Through his poetry, his high ethics and morals, and the mere fact that he, in his Aeneid, had already made a journey through Hell in the person of Aeneas, Virgil is the perfect guide for Dante.įurthermore, Virgil's hoarseness is Dante's subtle way of saying that the high morals and strict ethics of the poet have not been fully appreciated in Dante's time - that is, he is not read as frequently as he should be. Throughout the poem, the classical poet Virgil stands for human reason and human virtue, two admirable characteristics in themselves, but alone they are not enough to gain salvation. Thus, when Dante finds himself in a "dark wood," he is speaking allegorically for any man who is not constantly conscious of the "right path." If every waking moment is not consciously devoted to morality, Man can find himself in a dark wood. Therefore, Sin is a perversion of the intellect. In its simplest terms, Man can often become so involved with the day-to-day affairs of simply living that he will gradually relapse into a sort of lethargy in which he strays from the very strict paths of morality.įor Dante, Man must always be aware intellectually of his own need to perform the righteous act. Throughout the poem, Dante is advocating a strict adherence to medieval Catholic theology: Man must consciously strive for righteousness and morality. When Dante speaks of having strayed from the right path, the reader should not assume that Dante has committed any specific sin or crime. It begins when Dante is halfway through his life - 35 years old, half of the biblical three score and ten - and he has lost his way. It is a story of Dante's journey through life to salvation. The opening lines suggest first a realistic journey through a strange and eerie place, but after the first tercet (three lines), it is apparent that everything will be in terms of an allegory. This is made clear in the closing lines, when Virgil tells Dante that he can guide him only so far towards Paradise, and then another guide will have to take over because Virgil, being born before the birth of Jesus Christ, cannot ever be admitted to the "Blessed Realms." This opening canto is an introduction to the entire Divine Comedy. Dante readily agrees, and the two poets begin their long journey. Another guide will take him to this last realm, which Dante cannot (or may not) enter. Virgil commands Dante to follow him and see the horrible sights of the damned in Hell, the hope of those doing penance in Purgatory, and if he so desires, the realm of the blessed in Paradise. However, Virgil prophesies that someday, a marvelous greyhound, whose food is wisdom, love, and courage, will come from the nation between "Feltro and Feltro," and save Italy, chasing the she-wolf back to Hell. When Virgil hears how Dante was driven back by the "she-wolf," he tells Dante that he must go another way because the she-wolf snares and kills all things. It answered: "not a man now, but once I was." It is the shade of Virgil, who wrote the Aeneid, and lived in the times of the "lying and false gods."ĭante hails Virgil as his master and the inspiration for all poets.
At first Dante is afraid, but then implores it for help, whether it be man or spirit.
It has difficulty speaking, as though it had not spoken for a long time.
Just as Dante begins to feel hopeless in his plight, a figure approaches him. Then a hungry lion appears more fearful than the leopard, but a "she-wolf" comes forward and drives Dante back down into the darkness of the valley. After resting for a moment, he begins to climb the hill towards the light, but he is suddenly confronted by a leopard, which blocks his way and he turns to evade it. He looks up from this dismal valley and sees the sun shining on the hilltop. He cannot remember how he wandered away from his true path that he should be following, but he is in a fearful place, impenetrable and wild. In the middle of the journey of his life, Dante finds himself lost in a dark wood, and he cannot find the straight path.
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