Similes And Metaphors In Divine Comedy By Dante Alighieri

The “Divine Comedy” written by Dante Alighieri includes many different similes and metaphors to allow Dante to do justice when describing the things he sees within hell and his life. For example, Dante says “And just as cranes in flight will chant their lays,… so did the shades I saw approaching, borne by that assailing wind, lament and moan;” (Alighieri 78). In this quote Dante is describing the noises he hears when he is walking into and experiencing the second circle, (the circle of lust). Specifically, he is mentioning the reaction the shades are having to being thrown endlessly inside a hurricane, which is the punishment for that circle. This simile is very effective as it is able to draw a type of analogy from the scream of the lustful to the

In this case, Dante is comparing his life to a dark forest. From this comparison many things can be inferred about Dante’s life up until now, his thoughts, and even his mental state. For example, this metaphor allows the reader to infer that as of now Dante’s thoughts have been clouded and Dante doesn’t really know what or where he is going with his life. The dark forest can also signify that Dantes thoughts and ideas might have started to become sinister or even evil, thus “lost the path that does not stray”. This metaphor which Dante uses as the first line of the book sets the tone of the whole book, allows the reader to see Dante at his lowest, and his journey throughout the book to self-improvement. Lastly, Dante uses another simile “As little flowers, which the chill of night has bent and huddled, when the white sun strikes, grow straight and open fully on their stems, so did I, too, with my exhausted force; and such warm daring rushed into my heart that I-as one who has been freed-began:” (Alighieri