Rating: 
Summary: More Than Gorgeous
Review: Seven centuries after Dante Alighieri wrote La Divina Commedia, it remains one of the most spectacularly amazing literary masterpieces in any language of any time.The story of a spiritual journey, The Divine Comedy is essentially an allegory which began on Good Friday 1300 (when Dante was thirty-five) and lasted for just seven days. It is also a bitter political polemic, directed against all in authority in Italy at the time, but particularly those in Dante's native Florence, and also serves as a denouncement of the wealth and corruption of the papacy. The Divine Comedy embraces the celestial and the terrestrial, the mythological and the historical, the practical and the ethical. It is a discourse on the role of reason in faith and the individual in society. The Divine Comedy is a poem in which Dante views himself as a pilgrim, representative of all mankind, who is led on a journey through the various circles of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. It is written in three volumes (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso), each composed of thirty-three cantos (there is one introductory canto serving as an overview). Originally written in Italian, The Divine Comedy uses a rhyming scheme known as terza rima, which was invented by Dante, himself. Many translations attempt to adhere to this rhyming scheme, however this only confines and constrains the translator in his ability to capture the meaning and nuance of the original text. Anyone not able to read The Divine Comedy in its original Italian would be far better off in choosing a blank verse translation. Dante's first guide is the poet, Virgil, who leads him through Hell and Purgatory. As Dante and Virgil descend through the ever-deepening circles, they speak with the damned, who are being punished according to their sins on earth. Some of these denizens of Hell are mythological, some are historical and some are Florentines who were Dante's contemporaries. Within Inferno, the condemned sinners are referred to as "shades." Virgil, himself, is first introduced as a shade. Although this can be confusing to some readers, the confusion can be easily cleared up once we realize Dante is employing the image of shades because, in his eyes, dead souls have grown faint through the absence of God's light. Once Dante begins to work his way upwards, towards Paradise, Virgil, who is, himself, a resident in limbo, must take his leave and Dante finds his guide to be Beatrice (Bice Portinari, a woman Dante met and fell in love with in 1274 and who died in 1290). It is Beatrice who leads Dante on to Paradiso and his final vision of God. The name, The Divine Comedy, is derived from two words, comus and oda, which, in their literal translation mean, "rustic song." Dante, in a letter to a Ghibellinline Captain in Verona, said he was attempting to separate his work from a pure tragedy (that which begins in tranquility and ends in sadness, e.g., Romeo and Juliet), from a comedy, which can begin in sadness but, by its very nature, ends in love, joy or perfection. The term, "divine" was suggested to Dante by Giovanni Boccaccio as a way of representing the content of the poem and the beauty that it holds. The Divine Comedy is, without a doubt, one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. In a literal sense, it is Dante's own depiction of the state of souls after death, but allegorically, it is so much more. On this deeper level, the poem investigates mankind's eternal search for salvation in which he must first descend to the depths of hell before rising to the heights of Paradise. The Divine Comedy is a masterpiece of subject matter but it is also a masterpiece of Dante's Tuscan dialect (which eventually became the literary language of the whole of Italy). Those lucky enough to read it in the original Italian will find the language gorgeous beyond compare; a limpid and ethereal Italian that remains so fresh and invigorating it could have been written yesterday. The Divine Comedy is not the easiest work in literature, either to read or to understand. But, for those who are prepared to make the effort, the rewards are far greater than could ever have been anticipated.
Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: Dante, with the Divine Comedy, has produced a work that has endured for centuries and influenced many of the greatest Renaissance thinkers. This is quite a testament to his abilities. The Divine Comedy is divided into three basic sections: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante begins his travels in hell. Guided by the Latin poet Virgil, he sees kings, monks, popes, and an assortment of other people, all of whom are tormented in ways fitting the level and type of their sins. After leaving hell, he continues to the mountain of Purgatory. Here he encounters those souls who must be purged of their sinfulness in order to reach heaven. Finally, he enters into Paradise, where the lovely Beatrice now guides him. He travels through the seven planetary heavens (an interesting note on the science of Dante's time) where he dialogues with the Saints, beholds the radiance and glory of the Triune God and is told the mysteries of Heaven. Dante presents his poem with vividness and great detail allowing the reader to comprehend the horrors of Hell and the otherworldly beauty of Paradise. I particularly enjoyed reading about the many colorful people he encounters on his journey. It is interesting to see the people he puts in hell, purgatory, and paradise and to hear their stories. Many are famous historical figures. His comedy has many examples of allegory, prophecy and even theology. He tackles issues such as the Atonement, divine justice, and free will. The story includes many references to both classical pagan stories (e.g. Greek mythology) and Christian writings (e.g. Thomas Aquinas). The only downside (in my opinion anyway) is that Dante devotes too much time to philosophical discussions relating to Aristotle, who was popular with nearly every prominent medieval thinker. These discussions slow the pace of the poem at times. This particular edition contains all three parts of the comedy and is unabridged. The low price is a plus too. It is in prose, although the language is pretty stilted. It uses "thees" an "thous," for example. This is not necessarily bad because it makes the story quite dignified, but some of the sentences can be very difficult to understand. Here is an example: "Thy kindliness not only succoreth whoso requesteth, but doth oftentimes freely forerun request." Fortunately, there are long introductions that summarize each chapter (canto) and numerous endnotes, which explain in detail the people, places, things, and ideas of Dante's work. Overall, I highly recommend the Divine Comedy to every reader, especially for those interested in medieval literature. Still, you may want to find another edition.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest poem ever written
