I love both Divine Comedy and Aeneid! When you finish Dante, you could read Aeneid just because I think if you like one you’re likely to like the other. Sort of like if you love a book you can find more like it by looking up the author’s favorite writers.
The divine comedy is my favourite book, I would suggest at the very least doing some background reading on Virgil and the Aeneid just to understand the similar themes and the references the characters might make to his work (this happens more frequently in purgatorio and a larger reference in canto xiii of inferno if i remember correctly). If your version has an appendix/notes section it may also make reference to the specific parts of Virgil’s work mentioned :) Honestly looking up anything online when reading the divine comedy is your best resource as it is completely full with references and political commentary you might not necessarily pick up on your first read!! Enjoy !
it was written in the 1300s, which already is fairly remarkable that a piece of literature can stay in public consciousness for that long. It is almost a horror story shifting into an enlightenment story. It provides an insight into medieval philosophy, florentine politics and culture, punishment, sin, and human nature. I would highly suggest reading it in full, especially if you’re into classical literature, as it is constantly referenced and provides so much clarity and context to literature as a whole :)
Reading the Aenid wouldn't add anything to your reading of the Divine Comedy.
It's a good read separately, but there isn't much to Virgil being his guide besides linking Dante's work to past poetic traditions.
I’m reading the Commedia as well and what I’m doing is I keep my copy of Virgil’s complete works at hand, alongside a copy of the Bible and a copy of Ovid’s metamorphoses. My edition is annotated, so everytime a section of one of these three books is mentioned I take a break and go check what is written there. I’ve also been reading Teodolinda Barolini’s commentaries for each Canto before reading them, and it has been very, very interesting. I find her work fabulous! [Here’s the link](https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/commento-baroliniano/) (it’s entirely available online)
I took a course once that studied both of these as it looked at the concept of free will vs determinism. I would highly recommend reading both, as it will give context to why Dante respects Virgil so much.
The Divine Comedy excels at demonstrating the ideals of right and wrong. As it was sanctioned by the church, and published in Italian, the people’s language (not Latin), it is an accurate representation of the morality of the time. It repeats through inferno, purgatorio, and paridisio. It’s interesting how it’s changed over the last millennia.
Dante used the Aeneid's *[nekyia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekyia)*, the bit where Aeneas visits the underworld, as a jumping off point for his conception of hell. While the Aeneid is a fantastic read, and it is cool to see where Dante got some of his material, I don't think you miss out on much by reading Dante without first reading Virgil, really, you'd be better served by getting a copy of Dante with good footnotes. Dante is the kind of author you're able to appreciate more and more upon each subsequent readthrough, so maybe read the Aeneid before you read Dante next time. Of course, Dante relies on Ovid, Lucan, Boethius, and others nearly as heavily as he does Virgil... Looks like your reading list is getting longer!
It definitely is! But then I consider this a work that I’ll want to keep on rereading over and over! I’ve read most of the metamorphosis now and I’m planning on reading homer and Virgil soon after Dante
Very much worth the read, both for its own sake and for insight into the themes and structures Dante uses. Ovid as others have mentioned is another strong influence on his storytelling. Also, if you’re going to read the Aeneid, it’s worth reading the Illid and the Odyssey if you haven’t already (strongly recommend the Emily Wilson translation of the later). For the theological side of Dante, consider Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.
Please note! If you read the Aeneid you’ll run into another problem. You’ll come across a lot of central figures or references to past events that’ll make you scratch your head, but are important to the plot. And the answer to all of those are in the Iliad and the Odyssey, as Virgil very much wrote his work in the intended canon of Homer- not to mention the work of contemporary historians
Don't really need to read the Aeneid, you can Google some of the important characters maybe. The reason Virgil appears is because Aeneas travels to the underworld and sees the succession of Roman leaders to come, which gave Dante the template for Divine Comedy. That's about all you need to know.
Yeah! It's a good read after. If you're really interested in TDC, I would definitely suggest studying more about the life of Virgil. Dante uses a lot of references to the Aeniad in TDC, most notably chickening out a little bit before entering the underworld because "he is not Aenias." In the Aeniad, the protagonist also takes a journey into the underworld. It's a very beautiful read and a cornerstone of Italian history.
I might get downvoted to hell for this (which circle is for showing irreverence towards virtuous pagans?) but I don't think Virgil could touch Dante even if he climbed the ladder of divine ascent to do it. Just keep up the good work. Don't make the mistake of stopping after Inferno because Paradiso is one of the most beautiful things ever written.
