Notes on Limbo

St. Augustine's "City of God" and "City of Men"
Augustine said you either love God or love yourself, no in between.
In the last judgment all men will be separated by which love they possess, either the spiritual city of God or the Spiritual city of Man. Both of these cities are striving for peace on earth but the city of man is striving for peace for their own good while residents of the city of god strive for peace because god wills it.


The other two parts of the Divine Comedy: What are they and how do they relate to this part? What was Dante's overall vision?


Who is Virgil and why do you think Dante would choose him to guide him, Dante, through the bowels of hell?
Virgil was a great poet and considered the herald of Christianity but he is also considered very intelligent so he has both of those characteristics. Which is cool. Virgil's writing also heavily influenced the Divine Comedy, Virgil wrote about going to hell? I dunno. Dante might have felt kinship to someone that was both intellectual and religious and since Virgil has already written about hell he has experience.

The political climate of the era of Dante's allegory
The main political movements were the Gs and Gs... and nothing else i guess. Guelphs were more religious followers of the Pope while the Ghibelines were more secular followers of the Holy Roman Empire.


The church's role in life during the time period
The Church was all there was, it was a huge deal. The church did not start to falter until after Dante's death. Rampant Nepotism among the church and papacy. Pope had kids. The age where you could buy indulgences to pay for the forgiveness of your sins.

What is allegory and what is its specific purpose. Why choose allegory?
Allegory is a story with two meanings, literal and symbolic. Doesn't have to be a writing, could be any kind of art. People use allegory to communicate in a way that is not preaching to you its subtle and more accessible. Its a way of exposing people to things in ways they don't expect. An allegory is made when the WHOLE story is symbolic. Other stories can have symbols and no be allegories, an allegory is when every single thing is a symbol. Allegories usually have political meanings or intentions.

Why is Beatrice important to Dante?
Beatrice is some girl that Dante only met twice. He met her once when she was nine and he had a courtly love for her where he writes about how much he loves her but doesn't really want to do anything about it. She is his muse and savior, he does not love her lustfully he just loves her as an artistic muse, the extra push to do things.