Introduction

Image info: A portrait of Dante Alighieri just before his death in 1321.

Welcome to the world of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, written in three separate portions from the year 1308 to 1320, just before his death in 1321. This masterpiece of Italian poem-style storytelling mostly reflects the ideas and thoughts of the medieval Christian's perception of what the afterlife looks like.

The first story, referred to as "Inferno," covers the structure and feeling of Hell itself through the eyes of Dante himself, guided by a fellow poet by the name of Virgil. According to his journey, Hell consists of nine Rings, each Ring increasing in the perceived stigma of each sin and the level of punishment, and a tenth with Satan himself standing guard.

The second story, "Purgatory," covers the structure and feeling of Purgatory, a common belief in Catholic practices. It is sort of a preparation for believers to ascend to heaven to pay recompense for their sins on the earth. These people were still believers in Jesus Christ and tried to walk with the Lord in their daily lives, but are not quite ready to ascend to Heaven until they are free of their vices. There are nine levels of Purgatory, with the top of the Mountain being the Garden of Eden itself, which is the setting for the famous story of the creation of Adam and Eve, as well as the Fall of Man.

The last story, "Paradise," covers the structure and feeling of what heaven is believed to feel like. It also consists of nine planets that consist of various levels of devoutness and splendor, with the last and highest level containing the very essence of God himself, surrounded Mary, his disciples, and the saints of the Catholic Church.

My storybook will focus on a modern retelling of the full Divine Comedy through the eyes of Paul, a 16 year old that is going down the wrong path in life and has been in trouble with the police many times, but is always bailed out by his rich parents. One day, after stealing a neighbor's car and crashing it, Paul is arrested and charged with grand theft auto and larceny; however, a judge, feeling pity for this lost young man, makes a deal with Paul. Instead of being sentenced to a juvenile detention center, Paul can accompany the judge to a high security prison, a rehabilitation center, and a charitable foundation to learn that his actions have consequences, and that if he does not shape up soon, it may be too late for the boy. Find out if Paul will be able to realize the error of his ways and change the way he interacts with the world in "The Relatively Cool Tragedy."

Here is a link to my comment wall on my accompanying blog for this course and project.