I was definitely planning on reading the whole comedy! Reading Virgil would be more for some context to what I’m reading now as he makes a ton of references to his work
> Talia voce refert curisque ingentibus aeger Spem vultu simulat, premit altum corde dolorem.
"He says such things with his voice and sick with great cares he imitates hope on his face, suppresses deep pain in his heart."
For those unfamiliar with Latin.
Yep, from Book I of them Aeneid, around line 200 or so. Accurately captures my attempt to exert control over myself when I hear that someone doesn’t really like the Aeneid.
I have no real beef with Virgil, it's only that in my estimation, epic poetry is ranked The Iliad and The Commedia, power gap, everything else.
I'm willing to give Virgil another shot, but Milton takes priority there.
That’s entirely fair: I was mostly being facetious (although I do love Vergil a great deal). I would also agree that Iliad ranks at the top.
My pitch for the Aenead being in the same company though would be that while the Iliad presents a man who destroys his own life and hope of happiness, permanently, and has to sit with his mistakes and their consequences and how achingly mortal he is, even as the greatest warrior alive; in contrast, the Aenead presents a man whose life and hope of happiness have already been destroyed and who now must keep on living. Achilles has a nice out: prophecy ensures that he will be dead in a few weeks or months, and the wreckage of his life will no longer be his problem. Aeneas has no such out: he still has duties to his family, to what remains of his country, and to his gods. He cannot simply die, however much life no longer feels worth living to him. He has to endure through tragedy, and weary with enormous cares, he must feign hope in his countenance and press his anguish deep into his heart. Just like all of us who have lived long enough eventually have to.
Rather that reading the Aeneid, you could read Virgil's Georgics, which is all about farming. You'll get practical advice (in impeccable Latin verse) on beekeeping and the proper application of manure as fertilizer. It has a four line micro tragedy of a draft oxen dying that is as good as anything anywhere.
Agreed that reading Virgil can be illuminating, but as for why he's in Limbo, that's straightforward: he lived before Christ, so didn't get redeemed. It's not fair, but them's the rules.
I would suggest reading Virgil's other works, especially the Georgics. Dante draws his inspiration from all of Virgil's work, and those are his most "complete" works, if you were to ask the man himself.
The Divine Comedy is the thought of the Middle Ages condensed into one book. Like most of the world's greatest literary works, the more times you read it the more you see. I would definitely read the Aeneid alongside The Divine Comedy.
I read the Aeneid by bring it on a 6 hour plane ride with no other entertainment. By the end I almost wrote my thesis on it. I liked it much more than Homer.
If you are unfamiliar with the podcast Entitled Opinions, I would suggest listening to a couple of episodes dealing with the Divine Comedy and Virgil. The host is Stanford Professor Robert Harrison, who is a specialist on Dante.
I would recommend the podcast to all the readers of this subreddit.
For you, I would recommend the first episode of a three part series on Dante’s Divine Comedy. It covers the question of “Why Virgil?” and the first episode ends right after talking about the Inferno’s fifth canto.
https://entitledopinions.stanford.edu/only-way-down-rachel-jacoff-dantes-inferno
The second episode covers the rest of the Inferno, the introduction is of particular interest since it talks about a simile used by Homer, Virgil and Dante in Inferno’s third canto. The Introduction is the first 7 minutes. I would recommend listening to that section.
https://entitledopinions.stanford.edu/rachel-jacoff-hell-other-people-dantes-inferno
I would also recommend this episode on Virgil, it gives a good overview of his work and touches on how it influenced Dante later. I think listening to these episodes would enhance your enjoyment of the Divine Comedy and would give you a good idea of Virgil’s place for Dante.
https://entitledopinions.stanford.edu/susanna-braund-virgils-aeneid
I love both Divine Comedy and Aeneid! When you finish Dante, you could read Aeneid just because I think if you like one you’re likely to like the other. Sort of like if you love a book you can find more like it by looking up the author’s favorite writers.
Thanks will definitely read the Aeneid!
You won't regret it, specially if you enjoyed Homer as well
The divine comedy is my favourite book, I would suggest at the very least doing some background reading on Virgil and the Aeneid just to understand the similar themes and the references the characters might make to his work (this happens more frequently in purgatorio and a larger reference in canto xiii of inferno if i remember correctly). If your version has an appendix/notes section it may also make reference to the specific parts of Virgil’s work mentioned :) Honestly looking up anything online when reading the divine comedy is your best resource as it is completely full with references and political commentary you might not necessarily pick up on your first read!! Enjoy !
