English Test 3

Why do we read Dante

Because our english teachers tell us to?

What was Dante's purpose in writing the divine comedy

to make sense of his estrangement from home

Dante: Know about his personal information: (like Beatrice, exile from Florence)

He loved beatrice and his work was inspired by her especially after her death, When he was thirty-five, he served as the ruling magistrate of the Republic of Florence. Two years later, in 1302, there was a violent political upheaval, and Dante was banished from his home city of Florence for the rest of his life, charged with graft, treason, intrigue against the peace of the city, and hostility against the pope. He was a political enemy to those in power, so the list of charges was extensive. In exile, he resumed his career as a poet and began one of the most ambitious works in the history of literature. He decided to write an epic poem about man’s life in this world and in the world after death. He shaped the poem around a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. It was to become the masterpiece of the Middle Ages.

Three things important to Dantes world

politics, theology and the world of learning.

The significance of numbers in the Divine Comedy

3 - holy trinity 10 - a perfect number during the middle ages

The language of the divine comedy

Italian

Three divisions of the divine comedy

The inferno, Purgatory, Paradise

the kind of rhyme used in the divine comedy

terza rima, an Italian 3-line stanza

The title of the whole poem and why its called a comedy

The divine comedy, it begins in misery and ends in happiness

Theme of the divine comedy

purification of the soul.

What did each of the three beast represent in the divine comedy

Leopard of Malice and Fraud; the Lion of Violence and Ambition and the She-Wolf of Incontinence (lack of self-control).

Who would be Dante's guide

Virgil

Dante: What was his guide’s former place in literary history, and where was his place in the Inferno?

the poet who wrote of Aeneas, second bravest Trojan warrior next to Hector, in his famous epic poem The Aeneid.
Virgil lived and died before the time of Christ. Therefore, in Dante’s theology, Virgil could never attain Paradise, because the only way to Salvation was through Christ. That is why he “resides” for all eternity in Circle I of the Inferno (also known as Limbo), as one of the Virtuous Unbaptized.

How far would Dante's guide be able to take Dante

Only as far as human reason can go

Who would take over as Dante's guide afterward

Beatrice

How old is Dante when the journey begins

35

During what season did Dante's journey take place

Easter season

Why does the divine comedy fit into the allegory category

The characters are personifications of abstract qualities (like love, happiness--or Divine Revelation and Human Reason, in this case)

What is an allegory

A story in which people, things and happenings have an alternate meaning, often morally instructive.

The inferno was pit shaped

true

How was the inferno arranged

The Inferno was a huge, funnel-shaped pit with its center beneath Jerusalem. Its regions are a series of circular stair-steps, diminishing in circumference as they descend. It is divided into 9 circles, with the vestibule at the top making the 10th circle.

3 vices of the inferno

Incontinence, violence, and fraud

How are punishments regulated in the inferno

By the law of retribution

What does virgil stand for

Reason and wisdom

The symbolic nature of the journey of the inferno

The journey through the Inferno deals with the reality of sin. The purpose is to show those still living the error of their ways and turn them toward salvation. From the Inferno, we learn that man must consciously strive for righteousness and morality.

Be familiar with the lower region of the Inferno and what Dante the writer considered to be the worst offenses.

(The frozen River Cocytus) Here Dante sees Satan from the waist up. In this circle dwell the worst of the worst sinners, in Dante’s opinion, the Traitors:
To Kindred: These are fixed in ice up to their heads
To Country: Here Dante kicks one of the residents in the face.
To Guests: Remember the hospitality factors and how important it has been in the literature you have read.
To Masters and Benefactors: These are completely frozen into all kinds of positions. Dante and Virgil cannot speak to them

how was satan represented in the Inferno

In each of his three faces he chews a famous traitor. In the red face in the middle is Judas who betrayed Jesus. In the black face on the left is Brutus who betrayed Caesar. In the yellow face on the right is Cassius who also betrayed Caesar. Satan is stuck in the River Cocytus up to his chest. His huge wings beat and freeze the water of the river. As he chews the three traitors, he weeps tears from his 6 eyes, and the tears mingle with the blood and pus from the men being chewed. The picture of Satan, with his 3 heads, is not one of majesty.

What word ends each of the 3 divisions of the poem and what does that word stand for each time?

stars, symbolizes hope

The Inferno is said to contain “an unforgettable gallery of characters.”

The names of some of the people mentioned would have been recognizable to the people of the 14th Century. Dante had the unique privilege of placing them however he wished in the Inferno—according to their reputation in his day. If one reads the entire poem, he gets a great picture of a medieval man and the world of that time.

Virgil is placed where in the Inferno?

Circle One often referred to as Limbo

Satan is stuck up to his chest in what?

