DANTE AS A
REVOLUTIONARY POET: A TALK BY TRISTAN KAY
BY: THOMAS PROUDFOOT
On the 2 nd November the Italian department’s Dr. Tristan Kay gave a talk as part of the faculty
wide half-day festival, Poetry in Revolution. The day’s events began with various talks on
different poets from across the globe, given by University academics, before culminating in a roundtable with four external speakers, focussing primarily on Russian and eastern European
poetry.
As a medieval and highly canonical author, Dante does not seem to be such an obvious choice
as a ‘revolutionary’ writer. In his talk Tristan acknowledged this, and sought to present an
argument as to why, although ostensibly writing within the medieval canon, Dante should
indeed be considered a truly revolutionary poet. In his talk Tristan concentrated on four key aspects of Dante’s poetry that he argues demonstrate Dante’s revolutionary status, namely:
Afterlife – Dante’s depiction of the Christian afterlife is revolutionary in its boldness.
The afterlife presented in the Commedia is evocative and comprehensive, capturing the
psychological, moral and physical aspects of the souls it contains with far greater
sophistication than any previous theological or philosophical work. The Commedia captures
the fiercest depths of Hell and the highest reaches of Heaven with both brutality and
honesty, often in ways that are highly provocative. Dante’s moral absolutism condemns
Popes, Greek and Roman heroes and contemporary Florentine figures to the fires of
Hell. Yet he also seems to show a leniency towards some of the sinners he portrays.
Virtuous pagans and some prominent Islamic figures such as Saladin are spared the
worst punishments of Hell, as Dante places them in the first circle Limbo. Dante also
challenges Christian morality by suggesting in Para. XIX that some Non-Christians,
such as the Ethiopians, are perhaps more worthy of salvation than some who profess the Christian faith.
Tristan Kay
Thomas Proudfoot
IL DIPARTIMENTO