1. The Divine
Comedy of
Dante Alighieri
By: Jose Emmanuel
Maningas and Kenneth
Solomon

2. When you hear the word
“Divine Comedy”, what
comes into your mind?

3. How does Dante’s Divine
Comedy try help men and
women prepare for the
afterlife?

4. Do you think Dante’s
Divine Comedy is
real? Why?

5. Dante’s Divine Comedy
 The Divine Comedy is an allegory of a human soul’s
journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven.
Allegory is a work in which the characters and
events are to be understood as representing other
things and symbolically expressing a deeper, often
spiritual, moral, or political meaning.
 Some regard it as a real Divine intervention, others
regard it as a literary piece of work. What matters
most is the engraftment of the work in the minds
and hearts of the people throughout the world in
different generations.

6. Spotlight on the Author
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was born in Florence of
a prominent family. He apparently played a leading
part in politics, rising to the highest local position in
1300. Soon afterwards, another party rose to power.
Dante was accused of a crime and was exiled. Later,
a decree was passed pardoning all exiles on condition
that they paid a fine. Dante refused to pay the fine.
He continued to live at his place of exile, Ravenna,
where his daughter was a nun and his son a
benefice. He was well-liked at Ravenna, and when he
died, he was buried with the highest honors.

8. Vocabulary
1. Bemoaning his fate
- to express grief or disappointment
about something.
2. Without cessation
- a stop, pause, or interruption,
especially a permanent
discontinuation.

9. Vocabulary
3. Carved cornices
- the top projecting section of the part of
a classical building that is supported by
the columns entablature.
4. Purging of sins
- to make somebody or something pure
and free from guilt, sin, or defilement.

10. The Journey to
Hell, Purgatory,
and Heaven

11. 1st Circle: Limbo
2nd Circle: The Lustful
3rd Circle: The Gluttonous
4th Circle: The Avaricious
and Prodigal
5th Circle: The
Wrathful & Sullen
6th Circle:
Heretics
7th Circle:
The Violent
8th Circle:
The Fraud
9th Circle:
Treachery

12. The Four Rivers of Hell
Acheron – the river between Neutrals
and Limbo
 Styx – the river between the 5th Circle
and the Wall of Dis (Satan) which
covers the 6th Circle.
 Phlegethon – the river between the 6th
Circle and the 7th Circle
 Cocytus – the river which separates
the 9th Circle and the place where
Lucifer rests.

13. The Three Rings of the Seventh
Circle
 First Ring: Violence against
neighbors: Tyrants and Murderers.
 Second Ring: Violence against
themselves (Suicides) and against
their possesions (Squanderers)
 Third Ring: Violence against God:
 First Zone: Blasphemers
 Second Zone: Sodomites
 Third Zone: Usurers

14. The Ten Pouches of the Eighth Circle
 First Pouch: Panders and Seducers
 Second Pouch: Flatterers
 Third Pouch: Simonists
 Fourth Pouch: Diviners, Astrologers, &
Magicians
 Fifth Pouch: Barrators
 Sixth Pouch: Hypocrites
 Seventh Pouch: Thieves
 Eighth Pouch: Fraudulent Counselors
 Ninth Pouch: Sowers of Scandal and Schism
 Tenth Pouch: Falsifiers of Metals, Persons,
Coins and Words

15. The
Earthly
Paradise
7th Terrace:
The Lustful
6th Terrace: The
Gluttonous
5th Terrace: The
Avaricious and the
Prodigal
4th Terrace: The Slothful
3rd Terrace: The Wrathful
2nd Terrace: The Envious
1st Terrace: The Prideful
Excessive
Love of Earthly
Goods
Insufficient
Love
Perverted
Love

16. The Terraces of Purgatory Temporal Punishment
The 1st Terrace
The Prideful punished by bearing the weight
of heavy stones
The 2nd Terrace
The Envious punished by having their eyelids
sewn up with iron wires
The 3rd Terrace The Wrathful punished by dark smoke
The 4th Terrace The Slothful made to run without respite
The 5th Terrace
The Avaricious, with bound hand and foot, lie
stretched on the ground, face down
The 6th Terrace
The Gluttonous, condemned to emaciating
hunger and thirst
The 7th Terrace The Lustful, purified through fire

17. Empyrean
9th Sphere:
Primum
Mobile
8th Sphere:
Fixed Stars
7th Sphere:
Saturn
6th Sphere: Jupiter
5th Sphere: Mars
4th Sphere: Sun
3rd Sphere: Venus
2nd Sphere: Mercury
1st Sphere: Moon

18. The Heavens
Reason why they where put there/What are they
doing there
1st Heaven: Sphere of
the Moon
Site of those whose vows gave way before
violence
2nd Heaven: Sphere
of the Mercury
Those here are those who gave service in life, but
whose service was somewhat marred by ambition.
3rd Heaven: Sphere
of the Venus
Site of those who were lovers, but whose love was
marred by wantonness

19. 4th Heaven: Sphere of
the Sun
Each of the spirits here is an ardent sun in their own
right, glowing with the light of love. They dance and
whirl about, and will circle around visitors such as
Dante to inform them of what lies in this Heaven. They
can also see the thoughts of visitors. Different groups of
spirits may speak to visitors as they pass through this
Heaven.
5th Heaven: Sphere of
the Mars
Each of the specks of light is a spirit, the souls of the
soldiery of Christ, or, as a voice from the cross puts it 'In
this fifth circle of the Eternal Tree of which no fruit shall
fail, no leaf be shed, which from its summit with full life is
fed, are spirits which before to Heaven they came were
of such eminence of earthly fame as must the more
exalt the loftiest song'.

