Dante Alighieri and John Milton are revered as two of the most popular and accomplished poets of their time periods and ours. Both are known, not exclusively, for their work dealing with the idea and the depiction of the divine world and the journey to salvation. The Divine Comedy by Dante and Paradise lost by Milton both depict worlds that articulate a goal of eternal salvation for men and the devotion to God. The similarities and differences between these two famous works come from the specific political and religious beliefs of Milton and Dante in their respective time periods. Dante was born in Florence in the late middle of the thirteen-century to a Catholic family. This time in Italy is known for many conflicts because there was a
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Milton grew up in an extremely protestant household and was taught religion as a youth by different tutors and religious schools. Milton’s father planned for him becoming a church figure, but Milton abandoned these plans due to his beliefs that the church was corrupt at the time. This did not affect his love for religion, Milton believed that the audience for his poetry was the world and that God was his inspiration. Milton lived during a period of reconstruction in England and the world described in Paradise Lost displays that same idea through the construction and fall of the earth and man. Milton personally believed that political monarchs were tyrants; he defended the execution of Charles I, which later caused him trouble when Charles II became king. Milton’s discontent for tyrants was first displayed by his Satan, “But he who reigns monarch in Heaven, till then as one secure sat on his throne, upheld by old repute, consent, or custom, and his regal state put forth at full, but still his strength concealed,” (Milton, p.33). This quote shows that Satan believes the only reason why God has power in Heaven is because of his divine status, the heavenly tradition, and because all angels agree to it. At this time in the book, Milton’s personal opinions of monarchs present the interpretation that God reigns as an absolute monarch in Heaven, which makes the reader look …show more content…
These poems also show that there is a dire consequence for those who pursue their personal wants without first considering their intended divine path put forth by God. Dante’s political and religious experiences cause him to focus more on the consequences of sinning due to having lived in a time of war. He believed that those who supported the Papacy having secular power were directly defying God’s will for the two swords to be separate. This was especially frustrating for Dante because this defiance was coming from the church itself and he showed this frustration by depicting the fate of all those who done live by the word of God. Milton’s world shows the actual process of defying God because in his own world he watched his country give up what he thought was paradise, a government with no monarch. This relates to Adam and Eve in their paradise of Eden but, then much like the kingship of Charles II, they gave it up by defying and eating the fruit from the tree of wisdom. Even though these two worlds describe different aspect of the divine world, the most important lesson to take from them both is that God’s intentions for man comes before all else, and any defiance of this will always be
Milton grew up in an extremely protestant household and was taught religion as a youth by different tutors and religious schools. Milton’s father planned for him becoming a church figure, but Milton abandoned these plans due to his beliefs that the church was corrupt at the time. This did not affect his love for religion, Milton believed that the audience for his poetry was the world and that God was his inspiration. Milton lived during a period of reconstruction in England and the world described in Paradise Lost displays that same idea through the construction and fall of the earth and man. Milton personally believed that political monarchs were tyrants; he defended the execution of Charles I, which later caused him trouble when Charles II became king. Milton’s discontent for tyrants was first displayed by his Satan, “But he who reigns monarch in Heaven, till then as one secure sat on his throne, upheld by old repute, consent, or custom, and his regal state put forth at full, but still his strength concealed,” (Milton, p.33). This quote shows that Satan believes the only reason why God has power in Heaven is because of his divine status, the heavenly tradition, and because all angels agree to it. At this time in the book, Milton’s personal opinions of monarchs present the interpretation that God reigns as an absolute monarch in Heaven, which makes the reader look …show more content…
These poems also show that there is a dire consequence for those who pursue their personal wants without first considering their intended divine path put forth by God. Dante’s political and religious experiences cause him to focus more on the consequences of sinning due to having lived in a time of war. He believed that those who supported the Papacy having secular power were directly defying God’s will for the two swords to be separate. This was especially frustrating for Dante because this defiance was coming from the church itself and he showed this frustration by depicting the fate of all those who done live by the word of God. Milton’s world shows the actual process of defying God because in his own world he watched his country give up what he thought was paradise, a government with no monarch. This relates to Adam and Eve in their paradise of Eden but, then much like the kingship of Charles II, they gave it up by defying and eating the fruit from the tree of wisdom. Even though these two worlds describe different aspect of the divine world, the most important lesson to take from them both is that God’s intentions for man comes before all else, and any defiance of this will always be