Romantic Love in Dantes Inferno - Essay Example

Romantic Love in Dante’s Inferno Marie de France is among the earliest French woman poet, producing several works among them, ‘Lais’ which is a fine example of its genre. Lais as a compilation of short stories presents the moment of crisis in the subject of love relations, characterized by intense and refined view of courtly love. In the presentation of her works, the lovers are never shy or timid, nor are the female characters as she presents in her works. She presents a characteristic sympathetic approach to love through un-doctrine perspectives, engaging her contemporary audience accordingly. Similarly, Dante Alighieri in enriching his works in poetry presents the storyline, ‘The Inferno’ in which he graphically describes the vision of Hell. He plunges the reader into an unforgettable world of describing the engagements of relationships as concerns the subject of love. Dante engages classical, medieval characters such as the lustful Francesca da Rimini, Farinata degli Uberti among other scores of intriguing figures. He explores the topic of love as it influences the engagements relating to romance, lust and sins. Thus, both authors engage the topic of romanticism accordingly in their texts, presenting both collaborating and differing perspectives over the subject. It is most fascinating to engage the similarities and differences in the reception of the works presented by Dante Alighieri and Marie de France as they impart their views to the readers over the subject of romantic love. The two perspectives as presented by the authors are similarly different, with both presenting a distinctive literary form. In comparison, Marie de France in her distinctive approach presents a narrative twist, encompassed with a female perspective that differentiates her vastly from the approach of Dante. In presenting the subject of romantic love, she engages her female characters more actively than Dante (Marie, Burgess & Busby, 2003). Notably, her Francesca as the only female heading in hell has a speaking part. On the contrary, Dante utilizes women in the subject of romantic love as a subterranean journey for the females. In his context, about five of the women reside in the Francesca circle of Hell. Thus, throughout his works, Dante presents the perspective that women are the center of some sort of tragic love triangle (Dante, Longfellow, Bondanella & Doré, 2003). On the contrary, in the same perspective, Marie, in the Lais, presents the women as a center of attraction, possessing high character and grace. Thus, as the tow authors present their perspectives of the subject of romantic love, Dante holds the view that women are the source of the tragic occurrences as they happen in the various cases of romantic relations that turn sour, ending in hell as he suggests. Marie, on her part, presents the subject of romantic love with women as key features for the success of the relations she supports her supposition in that, only one woman is in the circles of hell, implying that her women characters actively involved in the matter so romantic love. Thus, observing from these perspectives, Dante and Marie differ accordingly in their approach and understanding of romantic love. Additionally, Dante in his divine approach to Inferno presents romantic love as the first compartment in the side of true hell. The residence of those engaged in the illicit romantic engagements earns their place in the eternal damnation. The cranes in the Inferno symbolize the highest order of lovers that give their lives in the name of and for all the essence of love. The characters he uses in the social standing stress the essence of romance as a subject worth guiding the eternal damnation of those involved. The factor that he uses the characters whose in every essence are ready to die for love shows his elevated perspective of the subject of romantic love. Dante employs symbolism in using the characters to literary illustrate his central message that romantic love as the stem of betrayal entails adultery. For instance, in his portrayal, he uses Francesca, married to Gianciotto Malatesta, who is exemplary of the deformed and crude man (Dante, Longfellow, Bondanella & Doré, 2003). However, in this relationship, due to the subject of adultery, which affected the relations accordingly, the item of betrayal arises. Thus, in this perception, Dante presents adultery as a compact element of the subject of romantic love. In essence, the author appears as misguided in aspect of describing the romantic notion as he holds. Nonetheless, this represents his active position in the topic of romantic love. In her receptive approach, Marie engages the subject of romantic love as a magical imagery with variations on the themes of lovers in hostile worlds. Additionally, she also uses the illustrations of the topic of romantic relations from illustrations of oppressive marriages and social conventions that conflict love, emphasizing on the factors of freedoms of desire, personal and affective issues, as well as, love as an escape from the oppressive world, in addition to, the problems of love. In her description of the subject of love, in this context, she presents several similarities to the perspectives as held by Dante. For instance, in her illustration of the subject of romantic love as an escape from