The Blossoming of Dante.

Consider your origin;

you were not born to live like brutes,

but to follow virtue and knowledge.

(Inferno, Canto XXVI, lines 118-120)

The creation of Dante's division between Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise demonstrates the distinction which the Italian poet held to be true with regards to these domains. However, upon much consideration, I find myself observing these three regions as if part of a single form. To be precise, the imagery of a flower is how I wish to link the trinity of Dante's creation.

  Following in Dante's journey, the reader will firstly find themselves travelling through the 9 circles which make up the Inferno. Similar to a root system, they spread and flourish deep under the ground. Also like the tubers of a flower, each circle works independently while also satisfying the demands of the greater structure. The nature of the Inferno within Christian tradition would also make it possible to state that without the diabolic mechanism below, all that which comes above would be impossible. Just as the roots absorb nutrients and minerals deep within the earth, so too does damnation feed Dante's medieval readers desire for salvation in Paradise. The strength of the plant is based on the robustness of its root network to maintain it. For the institutionalised Western Church of the early 14th Century to operate, it needs the Inferno to bolster its claims regarding Purgatory and Paradise.

  Out of the depths of the Inferno, one is taken up through Purgatory.Consisting of 9 levels (10 if you include the Garden of Eden at its summit), it rises out of the ground leading up towards Paradise. This second domain is similar to the stem of the flower. Protruding out of the Inferno, it leads those who reside in Purgatory up towards eventual forgiveness by the Almighty. Neither condemned to the darkness below nor blessed in the bathing light of the highest, Purgatory is the link which brings the two juxtaposed realms closer. As a bridge between the two domains, it offers a glimpse for those within what lies at both ends of the spectrum.

Finally, at the zenith of the flower, the beautiful blossoming head is found. Just as is the case with Paradise, the bloom represents the highest achievement of the structure. The colour and fragrance, designed to captivate insect, bird and human alike, resonates the feelings and emotions which Dante experiences as he travel through the 9 spheres of Paradise. As well as its aesthetic value, both represent an origin to life. Paradise, as the realm of G_d, may be considered the home of all creature, for without the divine there would be no universe. Similarly, the structures of the blossom are designed to propagate its seed so that they species may continue. Though the latter may appear somewhat more crude for this comparison, it is nevertheless an apt portrayal. Paradise is the place of the creator of all which has been, is and ever will be; let alone the Father of all flowers.

Dante's Divine Comedy and the structure of a flower demonstrate some shared characteristics, if one is willing to take the time to find them. As one of the greatest writers of Western Europe, if not the whole of civilisation, Dante demonstrates a simplicity to his writing on what can be taken to greater depths. His writings should be treasured as a flower, with great care, consideration, and of course time.