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Exploring Flawed Heroism and Divine Themes in Don Quixote and Dante’s Divine Comedy

This lesson delves into the nature of heroism through Miguel Cervantes' "Don Quixote," discussing the implications of chivalry and the feudal system. It also introduces Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy," a pivotal work in Western literature that explores themes of good, evil, and the human condition through its structure of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Students will consider the relationship between faith and reason, the role of free will, and the significance of love as a dual source of potential, alongside engaging activities to enrich their understanding.

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Exploring Flawed Heroism and Divine Themes in Don Quixote and Dante’s Divine Comedy

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Warm-up #13 • Why was Don Quixote a flawed hero? • What does Miguel Cervantes’ story imply about chivalry and the feudal system?

  2. Dante’s Divine Comedy

  3. Introduction to Dante • Dante Aligheri (1265-1321), of Florence, Italy. • One of the 4-5 greatest poets of the Western tradition (with Homer, Virgil, Milton, Goethe). • His masterpiece (The Divine Comedy) combines Greek philosophy & the Biblical worldview.

  4. Structure of the Divine Comedy • Three Parts: • The Inferno (Hell). A depiction of the consequences of unchecked evil. • The Purgatorio (Purgatory). A representation of human nature in this life (of which purgatory is an extension): the conflict between good and evil. • The Paradiso (Heaven). The ultimate, supernatural end of human life. The vision of God.

  5. Discovery Education Video

  6. Issues to Consider • Love as the source of both good and evil. • The paradox of free will: is it compatible with a scientific (Aristotelian) picture of the workings of human nature? • The relationship between body and soul.

  7. Faith & Reason • Dante gives a high status to natural reason. • Virgil, Dante’s guide through hell and purgatory, was a pre-Christian Roman poet. • Aristotle is described as “the father of them that know.” • The philosophers and poets in limbo, although unbelievers, are treated with great respect, and suffer only the sadness of the loss of heaven.

  8. Limits of reason • At the same time, Dante clearly asserts the limits of reason, and that it must be supplemented by faith. • Beatrice (representing grace) must take over for Virgil as Dante enters heaven. • Certain mysteries (like that of free will) lie beyond the scope of reason to explain completely. • The souls in heaven, enjoying the vision of God, have transcended all natural limitations.

  9. Dante Reader • Read the text. • Mark the text • Number the paragraphs • Circle key words • Underline main ideas • Annotate (write in the margins) • Answer the review questions on the back.

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