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Many parts of the Divine Comedy feature cosmological and theological themes. A prime example of this is Canto 29. Here, Dante engages in biblical and theological interpretation about heaven, God, and hell. During his journey through Inferno, for example, Dante discovers the physical horror and the grotesque nature of Hell. At the opening of the Canto, Danta laments, “the many people and the divers wounds these eyes of mine has so inebriated that they were wishful to stand still and weep”. Accordingly, Dante sees how disease was rampant in the Eight Trench. He notices the foul smell of rotting limbs, putrid skin, as well as all the stench of dead patients in a plague-stricken hospital. Soon, Dante finds out that this smell comes from the falsifiers or those who were punished for forgery, the seducers, flatterers, perjurers, and false prophets.
This part of Divine Comedy presents important themes of Hell and punishment. More specifically, Dante suggests that the punishments are fitting for the actual sins committed. These all goes back to the theological idea of hell as a place of pain, despair, and hopelessness. More than this, Dante’s conception of Hell reflects the biblical idea of a place where people are damned for acting out against God’s will. Inferno, therefore, is a place that portrays, “the perfect execution of God’s justice”. Another theological and cosmological theme present in Cantos 29 is the presence of demons. In this Canto, Dante explains how each section of Hell is guarded by different demons. What is interesting to point out is that the demons are portrayed as creatures that punish souls not out of anger but simply because that is the natural thing assigned to them. This therefore means that in Canto 29, Dante is presenting and explaining Hell. Scholars note that Dante presents these theological themes in order to make this abstract theological concept and makes it more tactile and real to people by expounding on traditional notions (Pertile).The text Vita Nuova is a work specifically to create to express the author’s love for a woman – Beatrice. In this work, Beatrice serves as Dante’s love interest. In fact, a number of scholars note that the text presents Beatrice as an embodiment of absolute and pure love. Such is evident at Dante’s composition and construction of his poetry and how it is aimed more towards love. This love becomes all the more evident in many parts of the narrative and, in many ways, symbolizes the different types of love that Dante experiences. For example, Dante describes the first time they meet at the age of nine and continues to relay several events that shows his love for Beatrice. Accordingly, Dante recounts the time when Beatrice dies and how her death caused him to grieve deeply. In other words, Beatrice in this piece is the focus of Dante’s affective and romantic feelings.
An important point to note, however, is how Beatrice is a passive character in this text. Despite Dante’s positive and almost virtuous portrayal of her, Beatrice remains a silent and passive figure. Throughout the piece, Dante does not give Beatrice a voice and instead acts as the author’s passive object of love and affection. Simply put, Beatrice passively inspires Dante as he presents her as a silent, demure, and ideal courtly woman. Part of the reason for this is that Dante and Beatrice only met twice. And despite of the two’s brief encounter, Beatrice was able inspire Dante.
While Beatrice epitomizes the idea of a passive character in Vita Nuova, Dante changes this in Divine Comedy. In Purgatory, particularly, Beatrice changes from a silent courtly lady into an authoritative speaking character. In fact, this power and voice holds the capability to point out and direct Dante’s journey to heaven and provide him with absolution. Beatrice’s active role in Divine Comedy, for instance is evident at how she petitioned to fund Virgil and asked him to guide Dante through Hell. In the same way, Beatrice also became one of the main reasons for his soul’s journey towards God or Paradise as she is the one who prays for the salvation of his soul.
While Beatrice remains silent in Vita Nouvo, she is given a more authoritative voice in Divine Comedy. For instance, Beatrice reprimands and talks sternly to Dante for viewing the heavenly vision of her divine beauty as an illusion. She asks, “and if chat perfect beauty disappeared, when I departed from the world, how could, another mortal object lure your love?” (Musa). In addition to interceding for Dante, Beatrice also assumes the role of Dante’s mentor as she educates him about the truths of faith after Virgil has enlightened him with wisdom. Throughout this part of the book, Beatrice teaches Dante about heaven and its virtues. In one of the passages, for example, Beatrice explains to Dante about the law of love and how it resembles the physics of light. She states that just as a mirror receives and reflects light, “Like sunlight in a mirror, shining back, I saw the twofold creature in her eyes, reflecting its two natures, separately” (Mark Musa). These passages therefor mean that Beatrice not only gained a voice in Divine Comedy, but has similarly changed from a passive character into an important figure that steers the journey of the protagonist.
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