave the past behind, I can see no way I can see no way, I’m always dragging that horse around’. Comparably, when I say ‘…so full was I of slumber at the moment in which I had abandoned the true way’ seems to express the same meaning as in the past, due to my sins, I could truly see no way other than backward, reliving the past over and over again.

Amara: Now correct me if I’m wrong but did the obstacles you face instigate the journey?

Dante: Yes certainly, the countless obstacles that had created a barrier for me to reach my ultimate goal of acceptance of the ‘puissance divine’ certainly instigated the journey. For instance, when I had encountered the three beasts in the forest, which were a metaphorical representation of the sins that I had committed highlight the fact that the decisions I had made in my life were not exactly the best. Each beast represented a different sin, that is, the panther was lust; the lion represented pride and the she-wolf symbolized greed. This is what I believed I was guilty of and had primarily led me to the ‘Inferno’ a place where the sinners and unrighteous dwell therein forever. This is evident when I wrote ‘it seemed as if against me he were coming with head uplifted, and with ravenous hunger’ which portrays to what extent the sins were devouring me internally. Once I had established that a spiritual journey was needed to eliminate any such thoughts was when the journey had truly begun and I had delved into the ‘Inferno’, witnessing the many outcomes of impious sinners. Upon entering the pits of Hell the only thought that was running through my mind continuously was, as expressed in ‘Inferno’, ‘abandon all hope ye who enter here’.

Amara: When you say “O human race, born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou fall” in ‘Purgatorio’, what do you mean?

Dante: At this moment of time what I intend on expressing is a direct message towards my readers. This quote exemplifies the very thought that humans are the epitome of distractions and leading themselves to the path of unrighteousness. The implications being placed when writing this is clear, that is, the human race falters quickly if something brings them down. When an obstacle interrupts a human’s journey along the pathway, they tend to give up ever so quickly. Also, as mentioned early before, the song ‘Shake it out’ is something that has inspired me to write in this realm particularly because, when in purgatory my mind is set on cleansing myself in order to be worthy of getting into paradise. Similarly, in the song, it says ‘…’cause I am done with my graceless heart so tonight I’m gonna cut it off and then restart…’ this quote truly is the epitome of my feelings as all I wanted to do was get a fresh start and purify myself from all the sins I had committed.

Amara: Now, moving on to the realms, Mr. Dante, how have the characters in your poem contributed to your journey?

Dante: Good question Amara; well each character that has been incorporated in my poem has made a substantial impact on the foundation of the poem and the completion of my journey. For each journey there were significant characters that had managed to alter my headspace and change me ideas about the Divine, including Beatrice, Virgil and Francesca. My inner desire to purify myself was now ignited as Virgil had advised me to follow him into the pits of Hell, the hope of Purgatory and the realm of the pious in Paradise. This is emphasized when in ‘Inferno’ Virgil says ‘…thou follow me, and I will be thy guide, and lead thee hence through the eternal place…’ When we had reached the Inferno, Virgil certainly played a major role in my spiritual quest to find myself, as whilst we were witnessing the outcome of those damned in Hell, he shed light upon the notion that this is not the way to go. For me personally, Virgil was one of the few that I had looked up to in my life therefore, I had placed my complete trust in him by following him to the Unseen world, a place where I had no authority to question its existence. I knew I was on the wrong path, Virgil was sent to rescue me from myself and so the only way this could have been successful was if I journeyed through Hell. Skepticism aside, I was baffled at the sight and what Virgil was showing me, seeing the many people being punished for what they had done certainly took me by surprise and ultimately contributed to the person I am today. Virgil had introduced me to Francesca and Paulo and so, I learnt the difference between love and lust, and how the pull of desire was so strong that it would at times consume people, engulfing them in an attraction towards beauty whilst losing them completely along the way.
When in Purgatory, the angels had influenced the journey, as they had been the ones to remove the ‘P’s’ that had been imprinted on my forehead, shown when Peter ‘…take heed that thou wash/these wounds, when thou shalt be within’ upon writing the P’s. In order to get those removed, I needed to go through the mounts of Purgatory with the pure intention of seeking forgiveness from the Divine. Virgil again was my guide throughout this entire journey, leading me through the right ways and correcting my mistakes.

Amara: You mentioned Francesca and Beatrice, who were they and how did they influence your writing?