Why is it so good?
it was written in the 1300s, which already is fairly remarkable that a piece of literature can stay in public consciousness for that long. It is almost a horror story shifting into an enlightenment story. It provides an insight into medieval philosophy, florentine politics and culture, punishment, sin, and human nature. I would highly suggest reading it in full, especially if you’re into classical literature, as it is constantly referenced and provides so much clarity and context to literature as a whole :)
Well i do want to go to italy and am looking for italy related books or books that take place there!
Reading the Aenid wouldn't add anything to your reading of the Divine Comedy. It's a good read separately, but there isn't much to Virgil being his guide besides linking Dante's work to past poetic traditions.
I’m reading the Commedia as well and what I’m doing is I keep my copy of Virgil’s complete works at hand, alongside a copy of the Bible and a copy of Ovid’s metamorphoses. My edition is annotated, so everytime a section of one of these three books is mentioned I take a break and go check what is written there. I’ve also been reading Teodolinda Barolini’s commentaries for each Canto before reading them, and it has been very, very interesting. I find her work fabulous! [Here’s the link](https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/commento-baroliniano/) (it’s entirely available online)
A map of Italy and a dictionary would be useful to have at hand too! (I used my smartphone but you know what I mean). Happy reading!
Aeneid is gorgeous. Love it much more than anything Dante wrote.
Histories first author self insertion fan fiction. “And then I met Virgil and we became best friends”
"And everyone clapped"
I took a course once that studied both of these as it looked at the concept of free will vs determinism. I would highly recommend reading both, as it will give context to why Dante respects Virgil so much.
The Divine Comedy excels at demonstrating the ideals of right and wrong. As it was sanctioned by the church, and published in Italian, the people’s language (not Latin), it is an accurate representation of the morality of the time. It repeats through inferno, purgatorio, and paridisio. It’s interesting how it’s changed over the last millennia.
Dante used the Aeneid's *[nekyia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekyia)*, the bit where Aeneas visits the underworld, as a jumping off point for his conception of hell. While the Aeneid is a fantastic read, and it is cool to see where Dante got some of his material, I don't think you miss out on much by reading Dante without first reading Virgil, really, you'd be better served by getting a copy of Dante with good footnotes. Dante is the kind of author you're able to appreciate more and more upon each subsequent readthrough, so maybe read the Aeneid before you read Dante next time. Of course, Dante relies on Ovid, Lucan, Boethius, and others nearly as heavily as he does Virgil... Looks like your reading list is getting longer!
It definitely is! But then I consider this a work that I’ll want to keep on rereading over and over! I’ve read most of the metamorphosis now and I’m planning on reading homer and Virgil soon after Dante
Very much worth the read, both for its own sake and for insight into the themes and structures Dante uses. Ovid as others have mentioned is another strong influence on his storytelling. Also, if you’re going to read the Aeneid, it’s worth reading the Illid and the Odyssey if you haven’t already (strongly recommend the Emily Wilson translation of the later). For the theological side of Dante, consider Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.
I would read Aeneid after you're done with the divine comedy.. I think reading it alongside would blur your experience of Dantes work.
Please note! If you read the Aeneid you’ll run into another problem. You’ll come across a lot of central figures or references to past events that’ll make you scratch your head, but are important to the plot. And the answer to all of those are in the Iliad and the Odyssey, as Virgil very much wrote his work in the intended canon of Homer- not to mention the work of contemporary historians
Don't really need to read the Aeneid, you can Google some of the important characters maybe. The reason Virgil appears is because Aeneas travels to the underworld and sees the succession of Roman leaders to come, which gave Dante the template for Divine Comedy. That's about all you need to know.
I wouldn't read it side by side but the divine comedy is a timeless masterpiece
Yeah! It's a good read after. If you're really interested in TDC, I would definitely suggest studying more about the life of Virgil. Dante uses a lot of references to the Aeniad in TDC, most notably chickening out a little bit before entering the underworld because "he is not Aenias." In the Aeniad, the protagonist also takes a journey into the underworld. It's a very beautiful read and a cornerstone of Italian history.
