Dante's Inferno: Dante As Poet And Character And Application

Dante's Inferno: Dante As Poet And Character And Application Dante Alighieri is an Italian poet who was admired for his profound view of the spiritual and the range of his intellect. He was known for his works such as La Vita Nuova (The New Life), Convivio (Banquet) and De Vulgari Eloquentia (Concerning the Common Speech). The most interesting perhaps is Dante's epic masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, an allegorical narrative, symbolic of a particular fault or virtue and the punishments or rewards imposed on the personas to illustrate a much deeper sense of truth and universality. But most interesting for me is the fact that Dante used himself as the main character of his greatest work thus resulting to a central implication of the Comedy; Dante's involvement in "The Comedy" can be seen in two dimensions, Dante as the Poet and Dante as the Character. What I will attempt to do in this paper is to explain the parallels of these two dimensions to more practical aspects of life and to justify why it was essential that Dante incorporates himself inside the world of The Comedy. Often times, speeches of Dante the poet and Dante the character would coincide but each these two clearly has functions of their own. We would often think that Dante the poet was more of a narrative voice, meaning if the lines push the story forward, then most likely these lines are from Dante the poet such as

  • Word count: 1004
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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The Triangulation of Love in The Knights Tale

Jaime Korman 1/3/11 The Triangulation of Love in “The Knight’s Tale” In “The Knight’s Tale,” the first story of The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses the triangle to investigate the abstract complexity of life’s most powerful emotion—love. Since “love is law unto itself,” it can be a challenge to examine its erratic nuances critically. Yet Chaucer, through the symbolic geometry of a triangle, masterfully establishes a narrative structure based on the simultaneous balance and tension between the conflicted lovers, Palamon, Arcite and Emily. Palamon and Arcite’s relationship forms the base of the triangle. The two men are inextricably bonded by their origin and fate and dearly love one another, in a brotherly way. Until their paths diverge, Palamon and Arcite are treated as identical characters. Half dead from an attack by Duke Theseus, they are rescued from a pile of bodies, only to be imprisoned in a tower next to Theseus’ garden. Their undifferentiated personalities and unquestioned loyalty to one another form the original strong and stable foundation of the triangle. Palamon and Arcite’s first vision of Emily instantly creates the third point of the love triangle and completely restructures the geometry of the story. This love at first sight brings a new dimensionality to the relationship and individuality of Arcite and Palamon.

  • Word count: 1140
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Can the devil be an epic hero? This seems to be the case in John Miltons Paradise Lost

Is satan hero? Can the devil be an epic hero? This seems to be the case in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the great epic from the English Renaissance. Milton’s Satan is brave, resourceful and powerful and an excellent leader as well. Milton’s introduction of Satan shows the reader how significant Satan is to Paradise Lost. He uses Satan’s heroic qualities to his followers, and his ability to corrupt to show the thin line between good and evil. Satan was one of the highest angels in Heaven, Milton makes the reader see him as a leader and a strong influence to all in his presence. He best describes Satan’s ways when stating, “His pride/ had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host. / Of rebel angels, by whose aspiring/ To set himself in glory above his peers” (Milton Book I). Satan’s pride was the main reason that God banned him from heaven. Some readers consider Satan to be the hero, or protagonist, of the story, because he struggles to overcome his own doubts and weaknesses and accomplishes his goal of corrupting humankind. Satan is far from being the story’s object of admiration. But there are some qualities that make him heroic and intrigued . Satan’s fascination for us is that he is very complex. Heroes are more complex, Aristotle argued, than the classical archetype permits. They are good, appealing people who make mistakes; they are people

  • Word count: 1019
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Chaucer is successful in creating humour in the Wife of Baths prologue and tale.

