The Divine Comedy: Quick Facts

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Oct. 14, 2026

Photos

Fresco by Domenico di Michelino showing Dante Alighieri in a pink robe holding a book, with scenes of Florence and symbolic landscapes behind him, located at the Duomo in Italy.

Watercolor by William Blake showing Dante and Virgil meeting Francesca da Rimini and Paolo in the Circle of the Lustful, with swirling figures swept by wind and a glowing figure above.

Engraving by Gustave Dore showing Virgil guiding Dante as they look upon writhing, anguished souls struggling in the waters of the River Styx, with rocky cliffs in the background.

Engraving by Gustave Dore showing Dante and Virgil standing on a rocky ledge, surrounded by winged demons in the eighth circle of Hell from the Divine Comedy.

Gustave Doré: Dante lost in a dark wood before entering Hell

Illustration by Sandro Botticelli showing a funnel-shaped, multi-layered diagram of Hell, with concentric circles descending into darkness, on a gold-toned background.

Gustave Doré; Dante

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Topics

Beowulf Bhagavad Gita A Visit from St. Nicholas The Raven The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Waste Land Metamorphoses Howl Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight The Road Not Taken

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Part of a fresco showing Dante Alighieri and view of Florence by Domenico di Michelino located at the Duomo (Italy).

Literature of Italy Quiz

Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry

A Study of Poetry

Row of colorful books on a bookshelf. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

The Literary World

4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul

Famous Poets and Poetic Form

Edgar Allan Poe 1848. Photo of daguerreotype by W.S. Hartshorn 1848; copyright 1904 by C.T. Tatman. Edgar Allan Poe, American poet, short story writer, editor and critic. Edgar Allen Poe

Who Wrote It?

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), Italian poet. The author of Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy), the great Italian epic poem which tells the story of Dante's journey through hell, purgatory and heaven, the three realms of the dead.

Name That Author

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:

Poetry: First Lines