"What is fame? Fame is but a slow decline, even that will pass." Theodore TiltonSay no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is a poem loaded with Christian themes such as love, the pursuit of happiness and the desire to see God. Among these Christian themes, however, is Dante's obsession and desire for glory, which seems to be a surprising departure from conventional medieval Christian morality. Indeed, as the poem progresses, a striking contradiction emerges. The writer Dante, in accordance 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 preoccupied with his own personal fame and glory. Therefore, how can we reconcile the seemingly hypocritical position that souls must strip themselves of their pride and become humble, while Dante can continue his quest for fame and glory and still be saved? This contradiction develops as the reader and Dante's character travel through Hell and Purgatory and are resolved in the second sphere of Paradise. It is this sphere, which allows for fame and glory for honorable reasons, that allows us, as readers, to resolve this tension. It is in this area that Dante explains that fame is not always bad, but only becomes so when the motivations are impure. The power of fame and glory is nowhere greater than among the souls of Hell. The importance of earthly fame is particularly apparent in the figures of different shades who asked Dante to remember their names and stories on Earth. In fact, it is this promise of glory that draws most souls to speak with Dante. "But tell him who you were, so that he can, to redeem himself, refresh your fame in the world above, where he can still return", says Virgil to Pier della Vigna in the wood of suicides (Hell , Canto XIII, Lines 52 to 54). To which Pier responds: “Your sweet speech attracts me to the point that I cannot stay still” (Inferno, Canto XIII, lines 55-56). Even Dante is energized by the promises of glory in Inferno. During the difficult ascent to the seventh pocket of the eighth circle, Virgil emphasizes the importance of fame in inspiring Dante to persevere. He says: “Now you must put aside your laziness, for he who rests on duvet or under blankets cannot become famous” (Inferno, Canto XXIV, lines 46-47). Indeed, the willingness to allow oneself to be corrupted by earthly fame is a unique aspect of these souls in hell. As Dante journeys toward God and toward perfection, through Purgatory and ultimately through Paradise, he will discover that the bargaining power of earthly fame is greatly diminished as souls become less and less interested and motivated by fame. As Dante continues in Purgatorio the theme of humility begins to overshadow that of fame and glory, particularly during Dante's meeting with Oderisi, Guido Guinizzelli, and Statius. In Canto XI, Dante meets Oderisi, a respected artist. After Dante praises him, Oderisi quickly points out that Franco Bolognese is now more famous: “Brother, the pages painted by the brush of Franco Bolognese smile more brightly: all the glory now is his; mine, but in part” (Purgatorio, Canto XI, lines 82-85). His earthly fame was short-lived andhe declares: “O empty glory of the powers of humans! As green lingers briefly on the summit unless an age of monotony follows it” (Purgatorio, Canto XI, Lines 92-93). He is quick to point out to Dante that glory does not last unless an age totally devoid of talent and art follows. He also cites the example of Giotto and how he is now acclaimed instead of Cimabue. “In painting, Cimabue believed he had the upper hand, and now it is Giotto who is acclaimed, the first retains only a shadowy reputation” (Purgatorio, Canto XI, Lines 94-96). But even Giotto will soon be forgotten when someone else chases him "out of the nest". Oderisi strives to show how fleeting fame can be and how dangerous the pride that precedes it. The very punishment in this area is a warning to Dante about the dangers of wanting earthly glory. Oderisi would not be in the fires of purgatory if he had first avoided the proud desire for glory. These same things are found later when Dante meets Guido Guinizzelli and Arnaut Daniel in Canto XXVI. When Dante begins to praise Guido, Guido quickly defers his talent to that of Arnaut with the same tone of modesty and humility demonstrated during the meeting with Oderisi. He said to Dante: “This one, whom I point out to you, was a better craftsman of the mother tongue, surpassing all those who wrote their love poems or their novels in prose” (Purgatorio, Canto XXVI, Lines 115-119 ). However, when Dante approaches Arnaut Daniel, he does not even talk about his fame. Rather than those souls found in Inferno wanting Dante to bring them earthly fame, these souls are quick to demonstrate humility. In fact, when Dante meets Statius, it becomes clear that although 