True Friendship in ‘The Divine Comedy’

To understand Dante’s poem, we must follow the pilgrim on his entire journey—through hell, purgatory, and heaven.
True Friendship in ‘The Divine Comedy’
“Dante and Virgil in the Ninth Circle of Hell,” 1861, by Gustave Doré. Oil on Canvas, 10.3 feet by 14.7 feet, Musée municipal de Bourge-en-Bresse. Public Domain
Walker Larson
Updated:
0:00

When many people think of Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy,” they think of popes stuck upside down in burning holes or demons skewering sinners with pitchforks. It may come as a surprise to learn that “The Divine Comedy” is actually a poem about love—yes, even in its first, ghoulish part, “The Inferno.”

Unfortunately, many readers find Dante’s lurid description of hellish torments to be the most interesting part of the work. Few go on to read the second and third parts of the poem—“Purgatorio” and “Paradiso”—since they lack these more visceral elements. But to really understand the poem we must follow the pilgrim Dante on his entire journey—through hell, purgatory, and heaven.

Walker Larson
Walker Larson
Author
Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master's in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, "Hologram" and "Song of Spheres."