the oppressive worlds, she uses her characters accordingly to show how the lovers are ready to commit murder for love. For instance, Guigemar attacks and kills Meruaduc, and consequently, he reunites with his lover, whom he agreed to guard jealously (Marie, Burgess & Busby, 2003). Thus, in this context, it is evident the romantic love in its pursuit to gratify the self, the people beget jealousy which grows accordingly to the pint of committing murder. Similarly, Equitan helps the lady to conspire to kill her husband. However, in a tragic twist of the case, the husband catches them cheating and ardently kills the wife after Equitan jumps into the hot tub and dies. Thus, in these tragic twists of the cases, the characters as presented by Marie sought to establish their romantic relations. However, due to the social conventions, they had to commit crimes to engage accordingly in their affairs. Thus from these perspectives, it is notable that, Marie is similar to Dante in representing romantic love as a source of the tragic elements of betrayal and murder. Dante uses the case of Francesca to show how romantic love leads the person into damnation of hell of Caina (Dante, Longfellow, Bondanella & Doré, 2003). Thus, both authors correspond in that the subject of romantic love engages the participants into committing sins of betrayal and murder. Further, in presenting the subject of love, Marie engages the aspect of social status and financial straits accordingly. For instance, Lanval, after the oppressive treatment from King Arthur, he veers and encounters the two ladies, who take him to their mistress. The two become lovers and Lanval is able to live in luxury from her wealth. However, Lanval boasts of the beauty of the queen, comparing her to her servants; hence, angering her (Marie, Burgess & Busby, 2003). This leads to his eventual presentation in court. However, the mistress eventually helps Lanval and he gets free. Thus, in this concept, Marie uses her presentation f her thoughts, showing how romantic love is a source of freedom. The characters in the text manipulate their relationships to favor their situations as Lanval did in his case. Therefore, approaching the text from this context, it is evident that Marie is cautious to represent the positive aspects of romantic love, unlike the case with Dante whose obsession is representing romantic love as the source of the eternal damnation that the lovers suffer. The two authors differ in this context, with romantic love remaining the central message in both their arguments. However, their illustrations from the positive and negative aspects of romance reflect in the texts as the reader engages the works, The Inferno and Lais. Additionally, romantic love is a tragic case as Marie presents using the illustration of Les Deus Amanz (“the Two Lovers”), in which two young lovers die in their pursuit to establish their relationship (Marie, Burgess & Busby, 2003). The young man, after trying to make the girl escape with him, he agrees to the challenge to climb with her to the mountaintop. However, as the two lovers engage accordingly to salvage their love, they get to the top of the mountain but die from exhaustion. They both die side by side, and the company buries them on the mountaintop. Thus, from this perspective, Marie presents the aspect of the sacrifices that the characters are willing to engage in defending their love relations. The romance that the characters share causes them to engage actively to the mountaintop. However, due to their body weakness and exhaustion, they die. Thus, similar to the illustration of Dante, in which he uses characters that are ready to die in every essence of defending their love, both writers hold the extremes to which character shoulder their romantic relations. The characters actively engage in defending their love positions; hence, eventually suffering the punishment for the cases as they cause themselves to undergo. Further, as Dante presents Francesca, in her life, she enters into a forced political marriage, in which there is no love between her and her husband, Gianciotto Malatesta. However, in the process, she falls in love with the younger brother of her husband, Paolo, resulting in an affair with him (Dante, Longfellow, Bondanella & Doré, 2003). However, as the case progresses, her husband discovers them and kills them both. This is similar to the characters, Equitan and his wife and the seneschal, in which, after Equitan finds that his wife is unfaithful to him, he exterminates her and her lover (Marie, Burgess & Busby, 2003). Thus, the case represents the positions held by Dante and Marie over the punishment for those engaged in romantic love yet engages in adultery. The authors although tragically presenting their characters, they fervently pursue their positions over the subject of unified romantic love, its effective and affective aspects as it defines the relations and actions of the people involved in the relationships. They share similarities as well as some differing points as the case illustrates. The theme of romantic love, however, remains central in their texts. References Dante, A., Longfellow, H. W., Bondanella, P. E., & Doré, G. (2003). The inferno. New York: Barnes & Noble. Marie, . F., Burgess, G. S., & Busby, K. (2003). The lais of Marie de France. London: Penguin books. Read More