With close reference to at least three episodes, show how Chaucer creates humour in the Wife of Bath’s prologue (&/ or) Tale. Chaucer was born in 1343, and was known for his renowned collection of the Canterbury tales. A group of pilgrims of different social ranks travelled to Canterbury, each telling their tale on the remarkable journey. From the Tabard Inn to the shrine of St Thomas á Becket which lay in Canterbury, they made a pact to illustrate stories to one another. Chaucer uses each individual character prologue to capture the reader’s attention, as well as engage them to a feel for each pilgrim’s behaviour. Chaucer is successful in creating humour in the Wife of Bath’s prologue and tale. A heavy use of fabliaux, (which are extended jokes that are commonly known to be bawdy and full of sexual innuendo) is used to emphasize the ridicule of the wife of Bath in whom Chaucer satirizes. An example of this is found in lines 706-710 where the wife of Bath is implying that mature scholars unable to hold an erection anymore write ‘tell-tale’ attacks against women at the bitterness of their impotence. It is possible that she may be indirecting Jankin’s future with her as he himself is indeed a scholar. She says “Therefore no woman of no clerk is preysed. The clerk, when he is oold and may nought do, of Venus werkes worth his olde sho, Thanne sit he down and

  • Word count: 1032
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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The Merchant's Tale. Consider how the power balance has been subtly altered from line 843 onwards, and how Chaucer has demonstrated this.

Consider how the power balance has been subtly altered from line 843 onwards, and how Chaucer has demonstrated this. The use of the word ‘but’ in line 843 is the first signal to the audience that there is going to be a significant change within Januarie’s fortune. Up until this point he has been considerably lucky; he is described as a ‘worthy knight’ who has ‘lived in greet prosperitee’ and has been married to ‘fresshe may, his paradys, his make’. Through this excessive amount of fortune, Chaucer has led the audience to believe it is too good to be true, and so the change is almost inevitable. Januarie’s fortune is represented by the image of ‘the scorpion’, which smiles with its face while stinging with its ‘sweete venym queynte’, just as Januarie is deceived into believing he has found stable happiness when he suddenly goes blind. When Januarie becomes physically blind, this becomes a fulfilment of the metaphorical blindness of self-delusion which has afflicted him from the outset. On line 386, the audience are reminded of the proverb ‘love is blind’, and Januarie’s character has been built up to this point as a demonstration of the truth of this saying. At this point in the tale, we have only recently heard May’s voice for the first time, (like 770) but we are yet to know much about May’s personality from anyone other than

  • Word count: 609
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Geoffrey Chaucer. Through the double narration it can be seen that the narrator of the Prologue is Chaucer but this pilgrim Chaucer is not the author Chaucer

In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, participants of a pilgrimage to Canterbury tell tales to entertain each other, revealing many aspects of medieval society. Through the double narration it can be seen that the narrator of the Prologue is Chaucer but this pilgrim Chaucer is not the author Chaucer. The pilgrim never describes his own career or social standing, but upon examination, he proves to be a corrupt individual of the upper class. The tales are not simply a story or a poem, it is an individual speaking about his observations- an oral performance. In the tales that follow, Chaucher (the pilgrim) will impersonate the others, "The wordes mote be cosin to the dede- (Line 742)" so his words must match the action he sees. It becomes a double narration, where Chaucer creates this pilgrim who tells the story of a great pilgrimage to Canterbury. There is no longer a creator of the poem, simply a speaker, a character who has his own characteristics and repeats what he sees. Despite its subtly, these traits expose the pilgrim Chaucer. Each of the stories in The Canterbury Tales are to be told with the utmost accuracy, suggesting Chaucer's literacy. "Whoso shal telle a tale after a man, He moot reherce as ny as evere he can Everish a word, if it be in his charge, Al speke he never so rudeliche and large; Or elles he moot telle his tale untrewe, Or

  • Word count: 1234
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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To His Coy Mistress, Andrew Marvell Analysis

Andrew Marvell: Final Essay It has been said that To His Coy Mistress is more about acting on the carpe diem ideal, than it is about love & lust. To what extent do you think this is true? Andrew Marvell was a 17th century English poet, parliamentarian and satirist. He belonged to a group commonly known as“ the metaphysical poets” which included/involved several famous poets such as John Donne or George Herbert. Their style was characterized by their unusual use of language to explore the vast questions about love, the carnal intercourse, the earth, the universe, the divine, the idea of existence or the truth just to mention a few. The use of images and word play revealed these complex ideas and feelings through wit, irony and humour especially in the surprising metaphors and similes, but also in the metaphysical conceits. Andrew Marvell in this metaphysical line, explored the carpe diem ideal and the theme of love and lust in his poem To His Coy Mistress, first published in 1681. His poem is the monologue of a man who woos his mistress by pressing her to give into a carnal intercourse (which bears the idea of love and lust), because time pursues them and the end seems near. We will consider each of these themes, in order to define if To His Coy Mistress is more about acting on the carpe diem ideal than it is about love and lust. In the first place, it would be evident