The River Cocytus

Purgatory: Represented as a mountain located where

A small island in the middle of the ocean in the southern hemisphere

How is purgatory divided

3 sections: ante purgatory, Purgatory proper (with 7 terraces), and earthy paradise

Purgatory: How many terraces and what each stands for

7 terraces: One for each of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.

Suffering is endured willingly - purgatory

suffering is accepted willingly as a means to atone for the individual’s life of sin.

What is at the top of purgatory

Earthy Paradise or the Garden of Eden

What is the keynote in purgatory

Hope

Penances correspond to the sin by what? - purgatory

antithesis

How do the souls on Purgatory know Dante is still alive?

Because he casts a shadow

Purgatory: Cato’s role

He challenges Virgil and Dante. Then, he then instructs Virgil to wash Dante’s face.

What happens in Ante-Purgatory

souls must wait for different periods of time before entering Purgatory itself.

Purgatory: St. Lucia

Carried them up the steep slope to the beginning of Purgatory proper, Terrace I.

Purgatory: the functions of the River

When you drink the water it will wipe away all memory of his sins

Purgatory: Lethe and the River Eunoe

Lethe: River of Forgetfulness, Eunoe: the fifth river of the dead

Be familiar with the angel who stands at the entrance of Purgatory proper and his function

The angel inscribes 7 P’s on his forehead with the point of a sword. Each “P” stands for a sin to be purged on the mountain. The angel opens the gate with the keys of St. Peter.

Purgatory: describe the 2 ledges and 7 terraces;

Ledge 1: The Excommunicated, Ledge 2: The negligent, Terrace 1: the proud, 2: The envious, 3: the wrathful, 4: The slothful, 5: The prodigal (greedy), 6: the gluttons, 7: The lustful

goads and spurs

incentives to do right

checks, reins and bridles.

examples shown as deterrents

What is the significance of the wall of flames?

It separates people from earthly paradise, in order to get to earthly paradise you must go through it

Explain the change in guides

Virgil cannot go past the wall of flames, he could only go as far as human reason, so beatrice took over in earthly paradise

Know the 7 deadly sins

pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.

Earthly Paradise is also known as the Garden of Eden.

True

The person who represents “divine love”

Beatrice

What is the final “test” in Purgatory?

Passing through the wall of flames in order to get to paradise

Does Dante go into the test willingly at first?

He does go willingly when he discovers Beatrice will be on the other side to meet and guide him through the remaining part of his journey.

How is Dante received by the saints in Purgatory?

St. Bernard, finishes giving Dante the tour of paradise. He prays to Mary and asks that Dante be allowed to see a vision of God at the end of his journey.

Paradise: How did readers in Dante’s day receive this section of the poem?

they lacked the appeal of the section

Paradise: What was the greatest difficulty in writing about paradise?

How should he depict a heaven of joy? What kind of heaven would have universal appeal? What sort of pleasures should there be there?

Paradise: Is often referred to as the cantos of what?

Cantos of light, because light is the whole substance of Paradise

Paradise: Spirits are here willingly and are not envious of the different levels of Paradise.

true

How many heavens are there in Paradise?

9 heavens

What is the “highest” heaven called?

The Empyrean

Note the numerology of the number 3 also appearing in Paradise.

3 - the holy trinity

How do souls express their thought in Paradise?

with light

What is the highest form of love in Paradise?

Love of God

Where is Beatrice’s place in paradise

The white rose

What was Beatrice's act of love toward Dante?

leading Dante on a journey which will ultimately save him from wandering in worldliness.

Paradise is often referred to as “the cantos of light.”

true, light is the whole substance of Paradise.

Everyman: Written anonymously when?

During the Middle Ages

Everyman: What type of play is it classified as?

morality play

Everyman: Know definition of that kind of play.

A morality play is a play in which abstract virtues and vices (like Strength and Beauty) appear as characters. The forces of good and bad are usually engaged in a struggle for the soul of man.

Everyman stands for mankind.

True or for the universal man

Everyman Characters

God: Just but merciful Supreme Being.
Death: Messenger commanded by God to summon Everyman.
Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin, Material Goods: Earthly acquaintances of Everyman who abandon him in his time of need.
Good Deeds: The only friend willing to accompany Everyman to the afterlife.
Knowledge: Character that tells Everyman what he must do to obtain salvation.
Confession: Character representing the sacrament of penance. Everyman confesses his sins to this character.
Discretion, Strength, Everyman's Five Wits, Beauty: Earthly acquaintances of Everyman who abandon him in his time of need.
Angel: Creature that welcomes Everyman to the celestial realm.
Doctor: Scholar who delivers words of warning at the end of the play.

Everyman: Know characters he meets on his way into death and how he gets is “account book” straight.

Everyman: Which characters offer to go with him and which actually go?

Everyman: Understand that the play is optimistic in its outcome, like The Divine Comedy, and God’s purpose in sending Death was remedial.

