... achievements. Petrarch expected to achieve great fame from his epic biographical poem Africa, which was based on the life of Scipio Africanus who, to Petrarch, embodies the valiant and pious virtues of the ancient Romans. But, although he worked on this throughout his lifetime, it was never even published. His imitation of Virgil's Aeneid shows the degree to which he relied on Classical literature as a source ... and guide. Amazingly, he included his own commentaries and reflections on the events of the biography. This type of critical analysis shows that Petrarch had crossed a bridge i...

• Word Count: 2254
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... sections, named the Inferno (Hell), the Purgatorio (Purgatory), and the Paradiso (Paradise). In each of these three realms, the poet meets different people. Each character is symbolic of a particular fault or virtue. Dante is guided through hell and purgatory by Virgil, who is, the symbol of reason. The woman Dante loved, Beatrice, is his guide through paradise. She is the symbol of divine will. Dante wrote the poem for his ... colleagues and therefore wrote it in vernacular which was Italian. He named the poem La commedia (The Comedy) because it ends happily, in heaven. His journey's c...

• Word Count: 1592
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School