"What is fame? Fame is but a slow decay. This too shall pass." Theodore Tilton Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is a poem filled with Christian themes such as love, the pursuit of happiness, and the desire to see God. Among these Christian themes, however, is obsession and Dante's desire for fame, which appears to be a striking departure from conventional medieval Christian morality. Indeed, as the poem progresses, a surprising contradiction emerges. The writer Dante, in line with Christian doctrine, presents the desire for fame and glory among the souls of Hell to replace it with humility among the souls of Purgatory. Yet this purification of desire is not entirely embraced by Dante, who seems concerned with his own personal fame and glory. Therefore, how do we reconcile the seemingly hypocritical position that souls must shed pride and become humble, even though Dante can continue in his quest for fame and glory and still be saved? This contradiction develops in the journey of the reader and the character Dante through Hell and Purgatory and is resolved in the second sphere of Paradise. It is this sphere, which allows for fame and glory for honorable reasons, that allows us readers to resolve this tension. It is in this context that Dante makes it clear that fame is not always bad, but only becomes so when one's motives are impure. The power of fame and glory is never more powerful than among the souls of Hell. The importance of earthly fame is particularly evident in the figures of the numerous shadows who asked Dante to remember their names and their stories on Earth. In fact, it is this promise of fame that leads most souls to dialogue with Dante. "But tell him who you were, so that, to make amends, he may refresh your fame in the world above, where he can still return", says Virgil to Pier della Vigna in the wood of suicides (Inferno, Canto XIII, Lines 52-54). To which Pier replies: "Your sweet word attracts me so much that I cannot stay still" (Inferno, Canto XIII, Lines 55-56). Dante is also spurred on by promises of fame while in Hell. During the difficult ascent to the seventh pocket of the eighth circle, Virgil underlines the importance of fame in pushing Dante to persevere. He says: «Now you must put aside your laziness, because he who rests on blankets or under covers cannot achieve fame» (Inferno, Canto XXIV, Lines 46-47). Indeed, the willingness to be corrupted by earthly fame is a unique aspect of those souls in hell. As Dante journeys towards God and perfection, through Purgatory and finally through Paradise, he will find that the bargaining power of earthly fame is greatly diminished as souls become less and less interested in and motivated by fame. humility begins to overshadow that of fame and glory, especially in Dante's meeting with Oderisi, Guido Guinizzelli and Statius. In Canto XI, Dante meets Oderisi, an esteemed artist. After Dante praises him, Oderisi immediately points out that Franco Bolognese is now more famous: "Brother, the pages painted by Franco Bolognese's brush smile brighter: all the glory is his now; mine, but a part" (Purgatorio, Canto XI, lines 82-85). His earthly fame was short-lived and he states: "O vain glory of human powers! How short will the greenery on the summit last unless an age of dullness follows it" (Purgatorio, Canto XI, Lines 92-93). He is quick to point out to Dante that fame does not last unless it follows an era completely devoid of talent and artistry. He also cites the example of Giotto and how nowbe acclaimed in Cimabue's place. "In painting Cimabue believed he held the field, and now it is Giotto who they acclaim, the former retaining only a shadowy fame" (Purgatorio, Canto XI, Lines 94-96). But even Giotto will soon be forgotten when someone else kicks him "out of the nest". Oderisi is at pains to highlight how fleeting fame can be and how dangerous the pride that precedes it is. The punishment itself in this area is a warning to Dante about the dangers of wanting earthly fame. Oderisi would not have ended up in the flames of purgatory if he had avoided the proud desire for fame in the first place. These same things resonate later when Dante meets Guido Guinizzelli and Arnaut Daniel in Canto XXVI. When Dante begins to praise Guido, Guido immediately entrusts his skill to that of Arnaut with the same tone of modesty and humility highlighted in the meeting with Oderisi. He says to Dante: "He who I point out to you was the best creator of the mother tongue, surpassing all those who wrote love poems or romances in prose" (Purgatorio, Canto XXVI, Lines 115-119). Yet, when Dante approaches Arnaut Daniel, he doesn't even mention his fame. Rather than those souls found in Hell wanting Dante to bring them earthly fame, these souls are ready to demonstrate humility. In fact, when Dante meets Statius it becomes clear that even if his fame on earth persists, it is not enough. In Canto XXI he says of himself: "I had fame enough beyond; I bore the name that lasts and honors most but the faith was not yet mine. On earth my name is still remembered." (Purgatorio, Canto XXI, Lines 85-91). Statius, although famous, still had to pay his penance in Purgatory, fame was not enough to save him nor will it be enough to save Dante. Yet, amidst all this talk of humility, Dante's desire for his own personal fame and glory is ever present. and he is never so transparent as in his relationships with the poets of Limbo. Indeed, one of his main objectives seems to be to demonstrate his superiority