Inferno 5

This year, 2021, marks the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante, author of the great Divine Comedy. I invite you to experience the odyssey, by accompanying me as I discuss each canto.

(My book, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide For The Spiritual Journey, is published by Angelico Press for the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death on 13th September 2021.)

Dante begins his journey by waking up in a dark wood. The air tastes bitter. He becomes fearful. Truth is out of reach. But his crisis is a turning point.

Many today, too, are waking up to something that's gone wrong. The air tastes bitter, people are fearful, truth is out of reach. We’re in a spiritual crisis. We must see the world afresh and understand. I believe Dante can help us discover how.

In Canto 5, Virgil and Dante enter the second circle of hell where they meet those whose love in life has trapped them. "Love can cut us off from life" Virgil says as they see Dido and Achilles, and talk with Francesca and Paolo. Just how and why is a basic and crucial set of insights that Dante must gain, which at this stage in his descent, he doesn't.

There is an MP3 version of the talk, a way to sign up, and more at www.markvernon.com/dantes-divine-comedy.

I recommend the translation by Mark Musa in the Penguin Classics edition, both for its accessibility and notes.

The images that accompany my discussion are by Gustav Doré (in black and white) and William Blake (in colour).

Видео Inferno 5 канала Mark Vernon