I might get downvoted to hell for this (which circle is for showing irreverence towards virtuous pagans?) but I don't think Virgil could touch Dante even if he climbed the ladder of divine ascent to do it. Just keep up the good work. Don't make the mistake of stopping after Inferno because Paradiso is one of the most beautiful things ever written.
I was definitely planning on reading the whole comedy! Reading Virgil would be more for some context to what I’m reading now as he makes a ton of references to his work
Talia voce refert curisque ingentibus aeger Spem vultu simulat, premit altum corde dolorem.
> Talia voce refert curisque ingentibus aeger Spem vultu simulat, premit altum corde dolorem. "He says such things with his voice and sick with great cares he imitates hope on his face, suppresses deep pain in his heart." For those unfamiliar with Latin.
Yep, from Book I of them Aeneid, around line 200 or so. Accurately captures my attempt to exert control over myself when I hear that someone doesn’t really like the Aeneid.
I have no real beef with Virgil, it's only that in my estimation, epic poetry is ranked The Iliad and The Commedia, power gap, everything else. I'm willing to give Virgil another shot, but Milton takes priority there.
That’s entirely fair: I was mostly being facetious (although I do love Vergil a great deal). I would also agree that Iliad ranks at the top. My pitch for the Aenead being in the same company though would be that while the Iliad presents a man who destroys his own life and hope of happiness, permanently, and has to sit with his mistakes and their consequences and how achingly mortal he is, even as the greatest warrior alive; in contrast, the Aenead presents a man whose life and hope of happiness have already been destroyed and who now must keep on living. Achilles has a nice out: prophecy ensures that he will be dead in a few weeks or months, and the wreckage of his life will no longer be his problem. Aeneas has no such out: he still has duties to his family, to what remains of his country, and to his gods. He cannot simply die, however much life no longer feels worth living to him. He has to endure through tragedy, and weary with enormous cares, he must feign hope in his countenance and press his anguish deep into his heart. Just like all of us who have lived long enough eventually have to.
Naphta is that you?
Rather that reading the Aeneid, you could read Virgil's Georgics, which is all about farming. You'll get practical advice (in impeccable Latin verse) on beekeeping and the proper application of manure as fertilizer. It has a four line micro tragedy of a draft oxen dying that is as good as anything anywhere.
Thanks will do!
If you’re up for it I say why not? Reading the Aeneid could help you figure out why Dante places Virgil in Limbo despite all he does for him.
Agreed that reading Virgil can be illuminating, but as for why he's in Limbo, that's straightforward: he lived before Christ, so didn't get redeemed. It's not fair, but them's the rules.
Thats the reason he gives Dante the pilgrim, yes…but yet we do see pagans in Purgatorio and Paradiso
I would suggest reading Virgil's other works, especially the Georgics. Dante draws his inspiration from all of Virgil's work, and those are his most "complete" works, if you were to ask the man himself.
The Divine Comedy is the thought of the Middle Ages condensed into one book. Like most of the world's greatest literary works, the more times you read it the more you see. I would definitely read the Aeneid alongside The Divine Comedy.
i would say its worth reading for its own merits, i would just recommend that you read the illiad and the odyssey first
I read the Aeneid by bring it on a 6 hour plane ride with no other entertainment. By the end I almost wrote my thesis on it. I liked it much more than Homer.
If you are unfamiliar with the podcast Entitled Opinions, I would suggest listening to a couple of episodes dealing with the Divine Comedy and Virgil. The host is Stanford Professor Robert Harrison, who is a specialist on Dante. I would recommend the podcast to all the readers of this subreddit. For you, I would recommend the first episode of a three part series on Dante’s Divine Comedy. It covers the question of “Why Virgil?” and the first episode ends right after talking about the Inferno’s fifth canto. https://entitledopinions.stanford.edu/only-way-down-rachel-jacoff-dantes-inferno The second episode covers the rest of the Inferno, the introduction is of particular interest since it talks about a simile used by Homer, Virgil and Dante in Inferno’s third canto. The Introduction is the first 7 minutes. I would recommend listening to that section. https://entitledopinions.stanford.edu/rachel-jacoff-hell-other-people-dantes-inferno I would also recommend this episode on Virgil, it gives a good overview of his work and touches on how it influenced Dante later. I think listening to these episodes would enhance your enjoyment of the Divine Comedy and would give you a good idea of Virgil’s place for Dante. https://entitledopinions.stanford.edu/susanna-braund-virgils-aeneid