What do you think of when you hear the name "Dante"?
FLAMES?
DEMONS?
A THREE-HEADED SATAN WITH A GIANT--WINGSPAN?
If you answered "yes" to these three questions, then you have read Dante's Inferno. Good for you. I am proud you were forced to read it in high school. It is a classic.
Dante was from Tuscany, back in the middle ages. A man of the state. Who liked to make people think he was the next Jesus Christ (on a strictly subconscious level, of course).
Now, what else do you think of when you hear the name "Dante"?
TERRACES?
FOG?
VERY HEAVY ROCKS?
If you answered "yes" to these three questions, you have read Dante's Purgatorio and I feel extremely sorry for you. You see, Dante didn't just want to show his fellow Italians how to meet Satan and conquer him, but also how to climb the mountain of Purgatory and meet all the old saps who were somewhat sorry for their sins but still had to undergo torture for X amount of years in order to go up to Heaven.
Dante's epic poems almost read like bible scripture, so be careful--you could fall into the Dante-is-kind-of-Jesus trap.
And now for a few fun facts:
Did you know: In Inferno and Purgatorio, Dante liked to express his superiority by placing friends he knew in real life into terrible situations? For instance, one person he half-drowned in a river of blood. Dante was so great to his sinner friends. So much mercy.
Did you know: Dante was so in love with Virgil (the poet) that he made the character of Virgil lead the character of Dante around Hell and Purgatory as his wise, old guide? Dante wanted to show that he was the heir to Virgil's poetic legacy, and that Virgil's writings had taught him everything he knew.
Did you know: Dante had a wife and also a secret lover on the side? Who's the sinner now, dude?!
For even more fun, I bring you two Purgatorio comics of my own making.
