The 'Divine Comedy' of hope

National Post, 26 December 2020

Are there grounds for hope in this life, in the present, or are our circumstances set like the past is already fixed? Are we condemned to an unchanging reality like the souls Dante encounters in hell?

It was intended to be a celebration of Dante over two years: 2020, which marked the 700th anniversary of the completion of the “Divine Comedy,” and 2021, which marks 700 years since his death. The pandemic put paid to all that.

The “Divine Comedy” is arguably the greatest literary work in the history of humanity, if one sets aside sacred texts, which have their own distinct character. Certainly no other contender can match its philosophical and theological depth, meaning that it gets to the heart of reality, as all good literature should.

The coincidence of the Dante septicentennial coinciding with the pandemic is suggestive. Dante’s great poem comes in three instalments: “Inferno,” “Purgatorio” and “Paradiso.” It is, after all, a “comedy” in the classical dramatic sense, with a happy — or in this case, blessed — ending. Life is not a tragedy, or at least need not be, viewed from the perspective of eternity.

“Inferno” is much better known than the other two instalments. Why does Dante’s account of hell resonate more with us than his account of purgatory and heaven? Is this world, marred by sin and suffering, more like hell than heaven? If so, that would be a dismal accounting of our lot.

“Inferno” confronts that view from the beginning. As Dante approaches hell, he is nearly overwhelmed with anguish at the stark inscription over the gate: “Abandon every hope, all ye who enter here.”

It is, alas, Dante’s most famous and quoted verse. He applies it to the realm of death, and it would certainly overwhelm if it was applied to life. Are there grounds for hope in this life, in the present, or are our circumstances set like the past is already fixed? Are we condemned to an unchanging reality like the souls Dante encounters in hell?

Remember that Dante is a visitor, not a resident. Indeed, Charon, ferry master of the River Styx, initially refuses to take Dante across to the realm of the dead. Dante is not eligible for the trip for he is part of the living, not the dead. There is still time for the poet, still the possibility of change and salvation.

Where there is life, there is hope.

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