20. 6th Heaven: Sphere of
the Jupiter
In this Heaven the spirits again glow with light, and
wheel in ordered flight through the wide white star of
Jupiter, singing as they go the Song of the Just. Each
flight moves so as to form a golden letter on the face
of the Heaven, and chants the Latin words and phrases
which these letters, collected together, shape, such as
'Diligite Justitiam' and 'Qui Judicatis Terram'. When a
word is formed, the spirits pause for a while before
moving on to form new words and phrases in the
Heaven. The spirits here are the just, Princes who have
loved righteousness, and people who were once
Pagans who are now in bliss.
7th Heaven: Sphere of
the Saturn
The souls are lucent spheres of beautiful light, who
each enhance the light of the others, and who can
whirl as they speak and ascend and descend the
ladder. Those here are those who had given
themselves to devout contemplation in life, and who
practised temperance. This includes St Benedict.

21. 8th Heaven: Sphere of
the Fixed Stars
The spirits here are all vicars of Christ, who have done
His will in life.
One of the spirits of this Heaven, a sphere of light of the
greatest beauty, is St. Peter. He examines Dante
concerning Faith, and approves his answer with a
triumphant cry through the Heaven of 'Deus Laudmus'.
Following this, he is examined on Hope by St. James,
who also approves his answer with a cry of delight
from Heaven, and a clarion cry of 'sperent in te' from
the spirits there which is accompanied by a glorious
flash of white light. Lastly, St. John appears, the light
emanating from him so bright that it blinds Dante
(though not permanently). He examines Dante
concerning Love. Again, Dante passes the
examination, and the most sweet strain Dante has yet
heard sounds through Heaven. A strong light strikes
him and by it, Beatrice restores his sight, making it, in
fact, better than before.
9th Heaven: Primum
Mobile
The spirits here are the Three Spheres of the
Angels / Nine Choirs of Angels and the souls of
those who were baptized before reaching the
age of reason.

22. Seraphim Cherubim Thrones
These are the highest
order or choir of angels.
They are the angels who
are attendants or
guardians before God's
throne. Seraphim have six
wings, two cover their
faces, two cover their
feet, and two are for
flying.
Cherubim rank after the
seraphim and are the
second highest in the
nine hierarchies or
choirs of angels. They
were closely linked in
God's glory. They are
manlike in appearance
and double-winged
and were guardians of
God's glory. They
symbolized then, God's
power and mobility.
Thrones are the
Angels of pure
Humility, Peace and
Submisssion. They
reside in the area of
the cosmos where
material form
begins to take
shape. The lower
Choir of Angels
need the Thrones to
access God.

23. Dominions Virtues Powers
Dominions are Angels of
Leadership. They regulate
the duties of the angels,
making known the
commands of God.
Virtues are known as the
Spirits of Motion and
control the elements.
They are sometimes
referred to as "the
shining ones." They
govern all nature. They
have control over
seasons, stars, moon;
even the sun is subject
to their command. They
are also in charge of
miracles and provide
courage, grace, and
valor.
Powers are Warrior
Angels against evil
defending the
cosmos and
humans. They are
known as
potestates. They
fight against evil
spirits who attempt
to wreak chaos
through human
beings.

24. Principalities Archangels Angels
Given their hostility to
God and humans due to
sin, Christ's ultimate rule
over them expresses the
reign of the Lord over all
in the cosmos. This is the
Lordship of Christ, which
reveals God's tremendous
salvation in conquering
sin and death at the
cross, and now takes
place in the Church.
Archangels are generally
taken to mean "chief or
leading angel“, they are
the most frequently
mentioned throughout the
Bible. They may be of this or
other hierarchies as St.
Michael Archangel, who is
a princely Seraph. The
Archangels have a unique
role as God's messenger to
the people at critical times
in history and salvation as in
The Annunciation and
Apocalypse.
These angels are
closest to the
material world and
human begins. They
deliver the prayers
to God and God's
answers and other
messages to
humans. Angels
have the capacity
to access any and
all other Angels at
any time. They are
the most caring and
social to assist those
who ask for help.

25. 10th Heaven:
Empyrean
This is the highest Heaven, outside of time and
space. It is the Heaven of God's immediate
presence and the only real home of the angels
and the redeemed, whose blessedness consists
of their eternal vision of Him. The Empyrean was
thus used as a name for the firmament, and in
Christian literature, notably the Divine Comedy,
for the dwelling-place of God, the blessed,
celestial beings so divine they are made of pure
light, and the source of light and creation. This is
the true home of the Angels and Saints who
praise God unconditionally and without
hesitation. Seeing God satisfies their greatest
desires.