Dante

"Dante stands with one foot firmly planted in the Middles Ages, and with the other he salutes the rising sun of the Renaissance." (Wilcox, pg. 44)

The issue with Dante is not that he is unable to appreciate and value the concepts of both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, but that he is a man who is influenced greatly, on a personal level of which affects how he views the world.  The above quote, though apt in its description of Dante, is quite possibly backwards.  Dante is not a man who is lost to the Middle Ages, as some might suspect, but rather a man who turns once more to the teachings and values of the Middle Ages due to personal and public conflict.  As one looks upon his works one could, in fact, depict this sentence as being a bit backwards. 

Throughout The Divine Comedy one can see the influences of the burgeoning Renaissance as it flows through his words and how he pays tribute to various notable figures, from the Poet Princes, (whom by their description and approach within Dante’s work reminded me of the Four Horsemen) to characters from literature, mythology and history, and finally to acknowledging his own reality, both past and present.  It is within this work we see a man who is at odds, not only with his outside world, but also at conflict within his own soul, seeking knowledge and answers while attempting to understand the concept of love.

It is only when Dante becomes exiled from his beloved Florence do we see a dramatic change in Dante’s school of thought, turning back the sands of time from possible romanticism and ideals of the Renaissance to those of the Middle Ages, where one depends upon Monarchy and its government then one of an established democratic society where men have the free will to become united against a single cause.  After the disappointment of Pope Boniface’s interference, of which caused him to become the exile, never to lay eyes upon Florence again, he began to develop the essay “De Monarchia,” of which he argued “ the government has only one function: to maintain peace so that mankind can most fully develop itself.  The most unified form of government is monarchy and the best monarchy is a world monarchy.” (Wilcox, pg. 48)

Unfortunately, Dante’s views and ideals, though rich in concept, were still considered naïve and those of a poet/dreamer, who has been objectified and had what he valued, home and friends, ripped from him.  They were neither logical nor practical considering how actual government functions.  His work “Divine Comedy” still holds a grasp; especially as modern society finds itself in a similar predicament of knowing how to separate church and government.  Dante’s own question and search for answers are often found within the younger generations as they try to understand their own place within this ever changing world and society.

Reference:

Wilcox, Donald J. In Search of God & Self: Renaissance and Reformation Thought. Second ed. Long Grove: Waveland, 1987. Print.