User Reviews

This is the first part of a two part documentary on Dante Allegheri. We are brought into the world of this trouble poet and politician. We see his world in Florence as he is exiled because of huge political clashes. One of the most gifted people in history is banished and if he returns to Florence, he will be burned at the stake. We are made aware of his hopeless love for the mystery woman, Beatrice, and the pain her death causes him (though they never even spoke). Carrying his pain with him, he embarks on what may be the greatest poem ever written, "The Divine Comedy." The second half of this episode connects Dante to the character in "The Inferno." Of course, he meets the Latin poet Virgil and is taken through the circles of hell. Each is explained in terms of the political and social world in which he lived. I'd forgotten how unfair Hell turns out to be. We need to remember that the Roman Catholic Church made the rules, so the first circle is a dumping ground for unbaptized babies and people who never have a chance to enter the church. Don't get me started. Anyway, to truly get a feeling for this great work and sad man spend years creating it, don't miss this.