True

Everyman: Know who speaks the prologue and epilogue and their contents.

Spoken by a messenger: Prologue: It reveals the kind of play (morality), the name of the play and it will explain the play’s purpose.
Epilouge:

Everyman: Have in mind some truths the play presents about life.

man’s problem is his sin. His interests have been of a worldly nature.

Everyman: Note humorous parts.

Everyman: Note the criticism of the priesthood in the play.

He claims that priests are more powerful than angels, because they have the power to transform bread and wine into the very flesh and blood of God. He praises priests as the only “remedy” that “cureth sin deadly,” declaring that they are “above angels in degree.” Everyman then leaves.

Renaissance: What does the word “Renaissance” literally mean? Rebirth (Many of the “artistic achievements of the period came from

the world of antiquity, which they saw as ‘reborn’ through their work.”

What does “elasticity” have to do with the dates of the Renaissance?

There is no one date that we can point to and say this is the date the Renaissance began. “ The peak of the Renaissance can be shown to have occurred at different times in different countries . . . . “

The Renaissance movement began in what country-- where its influence was mostly in what?

The Renaissance “ . . . had its inception in Italy, where its impact was at first most remarkable in the visual arts . . . .”

In England, the Renaissance’s effects were felt in literature, especially in what type literature?

Drama

The period is characterized by a preoccupation with what rather than what?

The Renaissance was “. . . preoccupied with this [in the here and now] . . . rather than with the life beyond.”

What is the “Renaissance code of behavior” all about?

According to . . . the [Renaissance code of behavior], human action is judged not in terms of right and wrong, of good and evil, . . . but in terms of its present concrete validity and effectiveness, of the delight it affords, and its memorability and its beauty.”

What is a “Renaissance Man?

A Renaissance man “is a person who is skilled in multiple fields or multiple disciplines, and who has a broad base of knowledge. The term renaissance man is largely based on the various artists and scholars of the European Renaissance, . . . , who pursued multiple fields of studies. Perhaps the quintessential renaissance man of this period was Leonardo Da Vinci, who was a master of art, an engineer, and an expert in anatomy (for his time), and also pursued many other disciplines with great success and aplomb.”

What about the presence of God in Renaissance literature?

The presence of God in Renaissance literature is “less dominating” than it was in the Middle Ages period.

In the Renaissance, there is a “high capacity” for what?

Artistic creativity and open thought.

Miguel De Cervantes: be familiar with the “colorful aspects of his biographical information

Little is known of Cervantes’ youth. We know he was born near Madrid into a family of minor nobility. His father was an apothecary-surgeon (something akin to a pharmacist-surgeon). He joined a Spanish regiment and later took part in sea battles. During one battle, he was wounded permanently in the left hand—much like his main character, Don Quixote. Note that both author and character are in their 50s, too.During another sea incident, Cervantes was captured by pirates and taken to Algiers as a slave. He spent five years in servitude and made several escape attempts. He was finally ransomed by his family at a cost that brought financial ruin to himself and to his family. He returned to Madrid and worked at several administrative posts. He led a somewhat nomadic existence. He finally married, had a child with a woman other than his wife, and he was divorced. He suffered a bankruptcy and was jailed at least two times—supposedly for “fiscal irregularities” while working in his job as a purchasing agent and tax collector. Tradition has it that he wrote Don Quixote while in prison.

Miguel De Cervantes: Know about his servitude

During another sea incident, Cervantes was captured by pirates and taken to Algiers as a slave. He spent five years in servitude and made several escape attempts. He was finally ransomed by his family at a cost that brought financial ruin to himself and to his family. He returned to Madrid and worked at several administrative posts.

Miguel De Cervantes: his home country

Madrid, Spain

Miguel De Cervantes: wounded like Don Quixote

he was wounded permanently in the left hand—much like his main character, Don Quixote.

Miguel De Cervantes: publication of Part I in 1605

The publication of Part I of the novel did not make him rich, but it brought him world-wide fame. Despite his fame, Cervantes died a poor man. Part I was written in 1605

Miguel De Cervantes: publication of Part II in 1615 and why

after another writer wrote his version of the second part of the story.

Miguel De Cervantes: called the first modern novel

Don Quixote

Miguel De Cervantes: its original satiric intent

The novel was originally conceived to be a satire against the chivalrous romances, but it has been interpreted in many ways since its creation.

Miguel De Cervantes: farce (know definition)

an exaggerated comedy based on a humorous, highly unlikely situation.

Miguel De Cervantes: 1. quixotic and 2. quixotism (know definitions)

1. one who is foolishly idealistic, impractical or extravagantly chivalrous.

2. an attempt to make a utopian vision a reality—in a world where absolute values cannot survive.

Miguel De Cervantes: parody (know definition)

imitation by way of ridicule