  • Word count: 1455
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Satan's Pride in Paradise Lost

Satan’s Hubris Leads to his Fall Because of the fallen angel’s obdurate pride, which eventually turns into vanity, Satan reaches his fall. Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost is a complex character who is meant to be the evil figure in the epic poem. Whenever given the chance, Satan tries to undermine God, whom he despises. Satan’s pride initiates his disobedience to God. The opening scene shows Satan and his other former angels on a burning lake as they awaken after they were cast out of Heaven. From the beginning all the fallen angels realize, “to be weak is miserable/.../ To do aught good never will be [their] task,/ but ever to do ill will be [their] sole delight,/ as being the contrary to His high will/ Whom we resist.” (l. 157-162, I) Satan accepts that Hell is the “mournful gloom” that they have traded for Heaven, “that celestial light,” (l. 244-245, I) and that the mind is its own place that can “make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” (l. 254-255, I) Satan’s obdurate pride is shown when he says, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” (l. 263, I) When Satan spake, he was boastful as he stressed that they are still united even in their fall. He assured them, “All is not lost-- the unconquerable will,/ and study of revenge, immortal hate,/ and courage never to submit or yield.” (l. 106-108, I) Together they joined in

  • Word count: 743
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Sonnets. One of Shakespeares most famous sonnets is his Sonnet No. 18 Shall I compare thee to a summers day?

Sonnets The sonnet was originally from Italy in the 16th century. The name "sonnet" comes from the Italian "sonneto" meaning little song. English travellers heard it and liked it so brought it to England. Since then, it has become one of the most widely used forms of poetry. The sonnet consists of 14 lines that use an iambic pentameter. There are two main types of sonnet, the Petrachan and the Shakespearean. The Petrarchan sonnet is in the original form that came out of Italy. It consists of an Octave and a sestet. That use a rhyme scheme abba abba then cdecde, though the sestet maybe cdcdcd. Usually an idea is developed in the Octave and then rounded off in the Sestet. The other form is the Shakespearean sonnet, developed by William Shakespeare. It has three quatrains and then ends in a rhyming couplet with a rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg. Often an idea is looked at in three different ways in the quatrains and then concluded in the rhyming couplet at the end. The most challenging thing for writers of sonnets is the strict format they must conform to. I have shown the format and it is a very tight and concise frame to write a poem in. It makes writing very constrictive but still appeals to a number of poets, perhaps because its rigid structure gives an extremely satisfying finished result. One of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets is his Sonnet No. 18 "Shall I compare thee

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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The word sonnet comes from the Italian word sonetto meaning a little song.

Sonnet Coursework The word sonnet comes from the Italian word sonetto meaning a little song. I am going to look at and assess different types of sonnets. The first type of sonnet, which I am going to look at, is called a Shakespearian sonnet. A Shakespearian sonnet consists of three quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end. In a Shakespearian sonnet each line has ten syllables, which is called cambic pentameter. The next type of sonnet, which I am going to look at, is called a petrochan sonnet. A petrochan sonnet is divided into two parts- * An octave- Lines 1-8, has a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA * The sestet- Lines 9-14, has a rhyme scheme of CDCDCD or CDECDE. In this type of sonnet the octave introduces the topic of the poem and the sestet sums it up. The sonnets which I have decided to assess and compare are- . Sonnet CXVI - William Shakespeare 2. Sonnet CXXX - William Shakespeare 3. "Phillis" - Thomas Lodge 4. "How Do I Love Thee" - Elizabeth Barret Browning To fully understand the sonnet written by Elizabeth Barret Browning we must first take a look into her past. Elizabeth Browning had a troubled childhood as her mother died when she was young and her father was very strict. Her father wanted to choose any potential husbands for his daughters and banned one of his daughters from marrying altogether. When Elizabeth Browning met a man whom she loved she knew

  • Word count: 1389
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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