Dante: Amidst the journey to Inferno, I had come across a woman named Francesca who, because of her worldly desires to be with her beloved, Paulo, was facing the wrath of Hell for committing sins of adultery. Listening to her story particularly moved me to tears, seeing her suffer because of wanting to be with the one she loved as opposed to subjecting herself to the Divine power. At this point in time I was beginning to feel sympathetic towards her and her story because of listening to the depth of love she had felt for Paulo. I had always thought that she was in Hell for a good reason, because of her sins, however, it reminded me of my Beatrice… the pain that Francesca had gone through… only a lover can understand therefore listening to her story opened up my heart, ‘I swooned away as if I had been dying, and fell, even as a dead body falls’ exemplifies the bolt of rush that I had felt, my heart heavy of lamentations, as feelings of empathy and overwhelm were running through my skin. Moving on to Beatrice, although she is the one who leads me through the Divine Paradiso and explains to me that there is more to life than loving, my feelings for her were still as strong as ever through both ‘Inferno’ and ‘Paradiso’. ‘…With her gaze fixed on the eternal sphere, and I, removing my sight from above, fixed it on her’. You see, the majority of my writings were based purely on her, as it was the beauty of her light that guided me to the blissful vision of the Divine. After the death of Beatrice, my life took a sudden turn and it seemed as though everything was going wrong. Given I had survived through ‘Inferno’ and ‘Purgatorio’ with my sanity in tact, once I had reached the realm of Paradise a wave of relief flushed through me as I was once again united with Beatrice. Since she was my one true love, a love that I could never fully shake out of me, she had influenced my writing to a great extent, highlighted through her being the guide in Paradise. In fact, whilst I was in Purgatory, it was Beatrice who had told me to observe and write down everything I had seen to use in my poetry. Again, making reference to the song ‘shake it out’, the way Beatrice was telling me to forget the love for now and focus on the Divine reminded me of the verse ‘our love is pastured such a mournful sound...’ meaning our love needs to be disregarded, just like the love between Beatrice and I.

Amara: What sort of things did you come across in ‘Purgatorio’ and ‘Paradiso’? How did they differ?

Dante: Well once I had reached Purgatory, a sense of relief came over me, as I no longer had to witness the punishments of the sinners. The aim of Purgatory was for me to be completely cleansed in order to enter the final destination, Paradise. The fear that was overpowering my emotions is expressed through ‘less than a drop of blood remains in me that does not tremble; I recognize the signals of the ancient flame’. Purgatory, in so many words, was my key to survival. In order to get to Paradise, the journey through Purgatory was necessary, as I would never have come to the conclusion of satisfaction until the sins that I had committed were erased from my guilty conscience. The journey that was taken along with Virgil to Purgatory was one that I would never forget, as the feeling of the angels removing the P’s that had been imprinted on my forehead by Peter as part of the process of purifying myself. Moving on to the next and final realm, paradise, I cannot properly explain to you the emotions that were running through me once I had reached my final destination. At this point, I was slowly beginning to grasp the concept of subjecting myself to the Divine power, rather than questioning my existence. To answer your question, there was a big difference between Purgatory and Paradise as, even whilst in the realm of purification, Purgatory, there were still some aspects that had lingered from Hell, given it was a place for those who wished to repent.

Amara: Can you elaborate further what happened in Paradise and what you learnt?

Dante: The ultimate destination for me was in fact Paradise, and once I had gone through the pits of Hell, through the mounts of Purgatory successfully, I realized my journey was coming to a near end. Depicted in ‘Paradiso’, when I say ‘love, who rules the Heavens, you know, who lifted me upwards, with your light, whether I was only that which you created, new, in me’ I have acknowledged the Divine, making direct reference to the Divine is a significant change that had occurred. When I had reached paradise, and with the help of Virgil and Beatrice I was slowly beginning to grasp the idea that it is not right to question the existence of humanity, save for the idea that it was God who created all. Also when I say ‘the glory of him, who moves all things, penetrates the universe, and glows in one region more, in another less’ I have understood that everyone is placed in different proximities to God, some closer and some further away from him. Beatrice, being devout and Holy, throughout the Cantos of ‘Paradiso’ was trying to explain to me the very meaning of the oneness of God and how every thing- living and non-living existed under the will of God. However this frame of mind did not come easy, as, even when Beatrice was explaining the essence of the Divine to me, my eyes seem to have never lost focus of her. Rather than look at what was around me, I was staring at Beatrice, portrayed when I say ‘Beatrice was gazing upwards and I at her…’ It was quite disappointing for her to see me this way for, I was not truly grateful for what I was looking at, I wasn’t taking in my surroundings and the serenity of Paradise, instead focusing on Beatrice. ‘Turn your mind towards God in gratitude, who has joined us with the first planet’.

