The Divine Comedy

Reading and Writing Workshop: The Divine Comedy and Epic Poetry Motifs
Primary Text:

• Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy (Translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800

Session 1: The Journey to the Underworld (Katabasis Motif)
Reading:

• The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Canto I-V
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800
• The Aeneid by Virgil, Book VI (Aeneas' descent into the Underworld)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22456

Discussion:

• Explore the katabasis (descent into the underworld) motif.
• Compare how Dante and Aeneas prepare for and experience the underworld.

Writing Prompt:

• Write a short narrative where a modern character undergoes a symbolic "underworld" journey to confront personal fears.

Session 2: The Guide as Mentor
Reading:

• The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Canto II-X (Focus on Virgil as a guide)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800
• The Odyssey by Homer, Book X-XII (Circe as a guide figure)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1727

Discussion:

• Analyze the role of mentors in epic journeys (Virgil vs. Circe).
• How do mentors assist in overcoming trials?

Writing Prompt:

• Create a dialogue between two mentor figures from different epics meeting in a modern setting.

Session 3: Divine Justice and the Moral Order
Reading:

• The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Canto XI-XXX (Circle punishments)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800
• The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet VII-XI: Enkidu’s death and the afterlife)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11000

Discussion:

• Discuss concepts of justice and retribution in Dante and ancient Mesopotamian epic.

Writing Prompt:

• Compose a poetic monologue from the perspective of a soul explaining their punishment in a contemporary "Inferno."

Session 4: Trials, Monsters, and Obstacles
Reading:

• The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Canto XXXI-XXXIV (Giants and Lucifer)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800
• Beowulf (Grendel and Grendel’s Mother episodes)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16328

Discussion:

• Explore how epic heroes face monstrous adversaries as symbolic obstacles.
• How does Dante’s portrayal of Lucifer compare with Grendel or other monsters?

Writing Prompt:

• Design a monstrous figure representing a modern societal issue and describe a hero’s encounter with it.

Session 5: The Ascent Motif (Paradiso and Apotheosis)
Reading:

• The Divine Comedy: Paradiso, Canto I-III, XXVIII-XXXIII
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800
• The Mahabharata (Svargarohanika Parva – Yudhishthira’s ascent to heaven)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15474

Discussion:

• Discuss the motif of ascending into a celestial realm and attaining spiritual enlightenment.
• Compare Yudhishthira's and Dante’s respective ascents.

Writing Prompt:

• Write a narrative where a character rises to an ethereal or ideal world, but faces an unexpected moral challenge.

Session 6: The Epic Hero’s Transformation
Reading:

• The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio, selected cantos (I-IX and XXV-XXXIII)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8800
• The Iliad by Homer, Book XXIV (Achilles' transformation in his meeting with Priam)
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6130

Discussion:

• Explore the theme of personal growth and transformation in epic protagonists.

Writing Prompt:

• Write an epilogue from the perspective of an epic hero reflecting on how their journey has changed them.

Session 7: Synthesis and Creative Project
​Activity:

• Discuss overarching motifs (journey, justice, guidance, transformation, ascent) across The Divine Comedy and other epics.
• Small groups collaborate to create a mini-epic incorporating at least three of these motifs.

Final Writing Project:

• Compose a short story or poem incorporating epic conventions and at least one motif studied during the workshop.