Examples Of Allusions In Dante's Inferno

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A poem is a painting where words are the colors and allusions are the paint brushes. By including allusions, an author addresses a larger image through describing a small picture. Dante Alighieri's, The Inferno, incorporates implicity to alter the message of his poem. This piece was written shortly after Dante was exiled from Florence, Italy, after being accused of corruption and financial wrongdoing. His anger towards the Italian government inspired him to produce his epic poem. Alighieri’s petty behavior allows him to write a story with its meaning being different than what is written on the page. The presence of indirect references are subjected to three aspects: life’s journey, religion, and historical figures. Despite being about the nine …show more content…

In literature, “ [an] allusion is one form that a metaphor may take” (Ricks 1). At the time this poem was written, people believed their life on Earth was their pilgrimage to Heaven. It is necessary to consider the time period when trying to identify the allusion being made; people’s lifestyle many years ago is significantly different compared to modern day life. In the fourteenth century, a majority of people’s life journeys were dedicated to God. Their philosophy was that those who disobeyed God while alive must suffer after their death. Within the first few pages of the poem, the narrator “went astray / (…) and woke to find [himself] / alone in a dark wood” midway through his life (Alighieri 4). Dante is alone is these woods because he is without God. The Dark Woods of Error symbolize confusion of direction; Dante is lost in his life’s journey. The darkness portrays the evil which surrounds him and his environment. On the page, it explicitly says the narrator is lost and alone in the woods. The author uses an allusion here to manipulate the message; Dante’s disconnection with faith causes him confusion as to where his life is going. As Dante struggles to find his way, evil encloses

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