Amara: Now, in Canto II of ‘Paradiso’, it seems as though you are talking to your readers, what are you trying to say?

Dante: Excellent question… one that I’ve been waiting for actually. Well you see Amara, towards the end of the section ‘Paradiso’, the key words used are ‘o you, in your little boat, who, longing to hear have followed my kneel…since losing me perhaps you would be left adrift’ meaning, if you have lost me through this quest to find inner peace, revisit the journey if you feel that you’re not ready to progress. Also, when I say ‘now I wish to illuminate you’ I am suggesting that it is my turn to express the conclusion that I have come to in regards to my righteousness. I suppose, it’s me trying to tell you that in order to complete the journey one must accept the idea that the Divine controls everything. Also, what I have tried to tell my readers is that there is the Empyrean which is the furthest one can go in regards to righteousness, then there is the Premium Mobile and last the Stellar Heaven. What I want to say is that everyone is placed in different precincts to God, everything is in its place and everything has its own place. Ultimately, what I have learnt from the entire experience is that I too, have a designated place in the Divine order of the universe and that everything I have done, the decisions I have made, all resulted in leading an unrighteous life and going astray from what truly matters.

Amara: Thank you for your insightful responses Mr. Alighieri, now we have a special guest on the line for you to have a one-on-one chat with your inspiration, Florence + the Machine, welcome Florence

Florence: Thank you Amara, its great to be here, I love your work Mr. Dante. Absolutely capturing

Dante: You’re too kind; now briefly tell us about your song ‘Shake it out’. Tell the listeners exactly why I love this song

Florence: Well, Mr. Dante, everything you said earlier about the song is spot on! I guess everyone has his or her own interpretation of the lyrics and what you were saying about the journey was correct. When we wrote this song, we were referring to the internal battle that normal people, like you and I, have in our minds. Every one, everywhere has their own stories, they all have different points of view and what I am trying to express in this song is the very essence of going through an imaginative journey. Just as you are spiritually lost, towards the beginning of the song, I wanted to let our fans tap into our thoughts for just a moment, and experience the emotions running through us, the quest that I went on to rid myself of my addictions, sins, regrets and such.

Dante: What else can you tell us about the song, what was going through your mind when you wrote it?

Florence: This song is really special to my band and I because of the fact that it is so relatable in all aspects. For my band and I, this is a constant reminder that not everything goes as planned and in life, you do make mistakes, you do things you regret and you have two options either to let it consume you or to spiritually find yourself. The lyric ‘looking to heaven, found the devil in me’ manifests the idea that towards the beginning, in the hope of finding myself as well as inner peace, I found a devil, an evil aura that was consuming my thoughts and constantly reminding me of my sins. What I loved about your poem Mr. Dante was that it was relatively similar to what we were trying to play at to our fans. Just as you were in a… midlife crisis, trying to make sense of your sins, our song expresses the notion that in trying to find inner peace, we unleash the devils inside us. Also, the person singing in the beginning is different to the person singing at the end spiritually, as she imagines herself in a better place, trying to find herself but towards the end when she says ‘well what the hell I’m gonna let it happen to me’ proves that she is giving up on the dreaming and wishful thinking. It is her way of portraying the idea that she knows she can’t change who is, and in some way, she has accepted the fact that there is no energy left inside of her to change herself. Ultimately, she comes back to reality and realizes that what she imagines herself to be does not intertwine with the persona she is taking on in reality.

Dante: Did my poem influence your writing as your song did mine?

Florence: Oh definitely you see, the way in which you wrote how you overcame the obstacles by deciding to witness each realms in order to get to the Divine was truly inspiring. You see throughout the song, the theme is constantly talking about how ‘she’ is sick and tired of the life she is living, the world of pain that envelopes her on a daily basis because of her sins, shown through the lyrics ‘and its hard to dance with the devil on your back so shake him off’. We are making direct reference to your theme, that is, to shake off the regret and try to recleanse ourselves.

Amara: I’m afraid that’s all we have time for, thank you Mr. Dante for joining us on the show and taking us on this inspirational journey and thank you Florence + the Machine for clarifying the true meaning of your song
Dante & Florence: You’re welcome Amara thanks so much for having us!