The Divine Comedy: Difference between revisions

Line 54:

* [[Character Filibuster]]: ''Paradiso'' in particular features long discussions of theology, philosophy, and morality.

* [[The Chosen One]]: Dante says that he was chosen for its spiritual journey in order to help to REDEEM MANKIND with the book that he is going to write based on this experience (i.e. the ''Divine Comedy'': intended as a sort of fifth gospel, so to speak).

* [[City Planet]]: Supposedly, the 6th through 9th Circles are all part of the City of Dis, which is on the 5th Circle.

* [[Circles of Hell]]: The [[Trope Namers]], if not the [[Trope Maker]]. Dante traverses all of them in the ''Inferno.''

* [[Clown Car Grave]]: The heretics in Hell lie in flaming tombs, each of which can hold some ''thousands'' of sinners.

Line 112:

Line 113:

* [[Nightmarish Factory]]: One part of hell is compared to the Venetian naval yard.

* [[No Party Like a Donner Party]]: Ugolino, according to some interpretations, is implied to have eaten his children when imprisoned in the "Hunger Tower". In Hell, he continually eats the head of the man who imprisoned him there.

* [[Noodle Incident]]:

* ~~[[Noodle Incident]]:~~ Ciacco the Hog is someone Dante meets in the Circle of Gluttony, whom he indicates he used to know in life; literary scholars have never been able to match him to any historical figure. One can only assume he was a college or neighbor whom Dante found annoying.

** Ciacco the Hog is someone Dante meets in the Circle of Gluttony, whom he indicates he used to know in life; literary scholars have never been able to match him to any historical figure. One can only assume he was a college or neighbor whom Dante found annoying.

** Virgil tells Dante that this is not the first time he's had to be a guide for a mortal's journey through Hell. He mentions doing so for a Greek witch, but does not elaborate further.

* [[Not Drawn to Scale]]: Dante provides some scattered measurements for places and things in Hell (such as the distance around one circle and the height of a [[Our Giants Are Bigger|giant]]); from these, one can attempt to infer the overall dimensions of Hell, but the results are wildly inconsistent. But considering that it's ''Hell'', see [[Alien Geometries]].

* [[The Nothing After Death]]: Limbo, the first and outermost circle of Hell, is inhabited by virtuous heathens (it's not an oxymoron) and unbaptized children who died without knowledge of Christ. They do not suffer torments but live forever without hope or the light of God. And while, depending on your faith, this might be a horrible fate, for people who exist there, like Socrates and other eminent pre-Christians, it's not a bad place. They essentially do there what they did in life: wax philosophic about everything without the distractions of sleep or sustenance.

Line 157:

Line 160:

* [[Sympathy for the Devil]]: Although Dante has nothing but contempt for Satan and his minions, he often shows feelings of empathy, pity, and even respect for several sinners he meets in Hell. Virgil sometimes tells Dante off for this. After all, if an omniscient and all-loving God has decided they're not worth pity, why should anyone go against divine will and feel sorry for them?

* [[Take Our Word for It]]: At the end of ''Paradiso'', this is how Dante describes God. Anything else would have been underwhelming.

* [[Taken for Granite]]: Medusa is one of the few monsters that causes even Virgil to panic, warning Dante that a soul who is turned to stone in Hell - including Dante's - will never be able to leave.

* [[Take That]]:

** Dante's personal and political enemies, as well as historical villains—even some of his ''friends''—often end up in Hell. One of the most notable examples is none other than the then-current ''Pope'', Bonifacius VIII, of whom Dante was not a big fan. According to [http://www.cracked.com/article_18430_6-historic-acts-revenge-that-put-kill-bill-to-shame.html Cracked.com], this was a big "screw you" to "Pope" Boniface and the town of Florence for double-crossing and exiling him (in an order that [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2145378/Dantes-infernal-crimes-forgiven.html wasn't repealed until 2008]). The pope's not in Hell yet, but it's stated that he will be.