Dante Alighieri: A Poetic Descent Into Metaphorical Hell

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of Guido Cavalcanti, a
popular Italian poet of the day, as Dante's skill became more defined the
two became friends. It is also thought that Dante studied at the
university in Bologna around the year 1285.
He became involved in some political altercations, he joined the
Guelphs, as opposed to the Chibellines, and he was involved in a battle and
emerged victorious. It was around this time, 1290, that Beatrice died,
after she died he began studying philosophy, he read the works of Boethius
and Cicero. He soon after married Gemma Donati, a member of a noble
Florentine Guelph family. He attempted to settle down and forget Beatrice,
however he became more and more engulfed in the party scene, he discovered
the pleasure of banquets, and was seen engaged in public rhyming contests.
These contests were a sort of poetic insult contest that often decayed into
vulgarity. Thankfully, this period did not last long, in 1295, Dante
suddenly became very interested in the political ...

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immediate response was a desire to join with the other
exiles and organize, they would retake the city by force. The exiled
people were more concerned with their own interests than retaking Florence,
the movement never even really got underway. There were a few isolated
skirmishes, called the Wars of Mugello, but they were all unsuccessful.
Dante was disgusted by the utter lack of motivation in his companions, and
he decided to go his own way.
Dante spent time in Northern Italy and in Verona, he made his way
to Paris around 1307, there he joined the Ghibellines, hoping to unite all
of Europe under the reign of an "enlightened emperor"1. There are no
certain records ...

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