Have A View On The Hell:research On Divine Comedy (the Inferno)

Dante Alighieri is a representative Italian writer in the interim period during the Middle Age s and the Renaissance.His Divine Comedy presents the reality of the Italian society in the Medieval Ages,and it’s also a true portrayal of Dante’s arduous journey in discovering his true self-identity and the process of achieving the redemption of soul.Divine Comedy consists of Inferno,Purgatorio,and Paradiso.The former two parts tell the story of Dante’s tough journey to hell and then purgatory accompanied by Virgil.and the latter depicts his travel to the paradise and the scene that he finally witnesses God accompanied by Beatrice.During the experiences from Hell to Heaven,Dante the poet is a moralist,commenting on the ugliness,evilness and goodness in human society,a Christian who searched all his way up to Heaven and to meet God,and he is also a redeemer,trying to save himself and the mankind.Most importantly,Dante is a viewer,seeing along the journey the ugliness in hell,goodness in heaven and all kinds of ghosts and scenes.He has seen Virgil and Beatrice,and also himself who has been pursuing.“The Inferno” is a story told by Dante himself,who,in his imagination,observes everything in hell in the company of Virgil and writes down all that he has seen,including the scenes in hell and that of ghosts.Therefore,Divine Comedy is a visual writing lined up by “observation”.This thesis will mainly discuss the multiplicity of viewing subject and object,the richness of viewing horizont and diversification of viewing patterns.Especially,the present author will focus on the gaze and glance in the verse and give a further analysis.Actually,all the scenes in hell are nonexistent,which are created by the poet’s imagination.By writing it,Dante tried to disclose the social reality in Italy,find the road to truth and construct a morally perfect “ego”,so as to reach the happy paradise.