Review: Of course this is a highly subjective opinion. But the Comedy has everything--humor, tragedy, comedy, piety, irreverence, knotty philosphical problems, unparalleled flights of lyricism--no other poem I know approaches its range and depth. Especially if you are a Christian (or if you want to understand Christianity--its dark side as well as its truth and beauty, since there is hatred and self-righteousness here as well), this is the one long poem you should read even if you never read another one. I think the Comedy is best read as an allegory--on the literal level it describes hell, purgatory, and heaven, but on the symbolic level it is about a journey inside oneself. Dante begins in the wood of error, lost in his own sinfulness and confusion. But God's grace (mediated by the dead woman Beatrice, whom he had loved from afar) reaches him in the somewhat attenuated form of the ancient poet Virgil, who represents everything that's good and noble in "natural," pagan humanity. Under Virgil's guidance, Dante has to undergo a horrific journey, plumbing the depths of his own capacity for evil, until, in the icy depths of hell, he discovers Lucifer--the ultimate rejection of grace--burrowed through the earth (and through Dante's soul) like a worm at an apple's core. But the Inferno is not the end, though many people stop there (both in reading Dante and in their own lives). Next Dante, still guided by Virgil, has to climb the mountain of Purgatory, stripping away by prayer and self-examination the evil that he has discovered in himself. Only there is he ready to meet Beatrice and fly up with her (in the most ambitious attempt to describe ultimate happiness ever made) to Paradise and the ultimate encounter with God. Ciardi's translation perhaps errs on the side of being too crude and colloquial, but this makes it accessible for modern readers. I also highly recommend Dorothy Sayers's translation, and her essays about Dante.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Humurous and Poignant at the Same Time
Review: This work by Dante truly is a Divine Comedy. There are all sorts of tongue in cheek jabs at his contemporaries as well as interesting discussions of past heroes and villians. I still find it interesting to this day that he places Brutus in the Ninth Circle, on the basis that he betrayed Caesar the earthly representation of the Supreme Being. And that's just one of the many interesting statements that Dante makes about the world through his placement of various historical figures in various levels of Paradise, the Inferno and Purgatory. Of course, I like The Inferno the best it seems to provide the most unique view of Hell that has ever been presented in fiction, and is wonderfully colored with descriptions of the territories that Dante passes through. That being said the descriptions of Paradise and Purgatory are very vivid as well. Though it helps to have something of an understanding of Dante's Italy as well as Historical Italy and Rome it is not absolutely neccessary. Overall a highly reccomended book for anyone interested in a classical education.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful translation of a classic
Review: When I took World Literature in college way back when We had to read Dante's Divine Comedy. The teacher used this translation. I was so impressed I bought the book myself. Ciardi has made this text accessible to everyone, with plenty of notes and diagrams to keep you from getting lost as you journey with Dante to Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. I have recommended this to friends and they have all thanked me for showing them the way.
Rating:
Summary: Best Translation of Which I Know
Review: The John Ciardi translation of The Divine Comedy is the best I've found. I was struggling to finish the Inferno until I stumbled upon the Ciardi translation in my library. Ciardi's translation is easy-to-read but maintains a beauty and fluidity that Pinsky's translation lacks. As far as Dante goes, I consider him to be the best poet ever and his vision of the afterlife is remarkably vivid and at many points inspirational. You owe it to yourself to read the best piece of literature ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Divine..
Review: This version of the Divine Comedy contains all three sections, Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso. This poem is a masterpiece to be savored and surprisingly it's not as difficult to read as one might think. Ample notes and diagrams are provided throughout all three sections, and before each Canto (Chapter) a synopsis is provided detailing what just happened and what is going to happen next. A very nice addition that will help in comprehension of the poem. The descriptions of Dante's Hell, Purgatory and later Heaven are breathtaking. Each section can be read seperately and enjoyed as is but combined they provide a brilliantly realized journey.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent in composition and translation!
Review: Well of course the work is incredible... it is one of the top works of epic poetry ever, with vivid imagery, deft technique, deep symbolism, and some scenes both harrowing and uplifting. In addition, it is one of the absolutely crucial works in the historical development of serious writing in colloquial language (italian in this case of course), the important mixing of pagan and Christian doctrines, and just plain fun to read. However, the point here is also to judge the translation. In short, there is none better than John Ciardi's! Ciardi manages to keep the terza rima, the meter, and best yet.. the actual power of the words in his brilliant translation. There are other good ones, like the old Carlyle-Okey-Wicksteed translation, but with "thees" and "thous" everywhere, it doesn't quite capture the feel of modern day colloquial rendering, one of the points of the work, but worth checking out nevertheless. Want to compare, just read the first page of several translations and you will see how great Ciardi's is!
Rating:
Summary: Tragedy in Comedy
Review: As a reader of Italian and English, I must say how one can never really appreciate the sheer density of Dante's poetry unless read in the original. The concise, emotionaly packed narrative is enough to astound the most high-brow intellectual. My advice learn Italian then read Dante. It's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful..absolutly breath-taking
Review: Never has there been a tale quite so epic, so emotional, and thought provoking. Dante, has done what no one else has dared to do, take us on a guided tour of hell, purgatory, and paradise. He makes you believe and fear the real thing. This story will stand for another 700 years as one of the single most important literary works of all time.
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