over these poets. When Dante finds himself face to face with these poets he says: "And so I saw that splendid school assembled, led by the incomparable lord of song, who like an eagle soars above the others. Immediately after having spoken a little together, they turned to me, greeting cordially; and seeing this, my master smiled; and even greater honor was then for me, who invited me to join their ranks, I was the sixth among such intellects" (Inferno, Canto IV, Lines 94-102).Dante does not hesitate to place himself among these famous poets. Yet, even when he meets these talented poets of antiquity, his attitude towards them combines respect and condescension. He respects their poetic talent but even when he meets them he is always aware of the fact that they will remain in hell while he continues on to Heaven. Even later, when Dante exalts the classical poetry of Virgil who was able to convert a soul like Statius, he cannot help but underline its limits. No matter how effective Virgil's Latin poetry was, he will always, always be an unsaved soul. Dante continues to seize opportunities to further his own glory as the poem progresses. Rarely modest about his poetic gifts, he uses the power of hellish scenes to support his claim to superiority over the ancient poets. He devises a grotesquely appropriate punishment for the Thieves: after stealing in life, they must constantly steal each other's forms and constantly have their own forms stolen. He describes the punishment in lucid and imaginative detail. Halfway through the description of these horrors, however, Dante openly declares that he has surpassed both Ovid and Lucan in his ability to write scenes of metamorphosis and transformation: "Shut up now, Lucan, wheresing sad Sabellus and Nasidius, and wait to hear what flies from my bow. Now let Ovid be silent, where he tells of Cadmus, Arethusa, if his verses made one a serpent, one a fountain, I don't envy him he never transmuted two natures; face to face" (Inferno, Canto XXV, Lines 94-101). Dante exalts both his ingenuity in imagining these monstrous transformations and his poetic ability to render them. In both respects, he claims to surpass the two classical poets most renowned for their mythological inventions and vivid imagery. As Dante ascends from Hell into Purgatory he seems to become more aware of his proud desire for fame. When he enters the First Terrace, the terrace of the proud, he immediately assumes the same bowed posture as them, as if he too were burdened by the heavy weight of pride. Even after leaving the terrace, Virgil has to scold him for being absorbed by that terrace and its punishment. When he reaches the terrace of the envious, however, Dante himself admits to succumbing to pride. He says: "My eyes will here be denied me, but only for a short time; the crime of envy has not often been committed by their gaze. I fear far more the lesser punishment [than pride]; my soul is anxious , pending; I already feel the heavy burdens of the first terrace" (Purgatorio, Canto XIII, Lines 133-138). Yet Dante ascends from the terrace of the proud and the P on his forehead is erased by the Angel of God as he ascends to the next terrace. Dante will not be punished on this terrace. So, although Dante himself admits to having committed sins of pride, he is somehow not held responsible for them. Therefore, a reconciliation between his desire for fame and his just punishment will have to be found later. It is as Purgatory comes to an end that the reader is given the first glimpse of this reconciliation. After Beatrice's assurance that he is one of the chosen, Dante is invested with his poetic and prophetic mission: "And so, to benefit that world that lives badly, keep constant watch over the chariot and, when you have returned from there, transcribe what you have seen" (Purgatorio, Canto XXXII, Lines 103-106). Until now, Dante's journey may have seemed aimed at his personal salvation; now its universal, exemplary aspect becomes explicit. Beatrice has now entrusted Dante with a specific mission to help the world to emerge from the "dark forest" of sin. This mission to save the world becomes the transcendent link between Dante's desire for fame and its dangers. In Dante's mind, worldly glory and the glory of the kingdom of God are intimately connected .As long as a person's glory comes from honest work, he can improve his lot in the afterlife. This view illustrated in Limbo is also illustrated through the example of Justinian in the second sphere of Paradise, the sphere of Mercury. Justinian, whose greatest achievement was the codification of Roman law, said of this work: "As soon as my steps shared the path of the Church, God, by his grace, inspired my high task as he pleased ". (Paradiso, Canto VI, Lines 22-24). After he converted to the true church, it was God who inspired him to produce the Code. Similarly, Dante would have us believe that he is the mere mouthpiece of God, a scribe inspired to create an important work to save the world from the avaricious "she-wolf." Therefore, although Dante cannot deny his desire for fame and glory, he did so for the right reasons. With the popularity of the Divine Comedy would come the realization that people were reading his work and that perhaps he was helping them out of the dark forest of sin. As Justinian said of the Sphere of Mercury, "This little planet is adorned with spirits whose deeds were righteous, but who acted for the honor and fame which.
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