5 Reasons Why I Admire Dante

While I admire Dante as a gifted poet, theologian, and philosopher, I also admire him on a more personal level – for qualities that I believe reveal the depth of his character.  He was not perfect, but what I admire was that he was able to face, and in many cases, overcome his weaknesses. 

Courage

First, Dante appears to be fearless. His determination of morality was not necessarily bound by the teachings of the Church, nor was it superficial, but was a profound reflection of his own conscience. His convictions in what was right and wrong were unshakeable, and were not easily influenced by popular belief. For example, in the Divine Comedy, he defied the church authority of his time by placing corrupt popes in hell. And his inclusion of virtuous pagans of classical antiquity (who lived before Christ) in limbo, was a radical reconceptualization of the Christian idea.

However, he was also a man with fear: throughout his journey in the Divine Comedy, he trembled, he hesitated, and asked for help.* At the beginning of the Inferno, Dante was afraid of the leopard, lion and wolf, and when Beatrice scolded him in Purgatory, he lowered his eyes in shame. 

Duty of Care

Second, Dante was not power-hungry. He was not interested in amassing power for his own personal gain, in rising in the ranks and earning titles, but he used his poetic gift and intelligence as a moral service to humanity. Aware of the power of his words, he was driven to write more by a duty of care, than ambition. We see this ethic reflected in his political choices: after being exiled, Dante refused to join the Black Guelphs, who were in control of Florence, in order to restore his political position. Instead, he remained loyal to the White Guelphs and even travelled to France in an attempt to negotiate peace.

And yet, Dante was also ambitious, although in a creative way. He chose to write the Divine Comedy in the vernacular which was an eager move during his time since philosophical and theological works were still written in Latin. By doing so, Dante may have hoped to reach a larger audience with his work and to be a part of the great literary tradition.

Strength of vulnerability

Third, Dante did not hide his emotions and seemed to be comfortable in his vulnerability. He did not pretend, out of pride, that he was doing well in exile. On the contrary, in the Convivio (Book I, iii), he openly wrote how humiliated he felt wandering through the countryside like a beggar, comparing himself to a wood without a sail or rudder, pushed by the winds on the different seas of pain, that is, exile, which forced him to wander without a fixed direction through many Italian courts. In the Commedia too, his character fainted with emotion multiple times. And when Virgil departed from him in Purgatory XXX, he broke down in tears. 

At the same time that Dante cried for the damned, he also coldly sent popes, cardinals and bishops to hell for their greed and hypocrisy. Dante was also able to hold his emotions in check when Virgil scolded him for feeling distress at the consequence of the sinners in Inferno. And in Purgatory XXX, when Beatrice reprimanded Dante sternly for weeping at Virgil‘s departure, for losing focus on the eternal and for being swayed by transient earthly goods, Dante composed himself after weeping with shame.

Reverence and Humility

Fourth, Dante was reverent and humble: he did not borrow ideas written by classical poets and theologians and claim them as his own. Instead, he quoted those who had come before him with utmost respect and loyalty, recognizing that he could be great because he stood on their shoulders. When Dante spoke of Virgil, he exalted him. In the Divine Comedy, Dante did not present himself as the all-knowing hero of an epic journey, and instead humbly began his poem, lost: "mi ritrovai per una selva oscura" (I found myself in a dark forest). Virgil became his guide. Notwithstanding Dante’s intelligence and poetic genius, he presented himself in the humblest light, honouring those who had taught him, and using his gifts to serve a greater good, not self-advancement.

At the same time, Dante was fiercely proud. In the poetic genealogy of Purgatory XXV, Dante wrote that the torch was passed from the classic poets like Virgil ultimately to himself, a Christian poet, and claimed he will ultimately displace Virgil and “ritornerò poeta” (“ I will return as poet “) to Florence.

Generosity of Spirit

Perhaps what I find most admirable of all is Dante’s generosity of spirit. Despite being exiled by political factions and, in effect, by the Church itself, Dante remained generous. He could have written the Divine Comedy solely for his own spiritual growth, and let the world rot in its own moral decay. But instead, as he navigated the malaria-infested swamplands outside of Florence in exile, he still found it in his heart to freely share his creativity and insights with humanity, even with those who had turned their backs on him.

Gift to Humanity

It is true that Dante had faults: he was scared, angry, ambitious, and proud, but he was also brave, humble, reverent and generous. His greatness of character lay in his ability to supersede his weaknesses. 

To put his character into today’s perspective: Dante earned no money from writing the Divine Comedy. He wrote it in exile, without comfort, and without the promise of recognition or reward.

The greatest poem in Western literature was a gift.

* Note: In my reflection, I have drawn connections between the Dante-character in the Divine Comedy and the historical Dante. I believe this is fair since Dante crafted his poem as a serious spiritual journey of his own soul, and it reflects his personal theological, philosophical and political convictions. Of course, his poem is also a highly crafted literary work so his moments of weakness, for example, are often for dramatic effect. But I believe that Dante the poet is similar, even though he is not identical, to Dante the pilgrim.