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 the longest and honors the most, but faith was not yet mine. On earth, people still remember my name. (Purgatory, Canto XXI, lines 85-91). Statius, although famous, had to pay his penance in Purgatory. Fame wasn't enough to save him and it won't be enough to save Dante either. Yet among all this talk of humility, Dante's desire for his personal fame and glory is ever present. and is never more transparent than in his relations with the poets of Limbo. Indeed, one of his main goals seems to be to prove his superiority over these poets. When Dante comes face to face with these poets, he says: “And so I saw this splendid school assembled, headed by the incomparable lord of song, who like an eagle soars above the rest. Soon after talking together for a while, they turned to me, greeting cordially; and after witnessing this, my master smiled; and an even greater honor was then for me, for they invited me to join their ranks. I was the sixth among these intellects" (Inferno, Canto IV, Lines 94-102). Dante does not hesitate to place himself among these renowned poets. Yet even when he meets these talented poets of old, 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 towards Paradise Even later, when Dante exalts. the classic poetry of Virgil who knew how to convert a soul like Statius, he cannot help but highlight its limitations. Whatever the effectiveness of Virgil's Latin poetry, he will always, always be an unsaved soul. Dante continues to seize opportunities to advance his own glory as the poem progresses.own poetic gifts, he uses the power of infernal scenes to support his claim of superiority over the ancient poets. He invents a grotesque punishment for the thieves: having stolen their lives, they must constantly steal each other's forms and constantly have their own forms stolen. It depicts the punishment in lucid and imaginative detail. However, halfway through his description of these horrors, Dante flatly states that he has surpassed Ovid and Lucan in his ability to write scenes of metamorphosis and transformation: "Let Lucan be silent now, where he sings the sad Sabellus and Nasidius, and wait. to hear what flies from my bow. Let Ovid be silent now, when he speaks of Cadmus, of Arethusa; if his verses made one a serpent, the other a fountain, I do not envy him, he never transmuted two natures; face to face” (Inferno, Canto XXV, lines 94-101). Dante praises both his ingenuity in imagining these monstrous transformations and his poetic talent in rendering them. In both aspects he claims to surpass the two classical poets most renowned for their mythological inventions and vivid images. As Dante ascends from Hell to Purgatory, he seems to become more aware of his prideful desire for glory. When he enters the First Terrace, the terrace of the proud, he immediately adopts the same hunched posture, as if he too were weighed down by the heavy weight of pride. Even after leaving the terrace, Virgil must reproach him for being absorbed by this terrace and its punishment. However, by the time he reaches the terrace of the envious, Dante himself admits to having succumbed to pride. He said: “Here my eyes will be denied me, but only briefly; the crime of envy has not often been committed by their gaze. I fear much more the punishment from below [pride]; my soul is anxious, in suspense; already I feel the heavy weights of the first terrace" (Purgatorio, Canto XIII, Lines 133-138). However, Dante ascends from the terrace of the proud and the P on his forehead is erased by the Angel of God as he goes up to the next terrace. Dante will not be punished on this terrace. Thus, although Dante himself admits to having committed sins of pride, he is not held responsible for them. Therefore, a reconciliation between his desire. of glory and his appropriate punishment will have to be found later It is at the end of Purgatorio that the reader gets a 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 this world which lives poorly, watch the chariot well and, when you have returned beyond, transcribe what you have seen” (Purgatorio, Canto XXXII, Lines 103- 106). Until now, Dante's journey might have seemed directed toward his personal salvation; now its universal and exemplary aspect becomes explicit. Beatrice has now given Dante a specific mission to help the world escape the “dark forest” of sin. This mission to save the world becomes the transcendent link between Dante's desire for glory and his dangers. In Dante's mind, the glory of the world and the glory of God's kingdom are intertwined. 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 followed the path of the Church, God, by his grace, inspired my high task as it pleased him. » (Paradiso, Canto VI, lines 22-24). After converting to the true church, it was God who inspired him to produce.