Studied rhetoric (the art of speaking well), considered "humanitatis".
Studied literary subjects (trivium) and scientific subjects (quadrivium).
Influential Encounters:
Brunetto Latini (his teacher)
Cino da Pistoia
Guido Cavalcanti
Situazione Politica
Factions:
Guelphs: Supported the Pope
Ghibellines: Supported the Emperor
Bianchi (Whites): Cerchi Family, opposed papal interference in Florence's political matters.
Neri (Blacks): Donati Family, favored papal interference in Florence's political matters.
Dante was associated with the Bianchi.
Dante e la Politica (Dante and Politics)
1295: Joined the consiglio del capitano (council of the captain).
1296: Joined the consiglio dei cento (council of the hundred).
1300: Elected prior.
1301: Appointed ambassador, tasked by the Pope to find a compromise between the White and Black Guelphs.
1302: Falsely accused of baratteria (embezzlement of public funds) and sentenced to two years of exile.
Because he did not appear at the trial, he was accused in absentia and sentenced to capital punishment and confiscation of all his assets, forced into exile until his death.
1302-1321: Exile
Rimini (Malatesta): Paolo and Francesca (Inferno, Canto V)
Verona (della Scala)
Ravenna (da Polenta): Where he died of malaria.
Dante e l’Amore (Dante and Love)
First met Beatrice Portinari at age 9 and fell in love.
Saw her again when she was 18.
Beatrice died at 24.
Dante dedicated "Vita Nova" to her.
Multiples of 3 are considered perfect numbers
1277: Marriage to Gemma Donati.
Opere (Works)
Vita Nova
Rime (collection of poems)
De Vulgari Eloquentia
Convivio
De Monarchia (political treatise expressing Dante's political ideas: the "theory of the two suns" and political cantos of the Divine Comedy).
Divina Commedia
Themes in his works:
Frequent mention of Florence and himself.
Political themes.
Beatrice is central to all his poetic works.
Written in the vernacular (volgare).
Vita Nova
Etimologia: From Latin, meaning "New Life." After meeting Beatrice, Dante begins a spiritually renewed life, illuminated by her presence.
Caratteristiche (Characteristics)
Genere letterario: Autobiographical work.
Data dell’opera: 1293-1295.
Struttura: Prosimetro (mixed prose and poetry, songs and sonnets).
Contenuto: Dante recounts his love for Beatrice Portinari, her life, her death, and the cult of the donna-angelo (angel-woman).
Lingua: Volgare (Vernacular).
Date (Dates)
Met Beatrice at 9 years old, at the mid-May festival.
Re-encounter at 18 years old.
Death of Beatrice at 24 years old.
9, 18, 24 are multiples of 3, considered a perfect number in the Middle Ages, symbolizing the Holy Trinity.
Dante has a premonitory dream of Beatrice's death.
Vita Nova → Divina Commedia
Beatrice is considered by Dante as a donna-angelo (angel-woman).
In the Divine Comedy, she has the function of guiding Dante to God.
She asks Virgil to save Dante from the Dark Wood.
Convivio
Author: Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
When: 1304-1307
Significato del titolo: «Banchetto di scienza» ("Banquet of Science")
Why Volgare? To make it accessible to the people.
Tematiche (Themes)
Filosofia (Philosophy)
Etica (Ethic)
Fisica (Physics)
Astronomia (Astronomy)
Teologia (Theology)
Genere letterario (Literary genre)
Trattato filosofico (Philosophical treatise)
Allegoria (Allegory)
Lingua Utilizzata (Language used): Volgare (Vernacular)
Struttura (Structure): Prosimetro (opera scritta in poesia e in prosa). Con canzoni di significato allegorico e/o letterale(Prosimetro (work written in poetry and prose). With songs of allegorical and / or literal meaning)
Attribuire a persone,oggetti o animali un significato simbolico (es. selva oscura = periodo di smarrimento)(Assign a symbolic meaning to people, objects or animals (eg dark forest = period of loss))
De Vulgari Eloquentia
Autore: Dante Alighieri
Etimologia: da vulgus = popolo (from vulgus = people)
De Vulgari Eloquentia
It is an incomplete work, written between 1304 and 1305 when he had been in exile for only a few years, during his stay in Bologna or Verona.
Genere Letterario e Contenuto
It is the first treatise on linguistics and the history of the vulgar language, but it is written in Latin because the work was aimed at scholars and educated people who spoke and wrote in Latin.
It is also an essay on eloquence (loquor=parlare), that is, on language and style.
It is divided into two books:
The first book contains the history of human language from its origins to Dante's time and an analysis of the main Italian vernaculars;
The second book deals with the style and meters suitable for vulgar poetry.
Primo Libro (First Book)
Dante determines the characteristics of the illustrious vernacular and focuses on the vernaculars of south-western Europe:
lingua d’oc (Provenza);
lingua d’oïl (Francia);
lingua del si (Italia).
Dante speaks of the history of human language from the time of the Tower of Babel.
The Tower was built to allow men to reach God and at that time everyone spoke Hebrew.
To punish this act of pride, God made the Tower fall and, by confusing languages, men could no longer understand each other.
Una lingua volgare che possa competere con il latino.(A vulgar language that can compete with Latin.)
Secondo libro (Second Book)
Dante identifies the metric form and the verse par excellence suitable for vulgar poetry: the song and the hendecasyllable.
Canzone: poetry formed by stanzas and a final farewell
Endecasillabo: verse formed by eleven syllables
SCOPO (PURPOSE)
Dante wants to persuade scholars of the importance of using the vernacular.
Dante however writes it in Latin to convince the educated people of his time.
The vernacular can also be understood by those who do not know Latin, due to economic difficulties or personal incapacity.
He has an innovative, revolutionary and above all democratic conception of culture and is therefore considered the father of the Italian language.