Aeneid
He is the author of the Aeneid. Dante also employs him as his guide through the Inferno and Purgatory.
Who is Virgil?
Major beliefs of this philosophical group include the belief that we should not concern ourselves with things that are out of our control, but should be in harmony with reason (or logos). Adherents of this philosophy tended to be active in civic affairs and politics.
What is stoicism?
This phrase in Matthew 5 can be interpreted as "to reach a distant end" or "to finish".
What is "be ye therefore perfect"?
She is looked upon as an advocate, the counterbalance to Eve, and a symbol of the church in Medieval poetry and art
Who is the Virgin Mary?
This term, which means "to suffer in return," describes how the torments of Dante's sinners in hell usually relate to the sin that they committed
What is contrapasso?
Aeneas represents the Roman ideal of Pietas, which refers to a sense of this--first to the gods, then to the state and family.
What is duty?
Proponents of this philosophy believed that pleasure (absence of pain) was the highest good
What were Epicureans?
Matthew seems to be writing to this specific audience in the New Testament
Who are the Jews?
Traditions in literature that centered around romances (often extramarital, in secret, but ususally platonic) are associated with this concept. Marie de France is one of the most famous poets in this genre.
What is courtly love?
Dante divides the sins in hell into these three main categories
What are incontinence, violence, and fraud?
She was portrayed as a powerful ruler and great city-builder, until she allowed her love for Aeneas to distract her from her duties
Who was Dido?
This Medieval philosopher and theologian sought to reconcile reason and classical thought with faith and revelation
Who was St. Thomas Aquinas?
Augustine describes that this person has been praying for his conversion to Christianity his whole life
Who is his mother (Monica)?
Dante departed from the norm by writing The Divine Comedy not in high Latin, but in this language
What is the vernacular Italian?
Dante's description of Limbo in hell is consistent with many of the theological beliefs of his time, but he takes some theological liberties with this specific group that he places there.
What are the virtuous pagans?
Aeneas was thought to be the ancestor of these two twins that were saved by a she-wolf
Who are Romulus and Remus?
Many of this Greek philosopher's works were reintroduced to western Europe after the Crusades. St. Thomas Aquinas and Dante were both heavily influenced by his ideas.
Who was Aristotle?
Augustine describes an incident from his youth when he steals these, even though he does not need them
What are pears?
The term comedy (as in the Divine Comedy) wasn't meant to express humor but to tell the reader that the poem ends in this way
What is happily/positively?
In Dante's conception of the cosmos, Purgatory was located on this type of geological feature
What is a mountain?
He tried to warn the Trojans not to take the horse into the city but was attacked by snakes
Who was Laocoon?
The New Testament specifically names these two groups of philosophers as being in attendance for Paul's speech on Mars' Hill
Who were Epicureans and Stoics?
He issued the Edict of Milan, which made the persectution of Christians illegal, and sent his mother to the Holy Land to identify important Christian sites
Who was Constantine?
Many of Dante's writings were inspired by a woman named this
What is Beatrice?
Dante is lead through the Inferno and Purgatory by Virgil, but it is this person that escorts him into Paradise.
Who is Beatrice?