Understanding Dante's Divine Comedy in Its Original Language: An Italian Perspective

Many Italians might wonder about their ability to comprehend Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy in its original language, Medieval Italian (Italiano volgare). This article delves into the challenges and opportunities presented by reading this complex literary work, providing insights for both native and non-native speakers of Italian.

The Accessibility of Dante's Work

According to experts, a well-educated individual who is fluent in a Romance language can comprehend most of the writing in Divine Comedy. For instance, a Mexican or Portuguese speaker reading the text on a Kindle with a touch dictionary can grasp everything effortlessly. This linguistic foundation suggests that an Italian speaker, who is familiar with Romance languages, would face fewer obstacles.

Analyze Two Verses

Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura questa selva selvaggia e aspra e forte.

Ai quanto a dizer qual era é cousa dura esta selva selvagem e áspera e forte.

Ahi quanto a decir qual era es cosa dura esta selva selvaje y áspera y fuerte.

These translations highlight the similarities and differences across Italian dialects and languages, demonstrating the text's comprehensibility for Romance language speakers.

Challenges in Understanding Dante's Italiano Volgare

While Divine Comedy uses a relatively familiar language, the complexity of the text requires more than just a cursory reading. Latin, the language of church and scholars, is almost completely incomprehensible today for most Italian speakers. In contrast, Dante's Italiano volgare, while not entirely incomprehensible, presents its own challenges.

The Poetic Language and Historical References

Phrases, which might be familiar, are imbued with historical, political, philosophical, and theological references, making comprehension a nuanced task. For example, a line such as Cherubino will have molto onor poco contante becomes Cherubino will have much honor and little cash; the Italian word contante here means cash rather than its literal translation.

The Complexity of the Text

The Divine Comedy is known for its intricate and layered meaning. The complexity increases from the Inferno to the Paradiso. The Inferno is the most straightforward, followed by the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso is the most challenging section. Reading the work requires a significant amount of effort, especially for the final book.

Education and Comprehension

In Italy, schools often dedicate an entire year of high school to studying Divine Comedy. Each of the three books is studied in a separate year, with detailed analysis and comments. For instance, a schoolbook might allocate an entire page to a single verse, providing extensive notes and analysis. This intensive study underscores the depth and complexity of the text.

Is Divine Comedy Suitable for Fun Reading?

The Divine Comedy is not a text for casual reading or learning Italian. It requires a deeper understanding and appreciation, much like Shakespeare's works in the English-speaking world. The text's historical and cultural references necessitate a scholarly approach to fully comprehend its nuances.

Conclusion

While an educated Italian speaker can understand much of Dante's writing, the full depth and richness of the Divine Comedy require significant effort and preparation. The text's complexity, historical references, and poetic language make it a challenging but rewarding read for those who wish to explore this masterpiece of world literature.