Furthermore, why should Dante be so explicit in the opening passage about the portrayal of the Pilgrim as a representative of the depraved man, unless his precise intention to portray him as such throughout the epic? For clear comprehension of the Pilgrim’s bearings, it is necessary that a distinction be drawn between the poet and his guise. Being protagonist makes Dante the Pilgrim the pivotal figure in each canto. As such, the numerous cantos of the epic are not random episodes that hold significance in themselves, but rather are consequential constituents that make up a greater whole. Specifically, Dante’s reactions with the spirits also gain new worth where they are no longer mere responses from the poet, but rather emulative reactions of the Pilgrim to the specific ambiance of each depth of Hell and his symbolic involvement in their sins.
The defining change of the Renaissance was humanism, a literary movement that began in Italy during the fourteenth century. Humanism was a distinct movement because it broke from the medieval tradition of having pious religious motivation for creating art or works of literature. Giovanni Pico determined himself to gather up all the ideologies concerning ancient and medieval, pagan and Christian, Muslim and Jewish philosophies and creating a project will aim to secure human happiness. Pico’s Oration on the Dignity of Man is considered as a definitive statement of Renaissance ideals because it
Perhaps the most poignant critiques in his plays are of Socratic thought, the character of populist Cleon, and Athens’ role in the Peloponnesian War. This war, which changed the face of Greece and Greek warfare, endured for 27 years between the city-states of Athens and Sparta. Aristophanes used the war as a backdrop for his plays, using the themes of conflict and peace to convey his own response and commentary on the war; through the careful character development of his protagonists, the change of the “peace plan” or comic hero model in each play, and the evolution of his elaborate and free comedic style to a more realistic delivery, Aristophanes conveys his views of the events leading to the pyrrhic ending of the Peloponnesian War. Specifically, Acharnians, Peace, and Lysistrata utilize the idea of war versus peace as more than simply a recurring motif. These works illustrate the omnipresent shadow of the war in the city-states and reflect the changes
In my discussion I will take a voyage through time starting from Dante’s Medieval “Divine comedy” The Inferno to Homer’s Greek “Epic” The Odyssey staged at the end of the Trojon war. During my voyage I will analysis Dante and Homer’s view of Good and Evil within the cultural contexts of their literatures. And classify Homer’s characters into the circles of Hell. Dante’s premise was influenced by the medieval context in Florence, Italy. In Florence the Roman Catholic Church and Pope were at a raise, and the rebirth of a long forgotten ancient civilization of the Greek’s; during the medieval time the answer to everything started with God.
Niccolò Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes are both realists. Their works might be referred to as cruel or immoral because of their division of politics and ethics in their respective political theories. Although they lived centuries apart their works carry immense similarities with regards to use of force and violence. Both these theories declare violence, force and fear as necessities for maintaining a strong government, although the means in which they are carried out and justified differ. Their overarching beliefs dealing with human nature and structure of government are relatively similar, with slight variations, while the most distinct differences within their ideologies appear when analyzing the purpose of government.
I picked this book since Netanyahu covers a very well detailed historical background about the origins of the Spanish inquisition; which provides the main sources of my first point of the essay. Another source cited is the “The Spanish Inquisition, a History” by Joseph Perez and translated by Janet Lloyd, published in 2005. The information obtain out this book refers to the specific groups who were mostly affected within inquisitorial Spain, such groups were the Jews, and the Muslims, etc, who were removed from the Spaniard society by the Catholics Kings and the pope of that time. My second point of this essay is based on these ethnic groups. An additional source that I chose for my analysis was the “The Spanish Inquisition and the Inquisitorial Mind” by Angel Alcala.
Literature would not be the same if the author didn’t take symbolism into account while writing the piece. One of the world’s best writer’s, Edgar Allen Poe, is a superb example of this representation that has intrigued mankind for centuries. Poe uses various forms of symbolism to play off the emotions of his readers. Using elements of nature, dread, superstition, and legend, Poe can create a world of trepidation in the minds of the readers; his poems and stories would not be the same without these elements. In his poem, “The Raven”, Poe has added unique elements to scare his readers, fascinate them to read on, and find themselves in an alternate world of mystery and lost hopes.
For modern scholars, the Renaissance is an era marked by the rebirth of classical ideas, the first step out of the dark ages. It was not an era devoid of shadows, however. The Renaissance was also a period marred by an obsession with death. This morbid preoccupation with death is self evident in many famous works of art and literature dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries. It was also an era deeply imbued with the debate between the Humanity and Divinity.
The Moral of the ‘The Prince”, by Niccolo Machiavelli In this intriguing essay, I will look to investigate the moral and the theme behind the book, ‘The Prince” originally written in 1513 by a former Italian Politician Niccolo Machiavelli, and then will attempt to try and show how the teachings of the ‘The Prince’, to our workplace to give it relevance in the present, even though it was written more than half a century year ago. Before going into this essay into detail, it is certainly important to examine who Niccolo Machiavelli was and the reasons as to why he wrote this book. To look at the reasons behind it, and the current political volatile situation in Italy at the time, threats from Spain and France for example. This would have had a direct Impact on Italy and mostly in a city like Florence, with a growing political scene that had suffered for most of it’s life. Plenty of political power and perhaps more importantly the struggle around Machiavelli with lots of different factions looking to take control of the principality.
My teacher chose this book for me so I could understand how and why Voltaire uses satire by applying humor to explain the ridiculous aspects of life and society in the 1750's, and understand the different things that were going on in history at that point. This book is useful for my studies because I now have a better understanding of Voltaire's points of views on the Age of Enlightenment and really be able to dissect his harsh opinions about the ruling during this time period. Practically, it shows me how there's another side to the Enlightenment, and not everyone agreed with what the church and government said. In a way, it relates to how today, our religious and racial intolerance is useless and everyone is entitled to their opinions and should not be penalized like Voltaire was for his. Voltaire wrote this book to further demonstrate his unhappiness with the church, government, and philosophies at that time.